[CandyApple]

Alrighty folks, I've pretty much got my list of places to check out, with some slight tweaking in the works before I make campground reservations. I've got to cut one to three cities off the list so that I have enough time to visit all the cities I need to, and it's one(s) in east Texas that have to go, since there's no way I'm knocking the beach off the list. :)

I'll be visiting Austin, Portland (near Corpus Christi), Port Neches/Port Arthur, and (maybe) Port Lavaca.

The ones I need help with are: Jacksonville, Marshall, Nacogdoches, Mount Pleasant, and Denison. What sucks about each, what's good about each, how do they compare to each other, and which one(s) will most suit me?

The cheaper the rent, the cheaper to buy a house, (for a decent place) the better. I want somewhere beautiful and friendly. And it should have a somewhat varied economy, meaning if the only place to work is the local coal mine and that shuts down... I don't want to be SOL.

Besides that, basically I want to be able to live without a car, so an area where you can get to everything via foot/bicycle/bus is important. Due to the possibility of transit strikes I'd prefer to rely on my bike than a bus, so I'd rate being able to get somewhere via bike higher than via a bus. I prefer a compact area to a sprawly/rural area.

I'd like to live somewhere that you don't need to be a member of the church to be part of the community/socialize. I like Dungeons and Dragons and similar stuff, so an active gaming community is a plus. Activities at the library like story time, mommy groups, anything that adds to the opportunities to socialize is good.

Places where there's lots of things to learn/do are great. I.E. I'd like to take yoga, dance, singing, cooking classes, foreign language classes, crafts, outdoor skills, etc. with my daughter so that we can learn together. They don't have to be "classes" per se; groups, or friends doing that kind of stuff together would be good.

Being able to get specialty foods like goat milk/goat cheese is a plus.

I need lots of opportunities to play outside, so parks, benches, hiking trails, etc. are good. Anything that encourages walking around town is good. I.E., a long winding road with lots of traffic, blind curves, deep ditches lined with poison ivy and no shoulder would NOT be conducive to going around town. I'd especially like a place with a lake/etc. that's good for swimming. I think that would be much more fun than a concrete swimming pool.

Another plus would be being able to get a cheap room for a month while trying to figure out which house/apartment to rent.

Theater, music stuff, etc. is a plus.

Any difference between the quantities/types of dangerous/annoying critters in these towns? Snakes, mosquitoes, alligators, etc.?

Lots of gated communities, condo associations, extensive deed restrictions, etc. are a MINUS. (I don't want to need a keycard to get into my neighborhood, and I don't want to have to get a permit to paint my house purple!)

Good/cheap internet is a plus. Work at home jobs/other jobs that you can work while watching your own kids (besides daycare!) are a plus. What kinds of jobs are there where it's feasible to bring kids along to work are there, just generally, anyway? I really don't know.

I have more questions, but I'm starting to fuzz out a bit. Plus my kid keeps distracting me before I can type them!