Round Rock is a nice area to look at also.
On Friday, March 7, 2014 7:34 PM, Pundit Sir <[email protected]> wrote: Austin, Texas - Live Music Capitol of the World Austin City Limits Music Festival 2013, Austin, Texas http://www.aclfestival.com/2013-lineup/ We just returned from a music trip to Austin. Austin’s population has increased by an astounding 71 percent. The state of Texas hosts four of the 11 largest cities in the country: Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin. The biggest problem in Austin is not the economy or unemployment — it is the traffic. We are seriously thinking about moving back to Austin, somewhere out by Oak Hill, Dripping Springs, or Radiance, the TM Ideal Village, home of the Maharishi Golden Dome of Pure Knowledge. Fer sure we will be attending some of the upcoming events at the SXSW Music and Film Festival, the largest music festival of its kind in the world, with more than 2,200 performers and bands playing in more than 100 venues playing all over town. It was sweet! South by Southwest: http://sxsw.com/ http://www.austinwebpage.com/ http://www.musicaustin.com/ http://www.experienceaustin.com/core.html On Sat, Jan 4, 2014 at 2:06 PM, Richard Williams <[email protected]> wrote: Plano, Texas > > > > > > >Rita's niece and her husband, a bean counter, both work and live in Plano - >it's right next to Dallas. According to what I've read, Plano, Texas is one of >the best managed cities in the U.S. More than half of Plano’s adult population >have at least a bachelor’s degree last year, one of the best rates in the >nation. Plano's close proximity to Dallas, combined with efficient public >transportation, offers residents easy access to jobs in the larger city. More >than 12% of Plano workers were employed in the finance industry last year Go >figure. > > >It's all about management. When I worked at the community college I took >several courses in Business Management - Small Business Management, Business >Communications, Business Math, Records Management and Accounting. I was >awarded a Level One Certification in Business Administrative Systems. So, it's >interesting to read about city management. In a recent survey, the best-run >city is Irvine, California and the worst run city is San Bernardino, >California. Go figure. > > >Read more: > > >'The Best and Worst Run Cities in America' >http://finance.yahoo.com/news/best-worst-run-cities-america-193707188.html > > > >On Sat, Nov 23, 2013 at 2:18 PM, Richard Williams <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> >> >> >>Someday soon we are going to be selling everything and packing up what's left >>to move to a place that's right for us. There are good reasons to move and >>good reason to stay where we are. Each area has its pros and cons. Every >>place you live is a compromise and there is no perfect place >> >> >>For example some place have good weather all year like Laguna Beach, >>California, and some places have weather that sucks, like Cut Bank, Montana. >>For others, weather is perhaps not as big of a deal. >> >> >>Most people like what they already know and the older people get the more >>they have resistance to change. For me, moving isn't a big deal, since I >>spent eighteen years a military brat, living in over ten U.S. states, England >>and Japan. >> >> >>After college I lived in California for thirteen years, both north and south, >>and then moved to Austin, Texas for twelve years. Recently Rita and I visited >>her hometown, Detroit, and visited her sister for a few weeks. >> >> >>And, I've driven through most of the U.S. at one time or another. I love >>northern California and the Escondido area around San Diego - lots of >>business opportunities;good schools; avocados.. These are the many reasons >>people like to live near the ocean or the mountains. >> >> >>But, there are some negatives also, like in California where the state is >>struggling, which means the cities are now struggling. The bureaucracy is >>increasing out there. Some people are getting tired of dealing high property >>taxes - Prop 13 sets property tax on homes at 1% - and sales taxes are going >>up all the time. If you buy a $1M home you'll pay $10,000 just in taxes to >>live in San Diego County! >> >> >>Is there some place that would be an almost ideal place to live? >> >> >>If you take out a map of the U.S. you can easily cross off several locations. >>The first thing we did was cut out places where homes are very expensive, >>like Seattle, Washington or San Francisco, California or Portland, Oregon. We >>want someplace that is cheap where you can park a lot of cars and play loud >>music. >> >> >>So, you can cross off places where it's too hot or too dry or too wet - bad >>weather. And, we want to avoid tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, >>blizzards and deserts. That rules out most of the middle of the country, >>California, Texas, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Montana and most of the Gulf of >>Mexico states, and the far north both east and west. >> >> >>Some people don't like living in flat lands - they prefer mountains with >>trees and scenery. We want a place that has rivers, lakes, and less traffic. >>So, after ruling out those places (there are still some rural places in >>California, Oregon, and Washington, but they're not ideal for one reason or >>another). >> >> >>Years ago Stephen Gaskin and his family opted to move from San Francisco to >>Tennessee to be on The Farm. So, I started to consider places like Nashville >>and Memphis where Rita could still continue playing in her band and I could >>park my cars and work out of my home office on the internet. >> >> >>In a recent survey of great places to retire Chattanooga was at the top of >>the list. Go figure. >> >> >>I've been reading about how Chattanooga is experiencing a resurgence of >>vitality in the city: very low rates for electricity due to good management >>by the Tennessee Valley Authority. And very fast network connections too. You >>can buy a nice house in Chattanooga for $150,000 or rent a house for around >>$1000 a month; car registration is $28; $2 a year to register your boat; you >>can establish a corporation for $150. So, living costs would be a lot cheaper >>in Chattanooga than some other places. >> >> >>What is there to do there? >> >> >>We don't want to be out in the sticks with no culture or entertainment. We >>want to live near a town or city where there are lakes and river for rafting >>and caves to explore, and trails for mountain biking. And, there are >>historical sites too; Washington D.C. is just a days drive away. >> >> >>So, in a quick review of the positives of living in Chattanooga: there is >>cheap housing; cheap energy; cheap water; cheap land; low taxes; and low >>bureaucracy. There are green lands, mountains, rivers and lakes and fire >>flies out in nature. And industry - Amazon is out there and Ikea, Home Depot, >>and a Whole Foods Market in town. The weather is not bad, does not get too >>hot and does not get extremely cold either. Tornadoes are rare. >> >> >>But, what about rednecks? Heck, I'm used to that, being one myself, but some >>places, even though they're located in the south, defy stereotypes, just like >>Austin, Texas, the home of live music. We might miss that, but there's >>Nashville and Memphis for music entertainment. >> >> >>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farm_(Tennessee) >> >> >>http://www.thefarmcommunity.com/ >> >> >>http://www.chattanoogafun.com/ >> >> >>http://www.nps.gov/state/tn/index.htm?program=all >
