What’s The Big Deal About Waco?

There’s something peaceful about walking into a local spot and recognizing the owner. It’s heart warming to leave your home and receive a smile, a wave or a greeting from a familiar face in the neighborhood. I’ve only lived in Waco about five years but I feel glimpses of what locals have enjoyed for decades around here. Waco is filled with multigenerational families, locally owned businesses and two lane highways. You can get everywhere within 15 minutes and can be seated in most restaurants within the same amount of time. There are a lot of things that are closed on Sundays, and on Friday nights in the fall many folks will be at a high school football game. Not everything is beautiful but it is beautifully simple…with beautiful people and a beautiful pace of life….and I think that’s what makes it so alluring to so many people.

Over four years ago my husbands career brought us to Waco, Texas. We were living in California, just a few miles inland of Malibu. When he was asked to interview he told the gentleman on the phone that he would need to bring our whole family along, because without our buy in he wouldn’t make the move. So, less than 36 hours from his initial phone interview, the four of us were on a flight to Central Texas. I am going to be honest, I was a wreck. I could not imagine leaving my family, my best friends, my work and everything else to live in Waco. I had seen Fixer Upper on television, and loved the show, but wrapping my head around living here was a little different than watching it on tv. 

We landed in Waco at the regional airport and I was already starting to “see the light.” Everyone at the airport was so kind and warm…relaxed even. No crowds, no long lines and no chaos…what a stark contrast to the stressful experience that is LAX. We hopped in the car with Doug, our host for our trip, and he drove us all around town giving us the lay of the land. He drove us through neighborhoods, told us about the local schools and pointed out significant things about the community. While Doug talked about Waco, I was taking note of other things that were left unsaid. We drove from the airport to downtown in about 15 minutes and had no traffic. As we passed gas stations the low prices were literally shocking. When driving through random neighborhoods people walking their dogs would give Doug a wave and he would give a wave or a nod back. Interactions with every person we came into contact with, whether it was at a restaurant or a grocery store clerk, were started with greetings, warmth and kindness. I couldn’t put my finger on it in that moment, but what I have reflected on since then is that there is a a closeness of community in Waco that encourages a humanitarian spirit that I had been missing in the fast paced crowded life that I had in Southern California.  Needless to say, just days after that interview the decision was made and we were all headed to Waco. 

When people ask Malibu to Waco…really? We all kind of chuckle a bit. The move has been easier than most would guess. Is everything perfect here? Of course not, Waco is still filled with people and people are not perfect! However, Waco offers us a pace of life that we cherish.  There is a rhythm to this lifestyle that speaks deeply to me, and I believe it does to others as well. There are values that exist in this community that we respect and find comfort in. I believe that is why tens of thousands of travelers find themselves in Waco, Texas…they’re all wondering if what they saw on Fixer Upper could be true.  Can you still live in a place where you know your neighbors, afford the house you live in and get across town in fifteen minutes? When they get here, they find out that the answer is yes, it is all that and more, and that brings great peace. I don’t think they all want to move here, but I think it makes people joyful simply knowing places like this still exist.

So come on out for a visit, grab some great Texas BBQ, see some live music on a Saturday night in a small venue and know that if you drive 15 minutes in any direction you’ll be in the middle of beautiful Central Texas ranch pastures with the best sunsets the world has to offer.