Conroe, Texas

On the shores of 22,000-acre Lake Conroe 40 miles north of Houston in southeastern Texas, Conroe started out in the 1880s as a lumber town and later became an oil producing center. In the 1930s, it claimed more millionaires than any other metropolis in the country.

This is a fast-growing place, with an influx of Houston families and professionals seeking a relatively reasonably priced, down to earth place to live. While the city is primarily a bedroom community, it has managed to hold onto its small town way of life. The county rodeo is still held here, and the hot rods swap meet is a popular event.

The downtown is lined with red brick buildings that house up-and-coming wineries, breweries and galleries, as well a performing arts theater, a heritage museum and a renovated vaudevillian theater. Various events, including Sip and Shop, occur regularly.

The Conroe Art League holds workshops, and the city hosts a summer concert series, a food truck Feast of Artisans and the Young Texas Artists Music Competition. Lone Star Community College’s Academy of Lifelong Learning has a good menu of free and low-cost classes for people age 50 or better. The Woodlands Mall, just 10 miles to the south, has national retailers and restaurants.

Conroe also manages a long list of parks, outdoor venues, golf courses, swimming pools, and trails. The Sam Houston National Forest and the W. Goodrich Jones State Forest are within minutes. Lake Conroe is dotted with marinas, eateries and public boat ramps.

Neighborhoods are leafy with ranch ramblers, Cape Cods, Craftsmans, bungalows and others.