Hey John....Sure like your 60/40 assessment of priorities with riding coming first. Based upon that factor, it seems like Shreveport or Arlington would head for the top of the list. Being a displaced Texan, I would probably head for Arlington, or somewhere SW of the Metroplex, but agree with MJZ that the Shreveport area is a real sleeper for value, some great folks and a ton of good riding about 10 months out of the year. Louisiana catches a bad rap on a lot of issues, but that NW corner is quite different from the rest of the state. Biggest financial difference that I see between the two is that TX has no state income tax and LA may be taking some tax hits to cover the Katrina expenses. The Shreveport area, may not get hit as hard as some, however, on the county (parish) to county increases as a gaming client of mine there recently advised that their industries' cash infusion has created a revenue surplus in and around Shreveport. As an example of the prices, I'm familiar with a recent move by one of the casino execs. They bought about 6 miles N of the city and found 5 acres, near new country home 2600 sq ft and a nice steel barn/shop for 256k.
BTW...hope the relocation doesn't interfere with your trip to MV this year. Enjoyed riding with you and sharing the carport on the rainy day sessions....