Moving-Baton Rouge vs Houston (Kingwood) area? (Zachary, Denham Springs: new house, neighborhood, subdivisions)

[bpollen]

I'm an early retiree (age 60), considering moving to either the Houston or Baton Rouge areas. I have family in southwest La is one reason. I'm currently in Dallas, TX. I love Dallas & have friends here, but it's so dry and hot here, and hard to garden, as well as being far from family.

I will want to garden...a lot. I've tried unsuccessfully here in Dallas. I will also want to walk and hike, do a little bank fishing maybe. I will also want to try to get part time employment. The advantage of Dallas is that there are "meetup" groups, so I have been able to join walking groups. I can also walk my neighborhood daily with my dogs in relative safety.

I plan on spending $200,000 for a house in my new location, and will have Social Security plus some IRA income. The property taxes here in Texas are killing me, is one reason I'm thinking of moving to Louisiana (where property taxes are super low, and the state income tax is minimal for seniors).

I'm considering Kingwood, Texas (northeast of Houston) and somewhere around Baton Rouge. I want to be near a big city for medical and culture purposes.

I've visited Baton Rouge a couple of times decades ago, but haven't been there lately.

Does anyone have any thoughts about the Baton Rouge area for seniors, social resources, cost of living? I know the gardening there will be outstanding, compared to Dallas. What areas of Baton Rouge are good for someone like me? Safety, access to WalMart or Target or Sam's or Costco, access to auto repair shops and other services, good hospitals, larger yards than those tiny ones that come with brand new houses (a garden a couple of trees requires a decent sized yard - I have that now here in Dallas, believe it or not). I'm not crazy about paying an annual maintenance fee for planned communities, but would do it, if it's not too much. I would appreciate any suggestions.

[annie_himself]

You can try out places like Prairieville, Gonzales, Denham Springs, Central, and Zachary. These are all safe bedroom communities with everything you need. They will be most like Kingwood/Humble area. There will be homes in subdivisions and others on larger lots.