8 minute read
New Braunfels
from Relocation Guide
eep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country just 25 miles from the big city lies beautiful New Braunfels, Texas. New Bruanfels is an easy drive from major Texas cities. San Antonio is a mere 25 miles to the south on I-35 and Austin is only 40 miles to the north. Founded in 1845 by German settlers, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels region of Germany and a group of German farmers and craftsmen settled in New Braunfels, Texas. German names can be seen on the billboards and street names thought the city. New Braunfels has a population of over 36,000 and is growing at a nice pace. You can take a walking tour of the city, visit the many fantastic museums and historic district. New Braunfels is also home to Texas’ oldest bakery, oldest dance hall and WURSTFEST, an annual 10-day salute to sausage. There are also many performing arts shows featured at local venues. With the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers, running through the city visitors and the local folk enjoy a variety of water recreational activities. These water and sun activities take center stage during the summer months with shopping, local festivals, and local shows taking center stage every fall. Join in on any of the Greater New Braunfels’ exciting events, or learn to relax in the Gruene Historic District. The historic town of Gruene, Texas and Canyon Lake are only minutes away, making New Bruanfels the perfect middlepoint for all kinds of tourists. No matter what time of the year Gruene Historical District is a unique part of New Bruanfels that is great for families, couples, and friend’s due to the variety of boutiques and activities available. Quench your thirst at any of our local wineries as well, there’s sure to be something for everybody.
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RECREATION / LEISURE Guadalupe and Comal Rivers
Join in on the many water activities this beautiful city has to offer such as: Tube, swim, raft, or kayak the rivers. Sail, boat, water ski or fish in the Canyon lake, or Fly fish in the Guadalupe River. Thousands of tourist and locals will gather together and enjoy some fun in the sun in one of our two rivers that run through this great city.
Animal World & Snake Farm
5640 South IH 35 New Bruanfels, TX. 78132 Phone: (830) 608-9270 www.exoticanimalworld.com
Animal World & Snake Farm (as seen on “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe”) is located at exit 182 on IH 35 in New Bruanfels, Texas. A 3-acre park with over 500 animals from around the world, Animal World and Snake Farm has reptiles, birds, tortoises, alligators & crocodiles, primates & lemurs, hoof stock, warthogs & hyenas, a rattle snake pit, a petting zoo and much, much more.
Natural Bridge Caverns
Take the North Cavern Tour and see what millions of others have seen – an incredible underground world of natural beauty. This 75 minute tour travels through a halfmile of the largest and most spectacular show cavern in Texas. Other cavern tours include the Jeremy Room Flashlight Tour and the South Cavern Adventure Tour. You can also take the Watchtower Challenge and climb and zip from one of the tallest and longest climbing tower and zip lines in Texas! Also, be sure to visit the Natural Bridge Mining Company where you can pan for gems and minerals like miners panned for gold. As each tour comes with a different price attached and there are combo-packages, please see the website or call for additional information.
PUBLISHING
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
Have you ever dreamed of going on an African Safari, then Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch is your dream come true. The Ranch boasts hundreds of animals from all over the world roaming freely in the picturesque Texas Hill Country. Animals are enticed with the complimentary feed given to visitors upon entrance to come up for nose-to-nose encounters. The Petting Zoo and Walk-aBout areas are included in admission and everyone is invited to travel though the ranch as many times as they would like during their visit. Entrance times vary, so please call or check the website for any additional information.
Schlitterbahn Water Park
Main Castle Entrance – Schlitterbahn West 400 North Liberty Avenue New Bruanfels, TX. 78130 www.schlitterbahn.com/nb
Enjoy family fun at Schlitterbahn, the country’s number one waterpark. With 65 acres of family fun including water slides and lazy float-rivers, Schlitterbahn is the top of waterpark entertainment. The park also allows people to bring their own food or purchase food from vendors within the park. Online discounts and season passes are offered, making substantial saving available.
Stay the night at The Resort at Schlitterbahn! Find the perfect River Bend Cabin, Treehaus Suite, Schlitterstein Studio Loft, vacation home or hotel room just steps away from all the fun!
DEMOGRAPHICS:
Ranked as the 9th Fifth fastest growing County and second fastest growing City in the Nation, Comal County and New Braunfels are experiencing an unprecedented growth rate – growing at an average of 4% per year, a 58% increase in the last decade. The City’s population surpassed 70,000 in 2016 and is projected to reach 85,000 by 2021. New Braunfels population consists largely of German and Hispanic Decedents.
EDUCATION:
Comal County and the City of New Braunfels have two school districts: New Braunfels ISD is primarily within the city limits and Comal Independent School District which spans 589 miles of Central Texas, including parts of five central Texas counties: Comal, Bexar, Hays, Kendall, and Guadalupe. CISD has 12 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 3 thigh schools in the district and is rated as a
Recognized school district by the Texas Education Agency. NBISD has 11 total schools within the district and rated as an academically accepted school district. To keep pace with the explosive population growth in the area, both CISD and NBISD have passed bond issues to build and expand schools, upgrade technology and purchase land for future schools. On May 9, 2015 voters in the Comal Independent School District approved a nearly $150 million bond package. The $147.7 million bond is based on the district’s plan to address growing enrollment in middle schools, along with capital projects at existing facilities and student safety and security. An estimated $94 million of the bond package will go toward the construction of two new middle schools. For additional information please visit www.innewbruanfels.com.
QUALITY OF LIFE:
The Mayor is elected at large by the citizens of New Bruanfels. The city has an updated comprehensive city master plan supervised by a Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission also oversees the application and enforcement of the City Zoning Ordinance. The city has 122 police personnel with 66 patrol cars; the Fire department has 103 firemen, 5 stations, and 5 fully equipped ambulances. Because of the efficiency of the Fire Department, New Braunfels has the state’s maximum good fire record credit of 20% with a key rate of fourteen cents. The City operates ambulance service with Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics. As of 1990, 911 service has been a part of New Bruanfels and Comal County.
The New Braunfels area continues to experience growth in the healthcare sector and provides a variety of medical facilities and professionals who offer full-service, state-of-the-art healthcare right here, locally. Everything from a skinned knee to open-heart surgery can be accessed here with highlyskilled and compassionate healthcare professionals who will be with you every step of the way. These comprehensive services minimize the need to travel to Austin or San Antonio. The community provides the latest in diagnostic, treatment, rehabilitation and specialized care. Enjoy the convenience of shorter travel distances, reduced wait times and the support of your friends, family and community. According to Texas Comptroller’s Office, it is estimated that prior to the multi-million dollar investments brought to the area by heath providers since 2008, more than $125 million (60%) of medical services were outsourced to San Antonio or Austin. A healthcare economic impact reported in 2011 that for every $1-million increase in demand for healthcare services would result in more that //44 billion dollars in direct income and produce 180 direct and indirect healthcare jobs.
Real Estate
Whether you are interested in owning or leasing, the New Braunfels housing market offers a variety of choices. Texas continues to lead the country in the economic recovery with the real estate industry being the key factor. Texas has the most affordable housing in the country. And considering the housing growth in New Braunfels and Comal County is amongst the highest in the state, these components make New Braunfels not only a great place to live but a good investment. Residential neighborhoods range from conventional subdivisions to gated communities. New Braunfels Housing will vary from garden home lots to standard size city lots. Or if acreage is your preference, the New Braunfels Housing Market area offers several acreage subdivisions. If being on or close to the water is in your desire, then consider the opportunities available on one of our two rivers or many of our area lakes.
Downtown New Braunfels
The New Braunfels Downtown area offers luxury condos on the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers, apartment complexes in a variety of price ranges and historic Victorian and turn-of-the-century New Braunfels Housing. Both residential and commercial properties have an increased interest in restoration and renovation. You will also find new development of single family and multi-use properties.
The median price of residential property sold in New Braunfels for 2012 was approximately $195,000, while the average price was $232,313. In 2012, the average days on the market for a residential property was 144 days.
Whether you are buying or renting, the New Braunfels Housing Market offers a variety of price ranges to fit your budget. In addition to the custom built homes or the larger national home builder subdivisions, the New Braunfels area does offer mobile home sites and RV parks.
UTILITIES: Electricity:
• Supplier: Multiple ERCOT Sources • Distributor: NBU • Avg. Monthly Bill: Residential: $79.50 / 1,0000 KWH
Water/Wastewater:
• Supplier: Wells,
Surface Water/Aquifer
• Distributor: NBU • Avg. Monthly Bill: Residential: $26.65 / 6,484 Gallons Commercial: $67.22 / 28,725 Gallons
Natural Gas:
• Supplier: Enterprise Products Partners • Distributor/ Source: CenterPoint Energy • Avg. Monthly Bill: Residential: $35; commercial contracts available.
