Why would you move to Brownwood, Texas from Colorado Springs, Colorado? Buying a second home sight unseen having never been to Brownwood, relocating for one-third of the year 11 hours away, and moving with only what we could get into two vehicles was definitely a “leap of faith.” There is no hiking in flat Brownwood. But….
How do you make major decisions? Prayer? Research? Courage? Asking for advice?
During the year of Covid 2020, we took a ‘Road Trip’ across 17 states, 5,000 miles and three weeks. Hikes throughout September to December 2020
In January 2021, we decided to “winter” in Brownwood in a small part of a duplex in an active senior community. I have had to answer this question with friends and family in Colorado and with most of the people we have met in Brownwood. Why here?
Rural areas of America were very appealing, less Covid and frankly, less craziness on our road trip. We loved the friendliness of the people, the accessibility of recreation, and less traffic and chaos. There is nothing wrong with quiet evenings. I grew up in Cynthiana, Indiana with a population of 500! I know it is not perfect in small towns and rural life has its challenges. I choose to live in cities since I left home in 1975! What was this peace I craved and found in the slower pace I experienced?
Secondly, the stock market and our investments had done well. Colorado’s exploding real estate prices, home taxation, and changing social views made rural investments in Colorado less appealing. We felt exhausted from the constant building, traffic and with the approaching cold winter and lack of ability to get outside and hike safely, we looked for ‘escape’.
Third, we missed water. We love kayaking, canoeing, swimming, sitting by a lake and enjoying fresh water was a surprising outcome of our ‘Road Trip’. Colorado has creeks and small rivers, but water and rain are rare and very precious. We needed “living water.”
States we visited this summer were investigated and we looked extensively at Kentucky and Tennessee. They had rural areas, lower prices, and water. Now comes the faith part of the journey. We prayed. We put in some inquiries only to get “no, already sold and problems” in finding the right place. A trip to Arizona defined our hopes further. Small, rural country, recreational water nearby, affordable, and warm.
Fourth: Because we have family in Colorado Springs, we needed to be able to get there in a day, even if it was a LONG drive. Flights out of DFW were affordable, but I had left the Metroplex of Dallas and Ft. Worth for Colorado 22 years ago and did not want to be close to those cities.
“Place your trust in the Eternal; rely on Him completely; never depend upon your own ideas and inventions. Give Him the credit for everything you accomplish, and He will smooth out and straighten the road that lies ahead. Proverbs 3:5-6 The Voice
Brownwood was the answer to the months long search. Rural – over an hour half to any city but with a population of 18,000, they had stores. Affordable in housing costs and we found a good solution to part-time living there. Lake Brownwood and the State Park gave us the access to water even before we found the town or home. It was 11 hours away from Colorado Springs. Faith – we found it on a Tuesday, offered on Wednesday, accepted on Friday with a couple of contingencies (inspection, financing) and closed two weeks later.
Never saw the home in person until we arrived in January –right before their second snowstorm. Yes, we were there during the January snowfall and February Big Freeze. Yes, God has a great sense of humor as it was really cold for a couple weeks. March and April in Texas is fantastic and we are looking for ward to 2022 already.
Brownwood, TX. We love this town and yes, as their logo says: “It feels like Home.”