Private lakes and outdoor recreation bring buyers to Holly Lake Ranch
Holly Lake Ranch is a gated community near Tyler with private lakes and recreation opportunities that attract buyers with its outdoor amenities and abundance of social activities. People move here to get away from the busy city life and be involved in a tight-knit community, like Steve Schwaebler, who moved from Dallas with his wife in 2016. "We were looking to retire in a quieter environment, and we decided to move out east," he says. "We love it. There are a lot of social gatherings and clubs. We're actively involved in golf, and pickleball is a big amenity that we have here, also."
The community is open to all ages, but Schwaebler says it skews toward people in their 50s and 60s. Residents drive golf carts, see deer in their lawns and enjoy quiet evenings under the stars. "I hate driving back into Dallas now," Schwaebler says. "When you get into the city, you realize how great we have it here."
A quiet gated community
Most homes here sell for between $200,000 and $500,000. Options include ranch-style, cabin-style and New Traditional homes. The gated community does not have streetlights, but it does have guards. "If you're going on vacation, you can notify the guard gate, and they will walk around your property daily, free of charge," Schwaebler says. Lake Ranch scores a 1 out of 10 CAP Index Crime Score, below the national average of 4.
"Our HOA dues are reasonable, and property taxes out east are also quite affordable, so it's just a great community," Schwaebler says. He also says the community allows a maximum of 30 VRBO rentals and that there's a waitlist for residents interested in short-term renting their properties.
Clubs and recreation amenities
Residents have access to more than 50 clubs and a wide array of amenities. Private lakes throughout the community are equipped with boat ramps, kayak launches and fishing docks. The community's east side features a driving range, golf course and waterfront park. The west side has beach volleyball, disc golf, a fitness center, a dog park and more. Tennis and pickleball are popular. "Everything is shifting toward pickleball right now," Schwaebler says. "It's such a great social environment. Two years ago, we actually converted two of the tennis courts into additional pickleball courts because of growing demand."
Getting to nearby cities and driving golf carts around the community
Golf carts are common here. “You'll rack up as many miles on your golf cart as you do on your car," Schwaebler says. This community is about 30 miles from Tyler and 100 miles east of Dallas. The closest hospital, UT Health Quitman, is about 18 miles away. Tyler Pounds Regional Airport is under 40 miles away and offers nonstop flights to Dallas-Fort Worth.
Local restaurants and shopping for essentials
Moe's Pizza is a casual local restaurant serving pizza, pasta and sandwiches. Mario's Asian Grill serves sushi rolls, bento trays and noodle dishes. Holly Cow Creamery and Sweet Spot is a family-owned ice cream shop with a colorful interior. Household goods and groceries are available in town at Family Dollar and Dollar General. For additional shopping and dining options, residents drive to Tyler or Longview.
Career and technical education in Harmony ISD
Harmony Independent School District gets an overall B-plus grade from Niche. James Poole Elementary School gets an A-minus, and Irons-Smith Intermediate School, Harmony Junior High School and Harmony High School get B-pluses. Harmony ISD's career and technical education program offers 16 career clusters, including finance, health science and human services.
