Space, Space, Space
Sure, while there are some perks to living in a subdivision, there’s one benefit that suburban or urban living just can’t match - the ability to have as much space as your heart desires. When you live on some acreage outside of city limits, you’re not nearly as likely to have neighbors poking their nose into your business, eye-sores built right next to your bedroom window, or loud house parties from down the block keeping you and your kids up at night.
Simply put, there’s room to grow, stretch your arms a bit, and have a little bit more privacy when you live out of town. The more land, typically, the more of that space and privacy you can manage. Want your house to sit so far off the main road it’s not visible to passersby? Yeah, you can’t do that in the city. Like play bongos in your backyard every day? You probably shouldn’t do that if your neighbors are only separated by a five-foot-tall privacy fence. Hate the idea of your neighbor’s kid practicing for their garage band at all hours of the night? Unless you buy all the houses in your immediate vicinity, there’s not much you can do about that in the city. Love going hunting every fall? The game selection in town is pretty darn limited.
All of these and more are great reasons why looking into buying some land outside of the city limits is a great option for those who like to keep to themselves a bit more (or at least wish everyone else would keep to themselves). However, that’s not the only reason that living the rural life is advantageous.
Freedom and Flexibility
One of the drawbacks of living inside city limits is that you’ve got more restrictions and governance. To quote the great philosopher Tim McGraw, “you can have a lot of fun in a New York minute, but there’s some things you can’t do inside those city limits.”
When you live in the country, you have a lot more free reign as to how you want to live. Want to build a secondary structure next to your house? Go for it. Interested in getting solar panels or wind turbines to completely cut your reliance on ERCOT and the Texas power grid? Have at it. Considering installing a swimming pool in the backyard? No special approvals required in practically all cases. Interested in growing your own produce or raising some livestock? Knock yourself out.
When you live out in the country, you get to do a little bit more of whatever the heck you want, and nobody can tell you otherwise. If you’re interested in having more autonomy, then the rural lifestyle might be the right fit for you.
Slower Pace
Remember that whole “rushing around for the holidays” thing we led off with in the beginning? While living in the country won’t prevent holiday stresses from happening, there’s also a lot fewer things that add to those pressures when you live out of town. For one, there’s no holiday traffic to contend with. There’s also no mad rush to get gifts from local stores. Overall, your day-to-day life just seems simpler when you’re not having to contend with thousands upon thousands of other people trying to compete with you for space, time, and products on a daily basis.
Sure, it seems like an oversimplification to say that life in the country is just a little more idyllic and a lot slower, but it’s true in many ways. There’s just something to said for watching a sunrise or sunset over rolling Texas hillside, or fishing in the wee hours from your own live water property. It really helps keep the important things of life in perspective, and studies have shown that those who live in rural areas tend to be much less stressed overall.
Plus, there’s no reason you can’t drive into a bigger city if you need something that can’t be picked up nearby. For example, the folks who live out in Kerr County can easily make it down to Kerrville for simple needs, or can add a little bit longer trip to San Antonio to get the big-city experience in small doses. It’s important to remember, you can always go from the country to the city, but it’s much harder to go the other way around (unless you own rural property, of course).
Cost of Living
If you really want to stretch your dollar in these times of inflation and financial stress, moving out of the state’s biggest urban areas could be a great way to do so. Statistically speaking, the cost of living is anywhere between 20-30% less expensive in rural areas than it is in urban or even suburban neighborhoods. That means that your buying power goes further and you can have more home, more land and more life without spending more.
This trend has always existed, but was blown even further out of proportion due to the housing boom of 2020-2022. While prices for homes in areas like San Antonio and Austin shot up by more than 15-20%, most rural properties saw only modest increases (if they saw any at all). If you want your budget to stretch further and do more, moving out of the city might be the best option for you long-term.
Conclusion
Well there you have it, folks. There are plenty of other great reasons to consider moving out to the great rural areas in Texas, but these four cover many of the main benefits.
If you’re looking to purchase some Texas land and ranch properties, consider calling Bownds Ranches. We’re the areas premier Texas ranch and land broker, and we work both sides of all deals (sellers and buyers). Let our team show you Texas and give you some of the peace of mind that comes with living in the beautiful Texas countryside. Check out our properties for sale to see if your holiday dream ranch home is already listed and waiting for you.
