Retiring to Texas

Houston Chronicle:

Until recently, Michael and Judith Sutter didn't know Texas had trees. Or, for that matter, that the plant ecology of the Lone Star State encompassed something other than the typical Western movie set of barren prairie and tumbleweeds.

The retired Chicago-area architect and his wife had never played dominoes. They still prefer veal Oscar over chicken fried steak. They worship Da Bears. And they don't care much for country music.

No, the Sutters, with their Midwestern accents and dry humor, aren't exactly typical Texans. But they are just what the economic developers ordered for this tiny deep East Texas community and many other struggling rural towns across the state trying to market themselves as national baby-boomer retirement destinations.

The Sutters, who bought a home on the Toledo Bend Reservoir, already have purchased a bass fishing boat, a used truck and an all-terrain vehicle. They've attended cookouts and played dominoes with neighbors. And they're discovering the joys of gardening in a warmer climate.

"We had a lemon tree we planted, you know," Judy Sutter, 63, said excitedly. Her 70-year-old husband quickly follows up: "I mean, that's a big deal, to be able to do that, where we come from."

The Texas Hill Country and the lower Rio Grande Valley have been well-known retirement destinations for years, coveted for their scenic beauty, relatively affordable housing and, of course, no state income tax. But more recently, the wooded, lake-laden fishing haven of East Texas has been trying to get in on the action.

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The small East Texas towns are in an attractive setting with very affordable housing. What is surprising is that it has taken so long for retirees to discover them. The same thing is happening in small towns in Arkansas too. You can find old historic homes for a fraction of their replacement costs and a work force to repair and restore them for a fraction of the labor costs in places like Chicago. Even new homes are more affordable than they are in other parts of the country because of lower land and labor costs.