myTexas Hill Country

Hill Country Blog

There are as many experiences as there are people living here. This is our story, about our special places, activities and taking life day by day. See more stories to the right in our Blog Listing.

What's it like to live in the Hill Country?

With all locations, there are the good and the bad. It's only fair if I cover them both so you get a realistic picture.

Housing prices in the hill country are incredibly reasonable compared to other regions of the United States. People here complain about the rising prices and how difficult it is to purchase a home or land here now. This area did not see declines in home values over the past year. It's likely because prices were already reasonable and not hyper-inflated like some parts of the country.

The shocker is the property taxes. I pay my property taxes monthly into an impound account and it amounts to $500/mo. Ouch! Now there is no state income tax in Texas so it's reasonable that property taxes will be higher. But Washington state also has no state income taxes and their property tax percentage is about 1/2 of what it is where I live.

Friendly -- the people are friendly here. There's no doubt about it. If you are on any country road that doesn't get a lot of traffic you can expect to get a wave. My husband even categorizes the waves:

• one finger wave
• two finger wave
• whole hand wave
• wave that actually leaves the steering wheel

When we bought our home, the seller made a point of finding me at the "back to school night" and introducing me to many of the parents. Her husband came over and cooked for us in the outdoor kitchen -- which we didn't know how to run -- he bbq'd, he baked pizzas, he sauteed vegetables, and he brought all of his own supplies. All we had to do was stock the refrigerator with beer and he was happy. He spent four hours with us, filling us in on the kitchen, filling up our stomachs.

Mean-- the people are mean. They are..well some of them are. These are the folks that have lived here all of their lives and see their lands being developed with homes. They see traffic increasing. The don't know everyone in the corner grocery store anymore and they are angry. They take it out on people they don't know. Fortunately, there don't seem to be too many of them -- at least not out in public. And who can blame them if they do get a little miffed. I'd probably feel the same way in their shoes.

The bugs will eat you alive...well, they eat me alive. They absolutely ignore my husband and son. My daughter and I, we practically shower in DEET.