What are the Pros and Cons of Living in New Braunfels? (Dallas: houses, airport)

[Monello]

You can tube the rivers. Not many places in the US where you can do that.

[hindsight2020]

Not that I care about that factoid one way or the other, but the whole german inflection hasn't been a dominant experience for me since landing here. NB ain't german in any meaningful way today by demographics or daily life, they just keep using that shtick for the service industry component. This place in day to day is the typical S/Central Texan split of generic Anglo whites, and immigrant-distancing/disassociating, Anglicizing Mexican-Americans found in most of South Central TX.

Transplants are through the roof (yours truly very much included), and as has been highlighted the traffic in the summers is getting pretty bad. In the two years I've spent in Comal County the traffic increases YoY have been palpable. I shudder to think what this place will look like in 5 years. We certainly have no intention of retiring here, it's socially too repressive/insular for our taste. We're currently on the fence as to whether we even want to live here through the kid's high school years (we got a while to go on that). I remember Schertz in 2011 (mil TDY), then coming back to the area in 2018. I expect similar dynamics of this place on the same decade to decade spread. IOW, it's no small town, and it's no secret. This thing will be one megametro of SAT-AUS by 2030. Caveat emptor.

As to the pro/cons, depends on your politics. It has been a terrible fit for us, but the logistics of driving from San Marcos (a place I think would have been more fitting to our politics...relatively to NB that is) made it so that NB was as far as I could drive while not wanting to hang myself by my boot laces in a week. I got 7 years to go to 1st retirement, so it'll will do. I had other life items that leaned me to this location over say a more job-proximate anytown suburb like Cibolo/Schertz (wanted short GA airport drive, San Antonio is terrible on that front), but that's not germane to your question.

Good luck.

[Jarrett7]

Just how bad is the traffic in NB? Are there certain areas to avoid?

[Remington Steel]

Originally Posted by Monello

You can tube the rivers. Not many places in the US where you can do that.

Probably in the top 5 of the country I bet.

[Jarrett7]

Cool, thanks for the info. Going to look at houses there this weekend.

[TexasRedneck]

Many of us bemoan the "traffic woes" of New Braunfels, yet it takes only a quick trip to SA, Austin or San Marcos to realize it's relatively mild. Heavier than it once was, beyond a doubt (having lived here off and on since the 1950's, finally moving back for good in 2004) - but still not as horrid as some would imply. Every time we've considered relocating, we realize that for US, NB is home. There's pretty much everything we need right here - and our PD works hard to keep everyone safe. We had some folks "walk" a tab at a local eatery a few weeks back - within 24 hours, they were ID'd and things taken care of thanks to the local who won't put up with fools.

[flashfearless]

Cons: no planning. Driving through there on I-35 the signage is so ugly. It looks like one big truck stop. I rented an apartment there for a year and I laughed at the notion that some people are so bored that they spend a week on the banks of those creeks and they call that vacation. You can’t get anywhere during the summer.

Cons: local instructional airport. Don’t locate anywhere near the airport especially when working from home because when they hold flight training classes, people will be circling overhead all the time.

Cons: it’s one big strip mall

Cons: the hs needs a new mascot name. The unicorns?

Cons: too much development. It’s insane. And it’s gonna get worse. Really fast.

[Jarrett7]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

Many of us bemoan the "traffic woes" of New Braunfels, yet it takes only a quick trip to SA, Austin or San Marcos to realize it's relatively mild. Heavier than it once was, beyond a doubt (having lived here off and on since the 1950's, finally moving back for good in 2004) - but still not as horrid as some would imply. Every time we've considered relocating, we realize that for US, NB is home. There's pretty much everything we need right here - and our PD works hard to keep everyone safe. We had some folks "walk" a tab at a local eatery a few weeks back - within 24 hours, they were ID'd and things taken care of thanks to the local who won't put up with fools.

Thanks, that's kind of what we were thinking about the place.

[Well done]

I've lived New Braunfels and did not like it either. I will not move back. Landa Park is nice enough.
The size of the city is also good.

Originally Posted by flashfearless

Cons: no planning. Driving through there on I-35 the signage is so ugly. It looks like one big truck stop. I rented an apartment there for a year and I laughed at the notion that some people are so bored that they spend a week on the banks of those creeks and they call that vacation. You can’t get anywhere during the summer.

Cons: local instructional airport. Don’t locate anywhere near the airport especially when working from home because when they hold flight training classes, people will be circling overhead all the time.

Cons: it’s one big strip mall

Cons: the hs needs a new mascot name. The unicorns?

Cons: too much development. It’s insane. And it’s gonna get worse. Really fast.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by flashfearless

Cons: no planning. Driving through there on I-35 the signage is so ugly. It looks like one big truck stop. I rented an apartment there for a year and I laughed at the notion that some people are so bored that they spend a week on the banks of those creeks and they call that vacation. You can’t get anywhere during the summer.

Cons: local instructional airport. Don’t locate anywhere near the airport especially when working from home because when they hold flight training classes, people will be circling overhead all the time.

Cons: it’s one big strip mall

Cons: the hs needs a new mascot name. The unicorns?

Cons: too much development. It’s insane. And it’s gonna get worse. Really fast.

I agree with all of these cons. I think it is still a decent place to live.

The parts I bolded are the main downfalls of New Braunfels imo. It's why I would prefer to live further northwest into the hill country (Mason, San Saba, even Fredericksburg is way better in this aspect... housing prices though.)