Kerrville vs. Fredericksburg: Choosing Your Hill Country Home

It's a battle of the Texas Hill Country Titans. Join us in today's video as we pit Kerrville against Fredericksburg in a showdown of lifestyle from the bustling cultural scene to the riverside living. These two towns have it all. So let's go ahead and explore the key differences between the two towns that could help shape your decision here in the Hill Country. Ryan Rendon, Rendon Realty Group, your favorite realtor right here in the Texas Hill Country. That's right. In today's video, we are discussing the key differences of living in Kerrville and Fredericksburg, Texas. So let's go ahead and start this video off with number one, which is the size and population okay. So Kerrville is slightly larger in terms of population in comparison to Fredericksburg as of the last Census Bureau update, Kerrville sits at 23,728 people, while Fredericksburg has 11,390 people. Now, obviously, these are the permanent residences of both towns, but this number can skyrocket by quite a bit over the weekend, especially in Fredericksburg, with all the tours coming into town, visiting the wineries and doing a little Main Street shopping. But Kerrville can also have quite a few visitors on the weekends, but primarily on the weekends, where we have different festivals and events going on down on the river at the Lewis Hays Park and as a result of having more people in Kerrville than Fredericksburg, they both have a high school and a middle school and private schools. But Kerrville does have quite a few more elementary schools than what Fredericksburg has. And number two on the list is the difference in the number of vineyards and wineries. And in my opinion, this has to be one of the biggest differences of living in Kerrville and Fredericksburg. And one of the reasons why Fredricksburg is the second most visited wine area in all of the United States. And according to Visit Fredericksburg, Texas, dot com, the Texas Hill Country is home to over 100 wineries and vineyards, and Fredericksburg is the epicenter of the Texas wine country. There are more than 60 wineries, vineyards, and wine tasting rooms located in Fredericksburg, Gillespie County alone. Now, Kerrville does have three wineries, which are the Kerrville Hills Winery, Turtle Creek, olives and vines and wine about it. But obviously, how are they going to compete against the 60 plus that are in or near Fredericksburg? And to reiterate what I said earlier, this is one of the primary reasons why Fredericksburg has so many tours coming to town every single weekend. And what makes this population of 11,000 people feel much closer to 30, 40,000 people. Okay, so this brings us to number three on the list, which is you won't believe it, the fast food options. So my family and I moved from Kerrville to Fredericksburg September 2022. And I would have to say this is one of the things I miss most about living in Kerrville. Now, I don't eat fast food every single day. I mean, maybe once a week, but the fact that there is almost three times the amount of options in Kerrville in Fredericksburg is completely mind blowing to me. Okay, so I'm not going to name off every single fast food restaurant in Kerrville Fredericksburg. But to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, there are 28 different restaurants, fast food restaurant chains in Kerrville, comparison to ten in Fredericksburg. So if you are the type of person that likes to grab some fast food every so often, but likes to have options, I would say you would be very happy to live in Kerrville. Now, on the other hand, when we're talking about fine dining in higher in restaurants, Fredericksburg has Kerrville beef all day long. And you know what? I actually want to hear from you guys. What are some of your favorite restaurants in Kerrville or Fredericksburg? Let me know down in the comments below. And if you'd like for me to put together a specific video for restaurants, breweries, and wineries, let me know. I would absolutely love to do that for you guys. Okay, so this brings us to the next item on our list, which is the swimming and river activities, especially during those summer months. So one of the things I enjoyed most about living in Kerrville is the Guadalupe River, running right through the middle of town. I tell you what is one of the most gorgeous things here in the Texas Hill Country. Now, Fredericksburg does have the pronounced river technically pronounced Peter. Now it's river, but it doesn't go right through the middle of town like the Guadalupe River does in Kerrville. And in my opinion, you can't have as much fun on it just because of the size of it. Now, with that being said, I've had a lot of fun on the river over the years, especially doing a little cart boat fishing, doing a little rod, and real fishing and kayaking. But again, the size of the river kind of limits you on the fun that you can have in my opinion. But again, that really all kind of depends on what you consider to be fun. I mean, again, you can get some kayaks and there may be some paddle boards, you can do some fishing, do a little bow fishing, but you're not going to be able to get a full size wakeboard in there. And jet skis. It's just going to be too small for that, like you can do on the Guadalupe Bay now with the Guadalupe River in Kerrville. They're all kinds of things you can do, such as going on a 12 passenger paddle boat ride with Hill Country River at. You also have the Kerrville Kayak and Canoe Shop, which has paddle boards, kayaks, and canoes for rent or purchase where you can actually get your weight boarding boat in to the river or jet skis and just have a world of a time. Another awesome thing that Kerrville has that Fredericksburg doesn't really have anything like is the River trail running alongside the Guadalupe River. So the River trail is a day use ten foot wide walking, running and biking trail for public use, which is an integral part of the city's park system. It is an approximate six mile long trail along the Guadalupe River, with trailheads located at the Kerrville, Shriner Park, G Street, Layman, and Morrow Park, Lewis Hayes Park, Riverside Nature Center, Lowry Park, and the Theater Center. Another fantastic summer activity, which involves swimming in both Fredericksburg and Kerrville is Yogi Bear, Jellystone Parks and Resort, and according to the Kerrville Yogi Bear website, the resort is a perfect place for families to have a vacation of a lifetime. Whether you're looking to kick back and relax or spend the day busy with fun activities, our Guadalupe River campground is the ideal location. Spend the day splashing at the water zone, putting on our 18 hole mini golf course, walking along the banks of the Gallup River, and so much more. Plus, we're one of the best snowbird campgrounds in Texas, offering monthly stay accommodations. Come experience everything our park has to offer while making memories with your family and friends. So if you have not been to either one of these resorts in Fredricksburg, Kerrville, or just a Yogi Bear resort in general, I highly suggest that both Kerrville and Fredericksburg are fantastic. Okay, so now let's discuss what we all have been waiting for. And that is what is the cost and living difference between Kerrville and Fredericksburg. So I hopped over to Best Places dot net to compare the two towns, and I'm really not surprised to see some of these results. So according to the website, the overall Cost of living index shows that Fredericksburg has a 12% higher cost of living than Kerrville. The website states that Kerrville Food and Groceries are 3.6% less, housing is 30.8% less, utilities are equal, transport station is 1.6% less, health care is 2.5% more in Kerrville, and it has a miscellaneous category which is 2.3% less than Fredericksburg. And since I am in real estate, let's go ahead and talk about the differences in median sales prices between the two towns. And this information is coming directly from our local MLS system. So it's going to be the most accurate information possible for Kerrville. The median sales price for the second quarter of this year was 330,000, and the median sales price for Fredericksburg for the second quarter was 510,000. And what's absolutely bonkers to me about these numbers is that Kerrville median sales price for the second quarter was 54% lower than it was in Fredericksburg, and that's not even a fluke. If we look at the annual numbers for the entire year of last year, Fredericksburg median price was 561,000 and Kerrville was 355,000. So looking back at the housing numbers on Best places dot net, which was 30.8% lower in Kerrville than Fredericksburg, if they would bump that up to around 50%, it would make their website a little bit more accurate, at least on the real estate side. And just briefly, let's go ahead and see what that median sales price in Kerrville can get you today. So for 339,000, you can get this three bedroom, two bathroom home with 1500 square feet, built in 1989 on a half acre. And looking through some of these photos, it appears that they've done some updates here and there. The flooring looks pretty decent. It also has great ceiling height and I'm not sure about these mint green walls. Personally, it's not my cup of tea, but it also has this nice fireplace in the living room, which is great during those winter months. And the kitchen's not too bad, but it looks like it is closed off from the living room so you don't have that open. Can't serve that. A lot of people like nowadays and it looks like the bathrooms it's some of the paint could be updated, but for the most part I would say this is a halfway decent house for 339 here in Kerrville. Okay, so hopping over to Franks Berg for the median sales price, or at least close to the median sales price. So you can get this nice home on Feather Way which has three bedrooms, two bathrooms with 1770 eight square feet, but on a much smaller point 17 acre city lot. But if you don't like to do a whole lot of yard maintenance, well, the smaller lot just may be perfect for you. So this is a brand new construction home, finished in 2022 and is considered the typical hill country rock style home, at least on the exterior. And looking through these photos, it definitely has that open concept with a modern contemporary look mixed in with that hill country style. But the rocks around the kitchen island and the fireplace. Okay, so what did you guys think? Is there anything on this list today that you would change? Or maybe something you would add for a future video? Let me know down in the comments below. And as always, if you're thinking about buying or selling anywhere around the Texas Hill Country, I would love to be your realtor of choice. All my contact information is above, but also down in the description below. And make sure you watch this next video, which is the pros and cons of living in Fredericksburg, Texas and we'll see you in the next video.