Counties around DFW

[cosmostrator]

I'm looking at moving to the DFW area near the end of the year.  Currently researching areas to look for property, I know I want to stay unincorporated, but I could't find many details about the counties surround the cities.  Looking for at least 2 acres, with little to no restrictions.  I fly a lot for work so access to the airport is a plus, however my current commute to the airport is 3+ hours.  Which of the surrounding counties should I avoid or give preference to?
Colin
Dallas
Denton
Ellis
Hill
Hood
Hunt
Jack
Johnson
Kaufman
Palo Pinto
Parker
Rockwell
Tarrant

Anything else that I may have missed or should know about?
Thanks!

[machinisttx]

IIRC, Collin county has some of, if not the highest tax rates around the area. I would look more toward Hunt/Rockwall/Kaufman/Ellis counties, but I prefer that landscape. Seems to me like once you get further west than Tarrant county, everything flattens out quite a bit.

[cosmostrator]

Thanks, I have heard lots of people, including Jack, say to avoid the Plano area so the Colin County thing makes sense.  I prefer hilly, or even mountainous to flat as well.

[roachs01]

Mountainous? Not around DFW!  LOL! 
We live in Rockwall and the prices fluctuate greatly, it is getting hard to find a few acres that are "affordable".  Hunt County is also a great recommendation.
The DFW airport is about an hour drive for me from Rockwall.

Good luck and keep in touch!

[Ken325]

Mountainous? Not around DFW!  LOL!

Parts of Palo Pinto and Parker counties look like TX hill country.  There are hills that are over 1000 feet tall so it is kind of mountainous.  I would ask where do you work.  Most of DFW is not dense like east coast cities but it is built up city's and suburbs that cover an area about 70 miles east to west and about 50 miles north to south.  You can find a few cow pastures inside this area but land will be expensive.  And keep in mind that our property taxes are high due to the lack of an income tax.  Also keep in mind that our traffic is not light.  driving from one side of the metroplex to the other in rush hour can take two hours. 

I prefer Fort Worth to Dallas but unfortunately I work in Dallas.  The population of Fort Worth is about 800k, and Dallas is about 1.6 million, but Fort Worth has all the good stuff that Dallas has.  The whole DFW area is around 7.1 million.  Fort Worth has held onto its TX character a lot better than Dallas.  Most of the people in Dallas are from out of state.  East of Dallas is pine woods.  If you like pine woods look around Canton.  You can find some rural land on the SE side of Dallas that is affordable.  The schools suck and you have to drive through bad neighborhoods in south Dallas to get to these areas but you can find rural land 30 minutes from downtown Dallas on this side.  Look around Seagoville and Kaufman.  This area is pine and oak woods with small hills.  North of Dallas is growing fast.  Lots of fancy new suburban homes and land prices are high.  You might find something up north of Denton near Sherman or Lake Texoma.  This area is flat prairie with a few trees.  You can still find rural land in the Midalothian Waxahachie area but this area is also developing fast.   I really like the Weatherford, Cleburne,  Grandbury area.  Small hills, limestone rock, great people.  The problem is your 30 minutes west of Fort Worth then you get to drive busy roads to go anywhere in DFW area.  If you work on that side of town that would be a great area.  Weatherford is hilly with trees but it gets dry fast as you go west from here.  Palo Pinto is beautiful land but the towns are dying off and it is a hour drive to Fort Worth.  North of Weatherford it changes from hilly woods to prairie as you go north.  This is where Jack lives. Let me know if you have more specific questions.

[machinisttx]

2 hours across the metroplex in rush hour is an optimistic estimate in my experience, if you're sticking to major roads/highways.

The closer a property is to Texoma, the higher the price will be. Keep in mind that some properties close to the lake will be owned by non residents who are only around on holidays/vacation and behave like idiots. Between two jobs I had in the past, I spent a lot of time at various places around the lake in both Texas and Oklahoma. The only reasons I've been to the lake since were either to show my son the lake going over the spillway(100 year event) or for a camping trip with his scout troop....and I only live maybe 20 minutes away. I'd recommend staying well away from the lake. If grayson county is an option, then there are a lot of more rural areas available, even with easy access to D/FW.

[cosmostrator]

Thanks for the feedback.  I work meetings at large hotels, so my main concern is the commute to DFW airport, but I will probably end up doing a decent amount at various downtown hotels as well.  I currently live in California and commute to LA, so I'm already used to traffic and high property taxes.  We visited the area in November and did a little driving around, down to Waco and up to Nine Mile Farm.

After a lot of talking and planning we have decided to look for a house to rent this year so we can get a feel for the area before we purchase.  Our current BOL is currently in escrow, and once that sells we are able to start looking for places.  If things go according to plan we will be in TX by November, though there has been some discussion of accelerating the plan.  In the mean while we are selling, giving away and throwing out as much as we can stand to get ready for the big move!

[Cptcaveman]

Thanks for the feedback.  I work meetings at large hotels, so my main concern is the commute to DFW airport, but I will probably end up doing a decent amount at various downtown hotels as well.  I currently live in California and commute to LA, so I'm already used to traffic and high property taxes.  We visited the area in November and did a little driving around, down to Waco and up to Nine Mile Farm.

After a lot of talking and planning we have decided to look for a house to rent this year so we can get a feel for the area before we purchase.  Our current BOL is currently in escrow, and once that sells we are able to start looking for places.  If things go according to plan we will be in TX by November, though there has been some discussion of accelerating the plan.  In the mean while we are selling, giving away and throwing out as much as we can stand to get ready for the big move!

I live in Azle and it takes me 45 mins to 1:25 to DFW airport, depending on time of day.  There is a very expensive tollway that I take so if you are not willing to pay that then add another 30 mins.  It is worth living out here IMHO. 

[shadowalker_returns]

I'm also a Cali transplant   Don't underestimate the hate/commute experience. Once you've realized that you don't have to spend 6-8 hours of your day in a commute you will grow to hate any commute over half what you were used to. So my advice... If your one way LA commute was 3 hours then limit your new commute to 1.5 hours one way. If your commute one way was 4 hours the limit your new commute to less than 2...
My new commute is 3-10 Minutes... Depends on who makes the morning Coffee.. I love working out of my home

Regards,
Shadowalker

[cosmostrator]

Thanks for all the advice.  We ended up buying 13 acres in Hill county.  We have been here about two weeks and are still settling in.  With a 95 minute commute when I go to work I have cut my commute by more than half.  We are so excited to finally be in Texas.