dreaming of retirement

These 7 sweet towns are the best places to retire in the Texas Hill Country

Inks Lake State Park just outside Burnet is a top spot for Texas bluebonnets each spring.

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Many Texans dream of retiring to the Hill Country and getting away from the big city hustle and bustle. There are seven places places in particular that should be on the radar for any retiring Dallasites, a new survey says.

According to the report "7 Beautiful Places To Retire In Texas Hill Country" by global travel website TheTravel, the best places to retire in the Hill Country are:

No. 1 – Comfort
No. 2 – Wimberley
No. 3 – Burnet
No. 4 – Fredericksburg
No. 5 – Boerne
No. 6 – Georgetown
No. 7 – New Braunfels

The report focused on small cities or towns with a lower cost of living, lower crime rates, and a variety of attractions.

Although everything in the Hill Country is necessarily close to Austin (never more than a few hours away), two of these seven cities were close neighbors. Another two were especially close to San Antonio, making these four great choices for retired folks who want to remain an hour or so from a major city, getting the best of both worlds. Here's a closer look at the towns nearest these big cities.

Near Austin

Georgetown, sixth of the list, is laid-back, yet not quite sleepy daily thrum that's perfect for escaping a big city's high prices and faster pace without sacrificing culture. In 2022, this active small town was named one of the best for starting a business.

In April, Georgetown holds two of its signature events. Two Step Inn, an eclectic country music festival that showcased artists this year as different as Cody Johnson and Ludacris, was held April 20-21. This was its second year after an extremely successful debut. The more established Red Poppy Festival, which brings together food vendors, musicians, a parade, a car show, and more in celebration of the area's beautiful blooms, took place the following weekend.

"Georgetown is one of the many beautiful cities to retire in Texas Hill Country with its natural beauty, historic allure, and recreational opportunities," says the report. "This stunning city also boasts one of the state's most beautiful downtowns with historical buildings such as the rumored-to-be-haunted Old Williamson County Jail and the neoclassical Williamson Courthouse."

Georgetown, Texas Georgetown's beautiful buildings have a lot of old fashioned character. wikimedia.org

Less referenced by locals, but still relatively close by is Burnet, a small city north of Marble Falls. About an hour and a half from most of Austin, this would be a better option for retirees who want to be thoroughly removed from the urban sprawl. Despite — or perhaps thanks to — its ability to fly under the radar of Austin locals, this town beat Georgetown and made No. 3 on the list. Both only had slightly lower costs of living than the national average: 4.6 percent lower for Burnet, and 3 percent for Georgetown.

Burnet also has its own floral festival: the Bluebonnet Festival, which was held April 12-14. This outdoorsy festival also hosted many visitors for the eclipse and emphasizes its superlative access to nature. Boating, fishing, camping, and biking are common activities, and the many historical buildings offer some interesting tour routes.

"Burnet sits at the edge of Texas Hill Country and dates back to the 19th century when it was first established as a fort," says the report. "Despite its modernity, Burnet retains its unique identity and rural charm, drawing retirees seeking a close-knit community and activities to keep their social lives active."

Near San Antonio

New Braunfels, which was already one of the hottest moving destinations for Texans of all ages, ranked as the seventh best Hill Country place to retire. The city's cost of living is 15 percent lower than the national average, the study found, with average rent prices at $1,468 per month. TheTravel says the city's crime rate is 16.8, which is far below the national average of 22.7.

Statistics aside, New Braunfels is an enticing place for the retirement crowd, thanks to its abundance of natural beauty and family-friendly attractions. Highlighted places to visit include Schlitterbahn Waterpark, McKenna Children's Museum, New Braunfels Historic Railroad and Modelers Society, the Gruene Historic District, and many more.

"One of the parks that the Guadalupe River passes by is Nichol's Landing, a primitive park known for excellent paddling opportunities," the report's author wrote. "Although there's limited parking, the park welcomes walk-in visitors and is ideal for a relaxing day along the clear-flowing river waters, especially on a hot summer day. However, seniors who want to stretch their legs along an easy trail as they explore the local flora and fauna can visit the lush 51-acre Landa Park."

Two spots ahead of New Braunfels is the small town of Boerne, earning No. 5. Boerne's population of just over 23,300 is vastly smaller than New Braunfels' population of more than 116,000, making it a much more quaint place for retirement-age individuals looking for a quieter lifestyle.

Even with the smaller overall population, the town's crime rate is similar to New Braunfels – at 16.2 – but still lower than the national average. Average rent prices are also lower, at $1,315 per month.

TheTravel says must-see places to visit in Boerne include the Farmer's Market at the Cibolo, Tusculum Brewing Company, Gina Marie's Art Studio, Cascade Caverns, and more.

Athletic retired folks will love exploring the caverns in Boerne.thetravel.com

"Named in honor of Karl Ludwig Börne, a German author, Boerne has a rich heritage best explored during a walking tour of the historic district," the report said. "Moreover, Boerne boasts beautiful places to explore, such as the famed Cave Without A Name, an otherworldly cavern with fascinating geological formations."

The No. 1 best place to retire in the Hill Country is the small town of Comfort, which is less than 50 miles outside San Antonio. It has the smallest population out of all seven destinations on the list, at 1,955 people. The average cost of living in Comfort is 17 percent lower than the national average, but the average rent is higher than New Braunfels' and Boerne's at $1,480 per month. However, much like Boerne, Comfort is full of German history.

"Comfort also has one of Texas’ best preserved historic districts, with over 100 buildings constructed between the 1850s and 1950s, some designed by renowned architect Alfred Giles, such as Hotel Giles," the report said. "The historic district boasts restaurants and charming shops catering to antique collectors and shoppers."

Other notable places to visit in Comfort include the James Kiehl Natural Area, Singing Water Vineyards, Bending Branch Winery, and the Treue Der Union Monument.

The full report can be found on thetravel.com.

bluebonnet festival boerne fredericksburg new braunfels rankings retirement texas hill country

Winter weather warning

Forecasters warn of 'potentially catastrophic' winter storm in Texas

Photo by Uliana Sova on Unsplash

This weekend could bring ice to Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond.

With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South, including Texas.

The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“I don’t know how people are going to deal with it,” he said.

Forecasters on Tuesday, January 20 warned that the ice could weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages.

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic,” said Keith Avery, CEO of the Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina.

The National Weather Service warned of "great swaths of heavy snow, sleet, and treacherous freezing rain” starting Friday in much of the nation’s midsection and then shifting toward the East Coast through Sunday.

Temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas, meaning ice that forms on roads and sidewalks might stick around, forecasters say.

The exact timing of the approaching storm — and where it is headed — remained uncertain on Tuesday. Forecasters say it can be challenging to predict precisely which areas could see rain and which ones could be punished with ice.

Meteorologists at WFAA say it's too early for an exact forecast across Dallas-Fort Worth. But it's good to start being weather aware.

Here’s what to know:

Cold air clashing with rain to fuel a 'major winter storm’
An extremely cold arctic air mass is set to dive south from Canada, setting up a clash with the cold temperatures and rain that will be streaming eastward across the southern U.S.

“This is extreme, even for this being the peak of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said of the cold temperatures.

When the cold air meets the rain, the likely result will be “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in,” Jackson said.

Texas could be a harbinger for other parts of the South
Some of the storm’s earliest impacts could be in Texas on Friday, as the arctic air mass slides south through much of the state, National Weather Service forecaster Sam Shamburger said in a briefing on the storm.

“At the same time, we’re expecting rain to move into much of the state,” Shamburger said.

Low temperatures could fall into the 20s or even the teens in parts of Texas by Saturday, with the potential for a wintery mix of weather in the northern part of the state.

Forecasters cautioned that significant uncertainty remains, particularly over how much ice or snow could fall across north and central Texas.

“It’s going to be a very difficult forecast,” Shamburger said.

An atmospheric river could set up across the Southern U.S.
An atmospheric river of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and the Carolinas, forecasters said.

“Global models are painting a concerning picture of what this weekend could look like, with an increasingly strong signal for ice storm potential across North Georgia and portions of central Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service's Atlanta office.

Highway and air travel could be tangled by the storm
Travel is a major concern, as Southern states have less equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, and extremely cold temperatures expected after the storm could prevent ice from melting for several days.

The storm is also expected to impact many of the nation’s major hub airports, including those in Dallas-Fort Worth; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Polar air from Canada to keep northern states in a deep freeze
Unusually cold temperatures are already in place across much of the northern tier of the U.S., but the blast of arctic air expected later this week is “will be the coldest yet,” Jackson said.

“There’s a large sprawling vortex of low pressure centered over Hudson Bay,” Jackson said of the sea in northern Canada that’s connected to the Arctic Ocean. “And this is dominating the weather over all of North America.”

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