HAUTE PROPERTIES

Mrs. Baird's family's Hill Country ranch hits market for $10.9 million

A famous Hill Country ranch is back on the market, but it’s going to cost its future owner a lot of bread. Baird Ranch, the former home of the family behind Mrs. Baird’s Bakery, has been relisted for $10.955 million, down from its more than $12 million price in 2024.

The 760-acre ranch is located near Johnson City, about 69 miles away from San Antonio. Listing agent West and Swope Ranches says the property is well-suited for both residential and operational use.

Photo courtesy of West and Swope Ranches

Longhorns roam the grounds.

Longtime Texans are no doubt familiar with the family brand. Fort Worth founder Ninia "Ninnie" Baird started cooking breads and sweets in 1908 to make income when her husband, William Baird, suffered ill health. Since then, it has become a literal household name in the state and the base of countless peanut butter sandwiches.

There's plenty of fishing on Baird Ranch.Photo courtesy of West and Swope Ranches

The dough dynasty bought the ranch in 1951 and used the land for recreation and raising cattle. The property, located along Miller Creek, hosts deer, turkeys, doves, and quail, making it ideal for hunting. Fishing, swimming, hiking, gardening, and trail riding are available for those who don’t like to shoot.

Baird Ranch includes a foreman’s cabin, guest quarters, barns, storage buildings, and various outbuildings that support day-to-day ranching, but the centerpiece is a ‘50s-era ranch house with Saltillo tile floors. Assumably, there’s at least one oven tucked away in a kitchen.

“Baird Ranch is one of those rare properties that still feels untouched by time,” West and Swopes owner Louie Swope said in a statement. “The live water, incredible elevation, and a location this close to Austin is almost impossible to find at this price point. It’s a true legacy ranch in every sense of the word.”

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Bang for Buck

Surprising suburb unlocks biggest apartments in Houston for $1,500

Photo by Matt Halls on Unsplash

Pasadena has the 6th roomiest apartments on a budget in Texas.

Budget-conscious renters searching for the roomiest apartments in the region should look no further than Pasadena. According to a new study, the east Houston suburb has the biggest apartments on a budget in the metro.

In 2026, Pasadena residents can rent a 1,125-square-foot apartment for $1,500 per month. That's enough space for a two- or three-bedroom unit, and it's four square feet bigger than what renters could get with the same budget last year.

RentCafe's annual report analyzes the places where renters can find the largest apartment sizes across 200 of the most populous U.S. cities for a monthly budget of $1,500. The price per square foot was calculated using the average apartment rent and size per city based on "multifamily properties" containing 50 or more units.

Pasadena offers the 6th most spacious apartments in Texas for $1,500, and Houston ranks 11th statewide.

Renters in Houston proper will net a 976-square-foot apartment for the same price in 2026, a size that has shrunk by more than 20 square feet since 2023.

Apartment sizes across Texas
For the second year in a row, the Rio Grande Valley is the region that has the most spacious apartments for a $1,500 monthly budget, RentCafe found.

McAllen leads the nation with the biggest apartment size – at 1,378 square feet – which is large enough for a three- or four-bedroom unit.

"With rents averaging just $993 and the typical apartment measuring 912 square feet, McAllen renters get a lot more space for their money than most Americans do within that monthly budget," the report said. "Still, that figure is down slightly from last year’s 1,393 square feet — a sign that even the most affordable markets are starting to tighten."

Brownsville, another city on the border located an hour east of McAllen, ranks fourth statewide with apartments spanning 1,213 square feet for the same budget.

These are the top 10 Texas cities that offer the biggest apartments for $1,500 in 2026:

No. 1 – McAllen (1,378 square feet)
No. 2 – Amarillo (1,237 square feet)
No. 3 – Lubbock (1,217 square feet)
No. 4 – Brownsville (1,213 square feet)
No. 5 – El Paso (1,128 square feet)
No. 6 – Pasadena (1,125 square feet)
No. 7 – Corpus Christi (1,115 square feet)
No. 8 – Killeen (1,058 square feet)
No. 9 – San Antonio (1,023 square feet)
No. 10 – Mesquite (988 square feet)

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