There is a section of older homes near Marc’s jobsite lining tree draped winding streets that just seems plain incongruous in this hot dusty town. Many of these date from the roaring twenties, when big oil was just making its huge debut up the road in Burkburnett, so you’ve got to figure that likely many of the elite of Wichita Falls lived here. The subdivision is known as Country Club Estates and in fact it does abut the current 18-hole golf, tennis and swim complex known as Wichita Falls Country Club.The homes in this neighborhood are lovely and some actually quite stunning in their monstrosity, going to over 10,000 square feet. Most are on large lots with carriage houses in the back which many have turned into separate apartments over the years. The neighborhood is quiet and serene (basking under its canopy of big old oak trees) save for the army of landscaping companies maintaining its pristine appearance; a glimpse into and a vestige of the original wealth of another time.
For those of us from the west, the current prices are ridiculously cheap—place these homes in any state west of Nevada and they would command four times their price here. Dirt is dirt is dirt. Isn’t it funny how its value can change so drastically from one place to another even if it does sit atop a sea of black gold?
