Aubrey

What do you get when you combine peanuts, horses and a welcoming community? The answer: Aubrey, Texas, a fast-growing, much-loved rural town 12 miles northeast of Denton known for its once-flourishing peanut industry and picturesque equine-friendly pastureland. "When you see the lush green grass, mature oak trees and rolling hills of Aubrey, you know you're in horse country," says Curtis Peterson, Aubrey resident and team leader of the Peterson Property Group with Fathom Realty. "Aubrey has sandy soil, which was good for growing peanuts, so we have a history of peanut farming, and as a result, there are a lot of historic peanut silos around. Sandy soil is also good for horses, so horse ranches came in. And that type of soil is good for building foundations, and we happen to have a lot of new houses being built." The town's recent home construction boom is a necessary product of rapid growth in Aubrey and surrounding areas, like the adjacent town of Krugerville. According to Peterson, folks have not only discovered the area's beautiful topography but also its small-town charm and convenient location close to the amenities of Denton and Frisco. "We have a lot of people moving into the area," Peterson says. "And once they're here, they stay. Not a lot of people leave Aubrey unless they have to."

You'll find a mix of property types in and around Aubrey, from new builds with a Craftsman twist to Traditional-style homes built in the 1970s to sprawling, multi-acre horse ranches. According to Peterson, Aubrey is a town for everyone with its varied choice of housing stock. "You can find a single-family home for $300,000 or a million-dollar horse farm." Along with the diverse types of properties, there's also a wide range of home sizes, from 1,300 to over 6,500 square feet, and a span of price points, from $210,000 to almost $4 million.

Most area children attend schools in the highly-regarded Aubrey Independent School District, rated an A-minus by Niche for academics, including Monaco Elementary for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and Aubrey Middle for grades six through eight. Older students spend ninth through 12th grades at Aubrey High School, which earns an overall B-plus rating from Niche.

On a sunny afternoon, take the kids for a swing or a spin on the merry-go-round at Matthew's Park, a small patch of green space tucked in a quiet neighborhood beside some of Aubrey's historic peanut silos. Leslie Park is another pleasant neighborhood park with a playground, a walking path, and a shady picnic pavilion. If you're an outdoor concert fan, you're in luck because the city holds its annual Summer Music Series from May through July at Veteran Memorial Park on Main Street in Aubrey's historic downtown. Also, in October, be sure to check out the annual Aubrey Peanut Festival, featuring over 150 vendors selling clothes, crafts, baked goods and more. You'll also experience live music, food trucks, face painting and pony rides, to name a few of the numerous activities on the festival agenda each year. "It's very popular," Peterson says. "Thousands of people come to the peanut festival."

After the park, grab a bite to eat at family-owned Giulia's Café, a popular spot recommended by Peterson, where locals gather to enjoy chef-quality comfort-food favorites, like fluffy buttermilk pancakes or a savory, flaky chicken pot pie. Next, venture back to the historic downtown, where you can grab a cold brew and a freshly made chocolate chip cookie from Ruby Cate's Bake Shop, select a hand-poured candle from the Casey & Co. Boutique or brush up on local history at the Aubrey Area Museum. You don't have to like peanuts or horses to love modern country life in charming Aubrey.