As others have mentioned, I'd look into Temple-Belton or one of the smaller towns between Temple and Waco near I-35.

I'd also consider Tyler-Longview.

There's a VA hospital in Conroe, which is arguably considered a suburb of Houston. You might check out Huntsville or some of the smaller towns between Huntsville and Conroe off I-45.

tatortodd and iron chef, we'll check out Tyler. Thanks!

VA is no help, I didn't serve. Flunked the physical in 1967.

As lousey as we have it here in Ill annoy,
The vibe I get from a long time friend living in a suburb of Austin is,
It's become a lot like Maricopa County Arizona of late.

In Phoenix/ Mesa it's like living on a chess board.
There are great neighborhoods that are butted up against terrible neighborhoods.

From what Paula tells me their politics seem better, but,
Getting away from a much higher crime rate is much harder.

As much as I dislike it here, unless I was tripling the family income, I'd be staying put.

I will be looking forward to an 8 month review of your move.

Thanks, bendable. We've already ruled out Arizona as well as Austin and the other major Texas cities, mostly for financial reasons -- we can't afford them.

I suspect there are worse places to live than Illinois, as you suggest, such as New York, California, New Jersey, Maryland, Mogadishu...but we've thoroughly had it with this place. Years of bad politics have led to years of bad economic conditions as banks and businesses have fled. I spent most of my career in banking, but no more.

I know Abilene and similar towns in Texas won't offer the kind of business opportunities I grew up with, but I'm hoping to do something to make it livable.

Jeff Cooper said that we can't defeat tyranny by fleeing from it, but as an angry old guy, I'd rather not take a stand here.

Hey,

Would you also consider Florida? We get a little humidity here.

The smaller towns have reasonable cost of living and there's not state income tax. Medical care for, ahem, older folks is generally available in most of the state due to many moving here due to the weather.

Towns such as Live Oak and Lake City might be considered.

Very 2nd Amendment friendly.

I've driven through Abilene more than I've cared to. If you're set on Texas, Midland doesn't seem bad, been through there a few times. Would definitely live in Midland before Odessa. San Angelo intrigues me.

Kerrville outside of SATX is likely too expensive at this point.

Texas is so diverse in all sorts of factors. Generally speaking, there isn't much west of Odessa, you have some towns but they get fewer and further in between and the color changes from green to brown.

If you like YouTube, look up a channel called The World According to Briggs. He has a lot of good videos for people considering Texas as a place to move to. Many of his videos take health care into consideration. It may be a good resource to make a list of places for further research. Good luck!

Edmond - We've been giving Florida a cursory look for quite a while now, but haven't found anything affordable. The panhandle area seemed most likely, but just out of our price range, so I'll take a look at Live Oak and Lake City.

DeSantis is doing a better job in Florida than Abbott is doing in Texas, my opinion, but Florida seems too expensive for us. Both are purple states, long-term, especially if DeSantis moves on to the Federal level. That's why I've been concentrating on Texas.

Bigbuck5, we'll check that YouTube channel. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
Edmond - We've been giving Florida a cursory look for quite a while now, but haven't found anything affordable. The panhandle area seemed most likely, but just out of our price range, so I'll take a look at Live Oak and Lake City.

DeSantis is doing a better job in Florida than Abbott is doing in Texas, my opinion, but Florida seems too expensive for us. Both are purple states, long-term, especially if DeSantis moves on to the Federal level. That's why I've been concentrating on Texas.

Bigbuck5, we'll check that YouTube channel. Thanks.

You're welcome. Here is a list of his Texas vidoes.

https://www.youtube.com/@World...s/search?query=texas

Grew up in Odessa, live in DFW. Abilene is almost exactly in the middle between the 2. Driven through it more times that I can remember. I like Abilene and the surrounding area, have a friend with a ranch south of Abilene near Buffalo Gap. Nothing wrong with Abilene, I'd rather be out there than a major metro area.

Abilene is where I was born, but that was 60 years ago. It is a small city and fairly far from big towns, even by Texas standards. The presence of Dyess AFB makes it have more amenities than you might otherwise expect. You can get a great steak there.

It will be different from Illinois. This is genuine West Texas.

You might consider Ft. Worth or the 'burbs and towns west of there if you want to be closer to bigger cities. Ft. Worth is really cool, but probably more expensive than Abilene. Lubbock might be another option.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

It will be different from Illinois. This is genuine West Texas.

Now, that's what I'm talkin' about!

Seriously, I've heard the term "West Texas" before, but I'm not sure what it implies.

Ox90, I've lived in several major metro areas, been to a lot more of them, and like you, I'd rather not be in them.

quote:

Lubbock might be another option.

^^^^^^^^^^^
I remember a quote from Buddy Holly about the happiest time in his life is when he saw Lubbock in his rear view mirror.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Lubbock might be another option.

^^^^^^^^^^^
I remember a quote from Buddy Holly about the happiest time in his life is when he saw Lubbock in his rear view mirror.

My sons went to Texas Tech. They both really liked Lubbock.

West Texas is high plains. Hot in the summer cold in the winter. Dry. Lots of sky. The people are laconic, independent. Cattle and oil.

Was briefly in Lubbock for work & Midland in the same trip. Lubbock was preferable

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

West Texas is high plains. Hot in the summer cold in the winter. Dry. Lots of sky. The people are laconic, independent. Cattle and oil.

Thanks.

quote:

My sons went to Texas Tech. They both really liked Lubbock.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A good friend of mine played ball for Texas Tech. He moved to New Iberia. Depends what you like. I enjoyed San Antonio and the Hill Country.

I live just outside Lubbock (40 +/_ miles). It's a good city, growing all the time. It is a little warm in the summer and can get cold in the winter but for someone moving from up north it won't be too bad. The cost of living is reasonable...they are building all the time. There's a doctor on every corner with plenty of specialists and it has the only level 1 trauma center between Dallas and Denver (just in case you need one). There is also plenty to do if you are an outdoor person. There two lakes ( small by some standards) within 50 miles of Lubbock. a small group of us shoot IDPA a couple times a month at a local indoor range and there is an outdoor range 10 miles from town.

"Just outside Lubbock" is 40 miles??? I guess everything really is bigger in Texas, isn't it?

I haven't shot IDPA in over 40 years, but it's time to get back in while I still can.

Lubbock is on the list, thanks!

I lived in Abilene from 1998-2009 (minus 2 years in Germany and a whole lot of time in the middle east). I liked it. Big enough but not too big. If you like trees go somewhere else. Mid summer can be brutal but at least it is a dry heat Winters can actually be kinda cold with a little snow every now and then that melts the next day. The roads flood every time a thunderstorm rolls thru, no storm drains on the main roads. Good hospitals and schools. Plenty of good restaurants in town plus one of the best steakhouses in Texas (Perini Ranch Steak House) is about 20 minutes away in Buffalo Gap. There was a members only outdoor range just outside of town when I lived there that was pretty good. Overall a pretty safe, conservative city.

A couple mentions of "Hill Country" got me wondering about it. I guess it's east, but what differences are there between Hill Country and the area around Abilene?

Honestly, I'm not a fan of all heat and no shade, not looking forward to trading the horrors of Illinois for that, but if I have to, I have to.