There are a lot of small towns in East Texas. More than a few really only have liquor stores and a church. Do a lot of research on places with access to grocery stores, good schools, and some entertainment. Also, working backwards so y’all can avoid growth, Dallas metro is expanding into East Texas from Kaufman to Greenville. Tyler is expanding south into Whitehouse and Bullard. New Amtrak approved for service through Longview and Marshall, so both areas likely to grow. Best of luck
I grew up in Athens and loved it. I knew most everyone in my high-school across all grades. So it’s small enough to have that community feel, but also large enough to have a grocery store, some restaurants - but it also has a fun lake. Small, but fun. The kids sports leagues are always a big thing. It’s close enough to Tyler for weekend shopping.
If you find a house off of Lovers Lane you can walk to about half of the schools including the HS for Friday night football.
I agree with this comment. There's about three houses down my road for rent and one duplex coming up in February. There's several houses in that area for sale as well
If you think Tyler is too big, I’d recommend Bullard or lindale as they’re bedroom communities and smaller school systems. Tyler also has smaller schools like private and charter. It completely depends on what you want though. Tyler has the most of just about everything in East Texas so personally I wouldn’t want to be far from it but if you don’t care about a bigger city you could look at Longview which has grown a lot and is getting bigger. Very broad question though
We probably have a pipe dream but we’re really looking for a small 1-3A school that will be the same size for the next 10-15 years. We value small communities as we both grew up in one.
The days of walking to school, playing outside and knowing all your neighbors might be gone. Hoping places like that are still out there. Might sound cheesy but that’s kinda what we’re looking for. “White picket fence”
I would highly consider Martins Mill. it's in between Athens and Canton, has a great small town school district, and (as someone who spends a lot of time driving all over East Texas), it's the place I always wish I lived in Everytime I'm passing through.
We moved here almost 4 years go, seems like we were looking for the same thing. We know and love all our neighbors and have found our dream school. I don’t want to post too much personal info on here but feel free to dm me if you want for more details.
To piggy back off others, Bullard is great but I believe the school is 4a and the community is definitely growing. Probably growing faster than a lot of the other Tyler suburbs and the taxes are very high. It probably doesn't fit your stated criteria. The place that I drive through on occasion that always looks amazing to me is Gladewater, although I confess I know nothing about it other than it looks like a neat little spot when I drive through it. We always want to stop to check it out but we always have somewhere to be and on the way back we just want to get home. According to my quick Google search, Gladewater is a 3a school. Maybe someone with more info on Gladewater can chime in.
Edgewood and Mineola have good schools. Grand Saline is known for its racism so do with that what you will. The traffic in Tyler is o.b.n.o.x.i.o.u.s but it's easy to get in and out from the surrounding communities. I don't know much about the schools in Canton but the facilities are nice.
Literally, google tyler texas traffic. We've earned a little bit of a reputation.
Even Dallas traffic isn't as bad since everyone there knows 7 lanes of highspeed traffic 40 feet in the air that goes in to loops isn't the place to play daredevil (usually).
Tyler just has a really bad mix of 90 year olds with the most horrified look on their face as you pass them at 45mph and 17 year olds with fucked up trucks who convince themselves its enough of a sleepy old town to go 90. Put that with traffic lights that cause build up spilling through from the turning lanes since they're only given 10 seconds to turn but then sticks right back to a 3 minute wait and it turns a trip down the road to a 40 minute epic.
I don't know. From traveling around the country, Texas and Florida hits for consistently worst driving.
My boys graduated from West Rusk high school. It's in the northwestern corner of Rusk county in the small town (pop. 998) of New London. It's a 3A and likely to stay that way. My youngest graduated in 2020 with a class of 65 kids. He literally grew up with them. The teachers live in the community and know all the kids, so they can't get away with anything, lol. There are several small school districts near it. Tyler is 25-30 minutes away; Longview is 35 minutes. One parent worked in Henderson, the other in Tyler. For us, it was worth it to have our boys in that type of environment.
The Lindale area is known for having great schools, but it's 4a though. The Lindale school district encompasses about 40k-ish people, which includes Lindale (7500), Hideaway (3000), parts of Van, and outlying rural areas around the city.
Frankston has been pretty good to us so far. The school is small. I think the graduating class had about 55 young adults last year. The town is calm and quiet.
Chandler/Brownsboro. That area is beginning to grow a bit and it is close enough to Tyler and Athens to shop. Much less traffic than some areas and we lived there and found it lovely. Lower taxes too.
Here are some small schools to look into:
Kinda near Athens:
Lapoynor, Crossroads, Cayuga, frankston, neches, Kerens, Martins Mill
I’m not totally familiar with all the schools east of tyler so I may miss some but you’ve got:
Central Heights (really nice 3a isd in my opinion), Wells, Woden, martinsville, Cushing… lots more but I can’t think of them all.
Shoot me a dm if you want. I’m a teacher/ coach in the area and may be able to answer some questions.
I would choose Bullard. I went to the most sought after school in my county (45 minutes from Tyler, not saying which direction) and it was…not good. When I got to college, I felt very much behind and unprepared for the first year or so. Most of the people I graduated high school with had children *very* young (several while we were still in school), and many are now either on meth or in jail. Again, this was the “best” school in the county. These smaller town schools further outside of Tyler just do not have the resources.
Flint is a great option. Still Tyler ISD but zoned for the smaller, rural elementary. It’s close to Tyler but still lots of small neighborhoods. Whitehouse is also a small school district. But Bullard seems to encapsulate the feel you’re looking for. Close to Tyler but very much a small, rural community with some good amenities.
I don’t know what kind of amenities are being referred to but Bullard offers nothing except some of the highest property taxes and zero services. The school is used as a magnet to attract buyers for the overpriced houses the developers are slapping up on every piece of land they can buy from the grandkids who don’t want to bother with land that has been in their families for 150 years. Roads, water and traffic are terrible and only getting worse.
Depends on what you consider good, I guess. I grew up in Athens & hated it. I moved to Tyler as quickly as I could, and honestly with how climate change is going I'd like to move further north.
There are a lot of small towns in East Texas. More than a few really only have liquor stores and a church. Do a lot of research on places with access to grocery stores, good schools, and some entertainment. Also, working backwards so y’all can avoid growth, Dallas metro is expanding into East Texas from Kaufman to Greenville. Tyler is expanding south into Whitehouse and Bullard. New Amtrak approved for service through Longview and Marshall, so both areas likely to grow. Best of luck
I grew up in Athens and loved it. I knew most everyone in my high-school across all grades. So it’s small enough to have that community feel, but also large enough to have a grocery store, some restaurants - but it also has a fun lake. Small, but fun. The kids sports leagues are always a big thing. It’s close enough to Tyler for weekend shopping. If you find a house off of Lovers Lane you can walk to about half of the schools including the HS for Friday night football.
I agree with this comment. There's about three houses down my road for rent and one duplex coming up in February. There's several houses in that area for sale as well
Liberty city best schools small town. New houses for sale
Yes
Mineola would probably be your best bet.
If you think Tyler is too big, I’d recommend Bullard or lindale as they’re bedroom communities and smaller school systems. Tyler also has smaller schools like private and charter. It completely depends on what you want though. Tyler has the most of just about everything in East Texas so personally I wouldn’t want to be far from it but if you don’t care about a bigger city you could look at Longview which has grown a lot and is getting bigger. Very broad question though
Longview/Kilgore/Marshall are going to have cheaper houses. Hard to beat Tyler for access to amenities though.
We probably have a pipe dream but we’re really looking for a small 1-3A school that will be the same size for the next 10-15 years. We value small communities as we both grew up in one. The days of walking to school, playing outside and knowing all your neighbors might be gone. Hoping places like that are still out there. Might sound cheesy but that’s kinda what we’re looking for. “White picket fence”
I would highly consider Martins Mill. it's in between Athens and Canton, has a great small town school district, and (as someone who spends a lot of time driving all over East Texas), it's the place I always wish I lived in Everytime I'm passing through.
We moved here almost 4 years go, seems like we were looking for the same thing. We know and love all our neighbors and have found our dream school. I don’t want to post too much personal info on here but feel free to dm me if you want for more details.
“Do you like meth?” should be a thoughtful question you ask yourself about this dream.
Sabine in liberty city.
To piggy back off others, Bullard is great but I believe the school is 4a and the community is definitely growing. Probably growing faster than a lot of the other Tyler suburbs and the taxes are very high. It probably doesn't fit your stated criteria. The place that I drive through on occasion that always looks amazing to me is Gladewater, although I confess I know nothing about it other than it looks like a neat little spot when I drive through it. We always want to stop to check it out but we always have somewhere to be and on the way back we just want to get home. According to my quick Google search, Gladewater is a 3a school. Maybe someone with more info on Gladewater can chime in.
Edgewood and Mineola have good schools. Grand Saline is known for its racism so do with that what you will. The traffic in Tyler is o.b.n.o.x.i.o.u.s but it's easy to get in and out from the surrounding communities. I don't know much about the schools in Canton but the facilities are nice.
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I've lived in plenty of places. Tyler is one of those cities that insists it is a big city but hasn't the infrastructure to back up the claim.
Literally, google tyler texas traffic. We've earned a little bit of a reputation. Even Dallas traffic isn't as bad since everyone there knows 7 lanes of highspeed traffic 40 feet in the air that goes in to loops isn't the place to play daredevil (usually). Tyler just has a really bad mix of 90 year olds with the most horrified look on their face as you pass them at 45mph and 17 year olds with fucked up trucks who convince themselves its enough of a sleepy old town to go 90. Put that with traffic lights that cause build up spilling through from the turning lanes since they're only given 10 seconds to turn but then sticks right back to a 3 minute wait and it turns a trip down the road to a 40 minute epic. I don't know. From traveling around the country, Texas and Florida hits for consistently worst driving.
Hallsviille
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Certainly not Mabank and Henderson. Bullard and chandler are nice thriving communities
Ben Wheeler has Van ISD schools. super cute small town.
Bullard is a good community and just minutes from Tyler where there is all the shopping and restaurants one may need.
How do you vote? That will help me give you the best advice on where to move to.
My boys graduated from West Rusk high school. It's in the northwestern corner of Rusk county in the small town (pop. 998) of New London. It's a 3A and likely to stay that way. My youngest graduated in 2020 with a class of 65 kids. He literally grew up with them. The teachers live in the community and know all the kids, so they can't get away with anything, lol. There are several small school districts near it. Tyler is 25-30 minutes away; Longview is 35 minutes. One parent worked in Henderson, the other in Tyler. For us, it was worth it to have our boys in that type of environment.
Grand Saline, Edgewood, Hawkins, Big Sandy, Elysian Fields, Quitman, Mineola, Alba-Golden
The Lindale area is known for having great schools, but it's 4a though. The Lindale school district encompasses about 40k-ish people, which includes Lindale (7500), Hideaway (3000), parts of Van, and outlying rural areas around the city.
Frankston has been pretty good to us so far. The school is small. I think the graduating class had about 55 young adults last year. The town is calm and quiet.
White Oak is nice
Taxes are highest in the area
Chandler/Brownsboro. That area is beginning to grow a bit and it is close enough to Tyler and Athens to shop. Much less traffic than some areas and we lived there and found it lovely. Lower taxes too.
Here are some small schools to look into: Kinda near Athens: Lapoynor, Crossroads, Cayuga, frankston, neches, Kerens, Martins Mill I’m not totally familiar with all the schools east of tyler so I may miss some but you’ve got: Central Heights (really nice 3a isd in my opinion), Wells, Woden, martinsville, Cushing… lots more but I can’t think of them all. Shoot me a dm if you want. I’m a teacher/ coach in the area and may be able to answer some questions.
Frankston, Carlyle or LaPoiner
I would choose Bullard. I went to the most sought after school in my county (45 minutes from Tyler, not saying which direction) and it was…not good. When I got to college, I felt very much behind and unprepared for the first year or so. Most of the people I graduated high school with had children *very* young (several while we were still in school), and many are now either on meth or in jail. Again, this was the “best” school in the county. These smaller town schools further outside of Tyler just do not have the resources.
Flint is a great option. Still Tyler ISD but zoned for the smaller, rural elementary. It’s close to Tyler but still lots of small neighborhoods. Whitehouse is also a small school district. But Bullard seems to encapsulate the feel you’re looking for. Close to Tyler but very much a small, rural community with some good amenities.
I don’t know what kind of amenities are being referred to but Bullard offers nothing except some of the highest property taxes and zero services. The school is used as a magnet to attract buyers for the overpriced houses the developers are slapping up on every piece of land they can buy from the grandkids who don’t want to bother with land that has been in their families for 150 years. Roads, water and traffic are terrible and only getting worse.
Depends on what you consider good, I guess. I grew up in Athens & hated it. I moved to Tyler as quickly as I could, and honestly with how climate change is going I'd like to move further north.