Objectively speaking, I know we are all aggies, but without bias, would yall say Bryan College Station is a good place to live? Class of 2009, thinking about relocating family there for job (healthcare related).
Is Bryan College Station a good place to live?
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Last: 2 days ago by spudag
theeacademic said:
Objectively speaking, I know we are all aggies, but without bias, would yall say Bryan College Station is a good place to live? Class of 2009, thinking about relocating family there for job (healthcare related).
Without a doubt.
Kids that aren't in the top 25% of their class at either CSHS or Consol still get admitted to A&M and/or Texas. Either through direct admit or co-enrollment programs.
At the end of the day it is absolutely a great place to raise kids. It has a lot of other fine qualities but I think that is what makes it a shining star.
We moved back 8 years ago because it was exactly where we wanted to raise our kids. Absolutely no regrets.
A "good" place to live? No.
It's a "great" place to live. We've been here going on 43 years.
It's a "great" place to live. We've been here going on 43 years.
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It is an outstanding place to raise children.
It lacks a lot of culture, city amenities and things to do.
It lacks a lot of culture, city amenities and things to do.
If I took my biased perspective away from it, there's really not a lot that stands out about it above other places of similar size other than A&M is there.
I'm a huge fan of college towns. I like that environment. Bryan/College Station is slowly moving away from being as completely A&M-centric as it once was. That'll always be a part of the dynamics there but no longer a pure college town in my opinion. You can function there and never set foot on campus.
It's a good spot. Easy access to other metros. It's not as close-knit as it once was. Wife's job opportunity took us outside BCS to Cameron. We still have access to BCS so it depends on what you want for your family.
Franklin, Iola, Caldwell, Cameron, Milano, Anderson, etc. lot of little communities within an hour to explore as well if you're looking for a more "close-knit" environment.
I'm a huge fan of college towns. I like that environment. Bryan/College Station is slowly moving away from being as completely A&M-centric as it once was. That'll always be a part of the dynamics there but no longer a pure college town in my opinion. You can function there and never set foot on campus.
It's a good spot. Easy access to other metros. It's not as close-knit as it once was. Wife's job opportunity took us outside BCS to Cameron. We still have access to BCS so it depends on what you want for your family.
Franklin, Iola, Caldwell, Cameron, Milano, Anderson, etc. lot of little communities within an hour to explore as well if you're looking for a more "close-knit" environment.
We have three little ones and absolutely love it here.
I'm 57 years old, have no kids, have lived here since 1989, and I love it. It's the perfect sized town for me.
The easiest way to think of it is that B/CS is basically a nice suburb without being attached to a large city but with the benefit of having major sports teams (if you're into that.) There's also plenty to do that isn't related to A&M.
It's not a small town, it has about 200,000 residents these days depending on who you're counting and what time of the year it is, so if that's more the vibe you're going for, then what wareagle said, there's plenty of other small towns nearby that are actually small towns.
It's not a small town, it has about 200,000 residents these days depending on who you're counting and what time of the year it is, so if that's more the vibe you're going for, then what wareagle said, there's plenty of other small towns nearby that are actually small towns.
wareagle044 said:
It's a good spot. Easy access to other metros. It's not as close-knit as it once was. Wife's job opportunity took us outside BCS to Cameron. We still have access to BCS so it depends on what you want for your family.
Franklin, Iola, Caldwell, Cameron, Milano, Anderson, etc. lot of little communities within an hour to explore as well if you're looking for a more "close-knit" environment.
I would argue that the "close knit" environment can be easily be found here, but it is more neighborhood based instead of town based. many of the outlying neighborhoods in CS are very tight knit.
College Station is an outstanding place to live for families with kids.
Lived here 48 years
raised my family here now enjoying retirement
It has been good to me and my family
my call name says it all
raised my family here now enjoying retirement
It has been good to me and my family
my call name says it all
Moved from the Dallas area 3 years ago. We are retired. Love it here. Don't miss the Dallas traffic at all.
Moved back in 2017 for my husband's job and to raise our kids here.
Now my husband essentially commutes to Houston because I refuse to leave lol. Our kids go to school in Normangee.
Now my husband essentially commutes to Houston because I refuse to leave lol. Our kids go to school in Normangee.
Easy to miss Normangee. That's a good one too - as well as Mumford.
It's no Hearne, but it's still pretty good.
Bunk Moreland said:
It's no Hearne, but it's still pretty good.
I'm sure I've told this story on here before but once upon a time I was a tour guide at A&M and I got assigned a tour of several local mayors. It was a bus tour kind of zipping around to newer things around campus rather than a typical campus tour, but between interesting stops we were chatting about Acie Law just getting drafted by the Hawks which led to one of them saying "I'm glad my job doesn't work like that, imagine getting drafted to be the mayor of Hearne."
We've been here since 1985 and don't intend to leave :-)
I grew up in BCS. Went "15 minutes away to college" (staying on campus is a different world than off). Enjoyed my time to that point but found out very quickly that BCS post college, young professional and single was not that great. Moved for a job soon after that to big city.
Now that I have a wife, young kids, and a remote job we actually are moving back next month to BCS for many of the reasons stated above. Great community, great place to raise kids, and (for me at least) near most of my extended family. A&M sports is just the icing on the cake
Now that I have a wife, young kids, and a remote job we actually are moving back next month to BCS for many of the reasons stated above. Great community, great place to raise kids, and (for me at least) near most of my extended family. A&M sports is just the icing on the cake
Things that are great about living in BCS:
- A bit cheaper than many big cities in TX, though the gap is closing
- A&M stuff to do + lots of other "amenities" being added all the time
- I am in my 50s and think there is always something to do around town, if I want to.
- Traffic isn't close to big city problems, even if we complain about it still
- SUPERB place to raise kids
- Full of amazing churches
- Good schools (both public and private)
- People are generally good.
- Food and stores are generally good.
- Low crime rate, if you stay out of Northgate around midnight on Sat & a few other areas of town
- Easy access to other cities in Texas
- Airport only has connections to BCS, so many regular travelers like myself have to go to IAH for direct flights
- The weather SUCKS in the summer
- We have only 2 seasons - summer and not summer
- The housing market isn't a bit tighter than some other areas
- If you are single young adult after college - it can be hard to date locals
- Can be hard to find certain jobs
- Rent is pretty high, if you can't or don't want to buy
- The city lacks infrastructure that allows easy getting around, due to being so spread from North to South
We are NOT all Aggies. Remember people come here for other reasons, and there are aspects of life that have little to do with A&M. It does shield us from some hardships, but remember many came here for other reasons than A&M. In shielded moments even leaders in the cities could share the downside of being in the shadow of A&M
Moved back to CS a year ago from DFW.
No more severe thunderstorm, hail and tornado risk 1/3 of the year (we replaced our roof 3x in 19 years and had several cars totaled or significantly repaired). No more DFW traffic.
No hurricane risks wanted, which ruled out the entire coast for us. Plus Houston is trash. Then there's Houston traffic.
Austin was a hard no, not to mention the horrific traffic.
Hwy 6 traffic can be dicey during current construction improvements, but it's predictable, tolerable, and temporary. Good entertainment and dining. HEB is close. Easy access to the cities and shopping if inclined. We're happy we finally pulled the trigger.
No more severe thunderstorm, hail and tornado risk 1/3 of the year (we replaced our roof 3x in 19 years and had several cars totaled or significantly repaired). No more DFW traffic.
No hurricane risks wanted, which ruled out the entire coast for us. Plus Houston is trash. Then there's Houston traffic.
Austin was a hard no, not to mention the horrific traffic.
Hwy 6 traffic can be dicey during current construction improvements, but it's predictable, tolerable, and temporary. Good entertainment and dining. HEB is close. Easy access to the cities and shopping if inclined. We're happy we finally pulled the trigger.
My job allows us to live wherever we want.
So, we live wherever we want.
Caveat - *if* you have a great job that pays you enough to live here. I've seen couples move in, and one partner loses their job, and the job market here for certain professions is anemic. Those folks tend to move.
I also notice that there is a lot of turnover here. Folks move in for one partner to go to grad school, etc. Once that's over, they jet. Most of our friends are established townies that, for the most part, own their own business.
I tell folks, (tongue in cheek) that it's a good place to live 9 months out of the year, and a great place to live the three months out of the year the students are gone. Home football weekends, we don't get out unless we have to. I'm perfectly fine watching the Ags from my pool or hot tub.
So, we live wherever we want.
Caveat - *if* you have a great job that pays you enough to live here. I've seen couples move in, and one partner loses their job, and the job market here for certain professions is anemic. Those folks tend to move.
I also notice that there is a lot of turnover here. Folks move in for one partner to go to grad school, etc. Once that's over, they jet. Most of our friends are established townies that, for the most part, own their own business.
I tell folks, (tongue in cheek) that it's a good place to live 9 months out of the year, and a great place to live the three months out of the year the students are gone. Home football weekends, we don't get out unless we have to. I'm perfectly fine watching the Ags from my pool or hot tub.
We are not Aggies. Moved here in 1994 and raised our family here in public schools. It has been a wonderful place to live and raise kids and we aren't going anywhere.
In 10 years when they finish the bypass it will be
Oh and dont forget the medians but its still a great place
There's plenty to do around here, you just might have to travel a bit, whether it's to a big concert out at the Hearne airport, Chilifest in a pasture at Snook, or Student Bonfire out in Benchley.
Great restaurant scene.
First Fridays at Downtown Bryan. Downtown Navasota is cool too.
Been to several events at the GB Library. Farmers Market at Post Oak Mall. All sorts of events and sports on campus.
And if that's not enough, we're an hour and a half to Austin or Houston, three hours to Dallas & SA.
Many blue ribbon schools in the area. Great churches. Crime is not nearly as bad as other places. Country clubs and golf courses. Exciting stuff coming to RELLIS and maybe some SpaceX stuff out in Grimes County.
It's a great place to live.
Great restaurant scene.
First Fridays at Downtown Bryan. Downtown Navasota is cool too.
Been to several events at the GB Library. Farmers Market at Post Oak Mall. All sorts of events and sports on campus.
And if that's not enough, we're an hour and a half to Austin or Houston, three hours to Dallas & SA.
Many blue ribbon schools in the area. Great churches. Crime is not nearly as bad as other places. Country clubs and golf courses. Exciting stuff coming to RELLIS and maybe some SpaceX stuff out in Grimes County.
It's a great place to live.
The left cannot kill the Spirit of Charlie Kirk.
I stayed after graduating in 2014, met my wife, had our first baby and only relocated two years ago to be closer to my folks in the hill country. It's a great place to live and raise a family. I love our setup now, but would be just as happy in BCS.
As far as things to do, I never felt like we were bored. You have world class sports teams of just about whatever your flavor, MSC OPAS if you're into the arts, Downtown Bryan has decent live music at least a couple of times a month, and you're still only an hour and a half from Austin or Houston. There's parts of those cities that are more than an hours drive from where you want to go, so I don't think that's bad. Flying out of Easterwood is surprisingly convenient since security is a breeze.
As far as things to do, I never felt like we were bored. You have world class sports teams of just about whatever your flavor, MSC OPAS if you're into the arts, Downtown Bryan has decent live music at least a couple of times a month, and you're still only an hour and a half from Austin or Houston. There's parts of those cities that are more than an hours drive from where you want to go, so I don't think that's bad. Flying out of Easterwood is surprisingly convenient since security is a breeze.
There are good and bad things.
Let's be honest. It's more expensive to live here. Gas is more expensive and housing is too. You can get more for your $$ in a MTA of 1-2 million than you can here. You also get a much larger variety of specialty stores for goods and eats. But you have to live with and around 1-2 million people and deal with the traffic and largely Amazon solves the specialty goods issue.
The good side far outweighs the bad.
You have all the extra amenities of a 2-4 plus million pop MTA without the people. Show me another place with a 1/4 million pop that has a symphony the quality of BVSO, arts the quality of MSC OPUS and the sporting entertainment and variety of TAMU athletics. If you like basketball, we have it. If you like volleyball, we have it. Baseball? Softball? Yep. Football? In spades. We just had the largest crowd ever to see the Savannah Bananas and we are about to host our second international soccer match. It's insane the amount of entertainment programming there is in this town. I'll venture to say there isn't another place with a population less than 2 million in the country that can boast what we have.
And wherever you live in BCS you can be at those venues in 15-20 minutes to park. Yeah. Good luck doing that anywhere else. We ***** about medians but getting anywhere here is easy and fast.
Healthcare is good and you are 90 minutes from the best medical system in the world in Houston.
There is a wide variety of youth sports and compared to big cities, very good facilities.
We are 60-80 minutes from two large international airports that can get you anywhere you need to go and it's an easy 60-80 minutes to get there.
It's a hell of a place to live and you do not need to be an Aggie to take advantage of it.
Let's be honest. It's more expensive to live here. Gas is more expensive and housing is too. You can get more for your $$ in a MTA of 1-2 million than you can here. You also get a much larger variety of specialty stores for goods and eats. But you have to live with and around 1-2 million people and deal with the traffic and largely Amazon solves the specialty goods issue.
The good side far outweighs the bad.
You have all the extra amenities of a 2-4 plus million pop MTA without the people. Show me another place with a 1/4 million pop that has a symphony the quality of BVSO, arts the quality of MSC OPUS and the sporting entertainment and variety of TAMU athletics. If you like basketball, we have it. If you like volleyball, we have it. Baseball? Softball? Yep. Football? In spades. We just had the largest crowd ever to see the Savannah Bananas and we are about to host our second international soccer match. It's insane the amount of entertainment programming there is in this town. I'll venture to say there isn't another place with a population less than 2 million in the country that can boast what we have.
And wherever you live in BCS you can be at those venues in 15-20 minutes to park. Yeah. Good luck doing that anywhere else. We ***** about medians but getting anywhere here is easy and fast.
Healthcare is good and you are 90 minutes from the best medical system in the world in Houston.
There is a wide variety of youth sports and compared to big cities, very good facilities.
We are 60-80 minutes from two large international airports that can get you anywhere you need to go and it's an easy 60-80 minutes to get there.
It's a hell of a place to live and you do not need to be an Aggie to take advantage of it.
wareagle044 said:
Easy to miss Normangee. That's a good one too - as well as Mumford.
Burton ISD can't be beat. https://www.burtonisd.net/
On average, the schools are better than Austin. Austin's top school areas start at around $1 million for ~2000 sq ft. I'm sure there are some anomalies.
If you're looking for in depth reporting on AISD, it doesn't get better than @KendallGPace - who's just published another substack covering Austin ISD's academic decline and fiscal collapse.
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Moved back 19 years ago with young children and never questioned it. Great place to raise kids.
Stupe said:
Kids that aren't in the top 25% of their class at either CSHS or Consol still get admitted to A&M and/or Texas. Either through direct admit or co-enrollment programs.
I am pretty certain that students outside of the top 25% do not get into UT - Austin. The numbers show that if you're outside the top 5%, your admission chances are around 10%.
Texas A&M is different and students admitted within the too 25% is much more common. However, that is not true for the rest of the state of Texas. I believe it has to do with TAMU taking care of those in the backyard, because I've seen plenty of students from the suburbs of Austin, Houston, and Dallas with similar resumes not being admitted.
My kids have friends that have.