x

San Angelo, Texas, with its Gentle Spirit and Friendly People, Provides Retirees with a Low Cost-of-Living and a Down to Earth Way of Life 

Cost of Living:  Below the National Average

The median home price is just $95,000, significantly below the national median.  Modest single family residences, some needing repair, can be found for $50,000 (and less).   Homes in the low-$100,000s may be brick, two bedroom, 1,500 sq. ft. and beautifully landscaped.    Santa Rita, the heart of old San Angelo, has beautifully restored homes along the water.  Town homes and condominiums, however, are not in abundance.   One bedroom apartments start at around $600 per month.  

Texas is considered tax friendly for retirees.  There is no state income tax, and so no retirement income is taxed.   Property taxes are on the high side, but there is a $15,000 homestead exemption, and for those homeowners 65 and above, an extra $10,000 of a property's assessed value is exempt from school taxes (an additional $3,000 is exempt from other local taxes).  The annual property taxes on a $95,000 residence are approximately $1,320.

 This is an interactive map.  Click on the arrows in the upper left hand corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and click on the +/- signs (more than once if necessary) to zoom in and out.

San Angelo is a friendly, relaxed kind of place, and it continues to grow, about 3% in the last decade.  It is dotted with mesquite, oak and pecan trees, and the Concho River (short hand for the two rivers that converge here) runs through downtown, paralleled by pretty walking paths (the Riverwalk).  There are rose gardens and an international lily pond garden, and frequent parades, music concerts, festivals and rodeos bring neighbors out to mingle.  The historic downtown section is called Concho Street and is a little rustic, a bit old fashioned and not commercialized, with BBQ restaurants, galleries and locally owned cafes.   The city also has two super Wal-Marts, a mall and numerous specialty shops. 

Goodfellow Air Force Base brings a sense of stability to the community.  A training hub for intelligence gathering and home to the Department of Defense's elite Fire Fighting Academy, residents welcome its presence.  Angelo State University adds a youthful flavor, and its athletic programs, including baseball and football, give residents teams to cheer.   San Angelo State Park has 7,600 acres with hiking and biking trails and is along the banks of O.C. Fisher Reservoir, one of three local bodies of water.

Angelo State University also adds a bit of culture.  Its theater department presents a complete schedule of musicals, comedies and dramas.  In addition, the San Angelo Symphony ensures that the city is never without beautiful music and brings in a variety of guest artists.   The Museum of Fine Arts is housed in an architecturally interesting structure and boasts an impressive collection, much of which focuses on Texas and Native American artists.  The Tom Green Public Library has three branches, a bookmobile and free internet access (and its downtown branch has a cafe with occasional live music).  The Lions Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Junior League and the Masons thrive here.  Churches are predominantly Baptist, Church of Christ and Roman Catholic.

Getting from one end of town to the other only takes about fifteen minutes.  Public transportation (buses that look like trolley cars) is provided by the Concho Valley Transit District, which has service to the mall, Wal-Mart and downtown.   The regular adult fare is $1, but seniors ride for $.50.  Paratransit service is also available.  There is a regional airport, and van transportation can be arranged to Midland-Odessa to catch Southwest Airlines flights.

The Santa Fe Crossing Senior Center is open Monday through Friday and has a good selection of programs, including congregate noon meals (which are also provided at three other locations) and dances.   Concho Valley RSVP has opportunities for volunteering.  The city also has a Senior Services Board, which is an advisory board that looks after the needs of seniors in the community.

Shannon Medical Center (400 beds) and San Angelo Community Medical Center (160 beds) are both award winning.  SMC has helicopter service for outlying areas, and SACMC has programs specifically for seniors.  Both are accredited by the Joint Commission, and both accept Medicare and Medicaid patients.   For military retirees, San Angelo has a VA outpatient clinic, but the closest VA hospital is 80 miles away in Big Spring.

San Angelo sits on the cusp of the Texas Hill Country and just northeast of the Chihuahuan Desert.   Summers are hot and dry, with temperatures reaching at least 100 degrees an average of fifteen times a year (but in 2011, there were 100 days of at least 100 degree heat).  Winters are mild with temperatures in the 50s and 60s.     Springs are amazing, with a wildflower cacophony of color.  Precipitation is about 20 inches a year, and it occasionally snows. The Texas sun shines 255 days of the year.   The air quality and water quality are well above the national averages.  The tornado risk is just 10% above the national average.

Of course, San Angelo has some drawbacks.  On the edges of town, one can gaze into the distance and almost see tomorrow, so it can feel a little desolate.   The water is considered "hard," and the soil is clay, so gardening is best left to professionals.  Mosquitoes are so big that they are sometime mistaken for small birds (but everything is bigger in Texas).   The poverty rate is slightly above the national average.