Building your Bright Present and Future
From the newly born all the way to the retirees, your future is bright in Goldthwaite. It’s a great place to grow your family, grow your business or grow your leisure. Here are a few things that the golden Goldthwaite life offers.
Your Bright Land Opportunities
We have an abundance of land in Mills County. Even better, it is affordable compared to elsewhere in the state. The market – and the life that comes with your purchase – is really promising. We actually shared the value of Goldthwaite real estate not too long ago. In case you missed it, here are the highlights!
As of this publishing we have:
- 7 properties with a combined total of approximately 450 acres for commercial sale
- 31 homes and 15 lots for residential sale
Now, we will warn you that we are seeing the real estate market heat up. Between location and value, the secret to our happy lives is out. We aren’t here to push you, but take a gander – let us know if you see something you like (before someone else snags it up.)
Your Children’s Bright Future – Great Schools
When you compare suburbs to rural districts, you might not have Goldthwaite in mind. One of the bigger (and welcome) surprises of newcomers is how much quality is packed into our small, but mighty, school system.
The system – which includes an elementary school, middle and high school – has earned numerous state and national accolades over the past decade.
- US News and World Report – top school systems in the USA – six years running
- Niche Report – best high schools in the US – two years running
- Two silver and a bronze from US News and World Report for school systems
- Constantly ranking among best school in Texas
- One of only 61 schools to reach career and military standard last two years TCMR readiness
- Elementary and middle won the district UIL academic contest for the last 16 years.
“Goldthwaite Independent School District is a highly rated, public school district located in Goldthwaite, TX. It has 559 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 9 to 1.” – Niche Report
Across Goldthwaite ISD, the 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio is well below the state average. Implemented by the forward-thinking school board, this ratio ensures that each student has ample opportunity for direct focus. Our teachers know our parents, they know the families and these relationships build a solid foundation for the students to thrive.
“Opportunity starts here at a young age. We take our children’s future seriously and the quality of our school system reflects that. We might be rural, but our teachers build our students to take on the world.” – Ronny Wright, Goldthwaite ISD Superintendent
The district also offers local honors programs and dual credit programs for high school students. They also participate in a consortium of eight schools to bring in more technology and draw more funding, grants and accreditation. In addition, students are able to participate in a great extracurricular program including sports like football, track, cross-country, softball/baseball. The district also boasts a championship ag mechanics program and barbecue team.
Your Bright [Agri]business Opportunities
Mills County is primarily an agriculture-based county. So, if you are looking to expand, relocate, or even start, your ag business – Goldthwaite might just be your gold mine. Our central location is under two hours from many urban centers. We’re far enough away that small business ventures can thrive without being throttled by big-box capital, and close enough to cities to keep things manageable.
Traditionally, all the way back to the 30s, Mills Country was a sheep and goat hub producing wool and mohair, along with cotton and chicken. In fact, we still have a large sheep and goat population and are home to a major supplier of USA lamb, Capra Lamb. Though our ag industry has evolved and diversified into pecan and dairy farming over the years, we are home to many ranching operations. (About 92 percent of our agribusiness is livestock versus farming.) And there’s room for more.
In the 2017 USDA census, we have 441,000 acres of ranch land available – 83 percent of which is pasture land. Here are the top valued commodities in 2020:
- Cattle
- Sheep
- Goats
- Milk production
- Hunting and outdoor recreation
- Hay
- Timber production/firewood
If you are thinking of joining our agribusiness community, we are happy to provide resources. For business incentives and community information, the Goldthwaite Chamber of Commerce is a great place to start. For more in-depth property use and value research, Tom Guthrie heads up the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service here in Goldthwaite. His all-knowing office provides unbiased research to folks interested in evaluating land use opportunities. You can also work with USDA, NRCS, and Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists to determine if our agricultural business is a good home for your next venture.
Your Bright Retirement Rewards
Many of our neighbors have hung up their hats lately – at least partially. Some are Goldthwaite born and bred. But there are many retirees that we’ve welcomed to our slow, steady pace of life from the craze of the city. A pattern we often see if a couple who buys land for a weekend escape. Year over year, small improvements are made. Eventually, the richness of ease and leisure draw them in – they relocate permanently.
Thanks to our low cost of living and affordable properties, your golden years can be spent focused on family, fun and rest. Worried about boredom creeping in after so many years on the job? There’s plenty to explore up here.
We’re close to fantastic golf courses, wineries, hunting and fishing, state parks, cafes and restaurants – everything that the Hill Country has to offer! And you never know, your hobby might just become an accidental passion project that earns you extra income (take a look at Jeannie and Johnny Rollo’s story here.)
