Tucked in between Hwy. 146 and FM 2610 about 20 miles northeast of Cleveland, there’s this little enclave of streets whose names read like a collection of 1950s country catalogues. With the exception of Hillbilly Heaven Rd., all roughly 40 rights of way within the 620-acre subdivision called Wild Country Lake Estates take their names from American country musicians and entertainers like Tex Ritter, Ray Price, and Minnie Pearl.
And they’re nothing new — each street got its name when the subdivision was carved out of the land in the late ’70s. The tax map of its west side shows their official platting in county records:
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Here it is in full:
More property lines to the east, on the other side of the neighborhood’s central lake:
And with a little less zoom:
- Welcome! [Wild Country Lake Estates]
Photo and maps: Wild Country Lake Estates
Wonder if the names affect property values? I mean, all things equal, I’d consider paying 1+% more to live on George Jones Rd instead of Hillbilly Heaven Rd…
The East Meadow subdivision in Deer Park also has a number of musical references as well. Graceland Ln, Rolling Stones Dr, Woody Guthrie Ct, Penny Ln, etc.
I get dibs on the corner of Hank Williams and Bob Wills Roads. This post made my day.
Roy Rodgers is to ‘country musician’ as a donut is to apple pie.
This subdivision, together with many of its neighboring subdivisions, has a very interesting history. These were developed as “red flag” subdivisions that were generally exempt from federal regulation. The salesman would point to the red flags at the corners of your lot, you would sign a “contract for deed” and if you made the payments, the lot was yours, assuming the red flags were accurately placed. If you didn’t, the lot was re-sold to the next sucker to come along.
Over time, as it became necessary to provide services to these lots to induce sales, a water company was formed – Oakridge Water Company – and that led to a whole host of shenanigans in the Polk, Liberty, Walker, San Jacinto and Hardin Counties. It was pretty wild up there, maybe still is.
Wow, great find! Looking on HAR.com, it appears that the development was actually platted in lots much larger than are shown on the original plan. A satellite view shows a mostly rural, unbuilt area. Here’s some detail from a $45K 2-acre lot listing on Gene Autry:
Exterior Features
Lot Description: Wooded
Water Sewer: No Sewer
Cable: Not Available
Phone: Not Available
Electric: Electric Not Available
Gas: Gas Not Available
Road Surface: Dirt
Unit Location: Wooded
Area Pool: No
Asking prices seem to be all over the map. There’s another 1-acre lot for sale for $16K, and some with houses for $180K and $70K.
Re “red flag subdivision”: https://www.justanswer.com/real-estate-law/9j4ge-small-subdivision-154-lots-declared-red-flag-subdivision.html