New member-TX

[rebellishus]

Hi. my screen name is rebellishus.

i was born in and currently live in Texas. as many of you know, the state population is growing like new taxes.

i have been looking for some months for a place beyond any expanding extraterritorial jurisdiction. so far no luck. likely, i am going to lurk a lot, simply to gain the benefit of your experience and ideas. i am no urban planner. do NOT want to live in any city limits anywhere. have been considering moving out of state, but don't like snow, either. there must be some place for those of us who don't want to be 'organized by someone else', but i have not found it...and i've been to Alaska.

thanks for reading. carry on.

[Gedunker]

Greetings from the Hoosier state. There's plenty of unzoned, unplanned wilderness hereabouts.

As Cyburbia is a planning forum, populated largely by planners, I'm sure you are here to learn why we do what we do and the value we and our communities place in it.

Otherwise, you could be a troll, and we know what to do with trolls.

[Michele Zone]

Welcome aboard.


Texas is pretty protective of individual rights. For example, state laws generally allow someone to take over a house if they live there openly, pay taxes on it, and can't find the owner. California lets you take ownership after only 5 years. They are the state with the shortest time. Texas has the longest time -- 30 years, if I recall correctly.

Texas also has the most liberal homeschooling laws of any state. They basically give you carte blanche.

If you want something more wild west than Texas, you might consider some place outside the U.S.

[Salmissra]

Hello, from Dallas, TX!

[Joe Iliff]

Welcome from small town Texas.

If you are looking for a place beyond the ETJ of a city in Texas, I'd recommend looking west. Lots of wide open spaces between incorporated towns. In central and eastern Texas, you'll find them spaced closer together. There are some counties out in far west Texas with almost no incorporated cities in them.

[rebellishus]

Thank you all!

I am in a small pocket that is in the etj of another town (Morgan's Point). The discussion I have heard recently is that 'backroom deals may be done to transfer this pocket to Temple etj'. Temple etj has a long, complicated set of rules....the little I have learned about these rules has let me know I don't want to be 'subject' to them.

Yes, I'm interested in 'the thinking' behind planning. In this area, I can't discern much rational thought about planning except 'the growth paradigm' which has already proven itself faulty in my eyes. 'More taxes, more control' seems to be the motivator; in our case, we might never see any additional service (services which I don't need, in any case). If the move is made to annex, understanding the thought processes may provide some defense.

West Texas...yep. Been looking that way. Someplace around San Angelo might be good, but one has to do 'future looking' to avoid buying into the same issues I see now.

[The One]

From Western Arizona.....Where everyone is strapped and know's your name

[Dan]

Welcome from Cyburbia Headquarters in Austin!

Since you're looking for something outside of an ETJ, and you're kind of flexible, I've got to ask: do you have a home-based business? Are you looking to be in a metro area, but a part of the region that is unlikely to experience much growth (and thus, remain untouched by an ETJ or annexation agreements) over the coming years?

[Chet]

Welcome from Wisconsin. I'll be a Texan soon !

[Trail Nazi]

Welcome. The ETJs are an interesting animal in Texas.

[gruntledpainter]

Someplace around San Angelo might be good, but one has to do 'future looking' to avoid buying into the same issues I see now.

If you're looking that way, check out Alpine, Texas. The area around there is beautiful, and barren, and from what I hear, it's a really nice place to live. Mountainous, too. Go on google maps and go to a satellite view of the place!

[Lyburnum]

Temple's ETJ subidivision regulations are no more complicated (and probably less so) than any other Texas city of similar size. If you are wanting less regulation than what you already have, your options are pretty slim short of moving to the middle of nowhere, which might be what you are looking for anyway! If you want to be near a City, but near one with a less regulatory attitude than Temple...that would be really difficult, I think.

Texas counties are forbidden from zoning so the only option for a greater degree of land regulation other than at the platting level that Cities have is to annex, so you have cities with a lot of annexed area but very little development which is so inefficient.

[luckless pedestrian]

welcome from downeast Maine!

[Chet]

Hello from a yankee recently transplanted to south TX.

[cindyg86]

Welcome from Iowa!