Former ranch community fit for a “Midnight Cowboy”
Home to over 22,300 people, Big Spring is the largest community in Howard County and has been the county seat since 1882. Nearly 200 years ago, Big Spring was a haven for cowboys riding through on the Texas and Pacific Railroad. This legacy was immortalized in the opening shot of the Oscar-winning film “Midnight Cowboy,” which showcased the Big Spring landscape. In the modern day, the former ranch town is supported by jobs in healthcare and at the Delek oil refinery. Big Spring’s main draw is still its natural features, including the large spring at the base of Scenic Mountain, which gave the city its name. Views of the sunset over the bluffs along Comanche Trail or at Big Spring State Park continue to capture the imagination of anyone who visits. “Big Spring is in the middle of West Texas where the Old West still remains,” says Terri Telchik, a Big Spring native and facilities supervisor for the city. “Growth and possibilities are just as endless as the skyline.”
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Sunsets over Big Spring State Park
Any time of day, the best views in the city are in Big Spring State Park. The park’s 3-mile paved trail, also called the Roman Road, wraps around a 200-foot bluff on Scenic Mountain that overlooks the entire city. “You can see for 14 miles straight. You can see your dog two weeks after he’s run away,” Telchik says. The park’s “Sunset Podiums” are some of the best viewing spots in the city for the show of red, orange and purple that sweeps across the horizon every day.
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Orchestra concerts at the Comanche Trail Amphitheater
Comanche Trail Park is home to the city’s namesake Historic Spring. The 400-acre park also has a limestone amphitheater, an 18-hole golf course and a fishing lake. In December, the main trail is surrounded with thousands of lights shaped like poinsettias for the annual Festival of Lights, a Big Spring tradition since 1996. The amphitheater hosts the Big Spring Symphony Orchestra’s annual “Pops” concert in the summer. It is just one of the yearly orchestra performances across the city.
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Custom homes built near Scenic Mountain
The area mostly features midcentury single-family homes, and plots of land also frequently come on the market. Plots with vantage points of Big Spring State Park or Comanche Trail Park are especially in demand for buyers looking to build custom homes. The city's median property price is $246,500, below the Texas median. Homes sell in an average of 62 days, compared to the national average of 45 days.
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Big Spring ISD and Howard College
The city has private schools like Runnels Academy and New Hope Christian Academy and public options through Big Spring Independent School District. Big Spring ISD earns a C-plus from Niche. Howard College, a public community college, is based in town. The college operates the Southwest College for the Deaf, one of the only community college programs in the country designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
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The historic Hotel Settles on Third Street
Big Spring’s small downtown district surrounds Third and Fourth streets with barbershops, thrift shops and restaurants serving Southern comfort food. One of downtown’s cornerstone restaurants is Big John’s Feed Lot, which won a Big Spring Herald Readers’ Choice award for its fish and shrimp special. The historic Hotel Settles is also in the center of downtown. The hotel is decorated in its original 1930s-era opulence, from velvet sofas in the Mezzanine Lobby to the gold inlaid ceilings of the Grand Ballroom.
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Highways to Odessa, Abilene and Lubbock
Interstate 20 is a direct line between Odessa to the west and Abilene to the east, while U.S. Highway 87 is the fastest route to Lubbock. Big Spring has no public transportation, so cars are the primary mode of transportation. Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, 110 miles away, is one of the closest commercial airports.
High winds bring cold fronts to West Texas
Big Spring is windy year-round through the hot summer and cool winter. High winds often bring cold fronts from November to February.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Big Spring accounted for 70% of reported crimes in Howard County in 2022. That year, the city had a rate of 2,819 reported crimes for every 100,000 people.
Broker / Owner of The Real Estate Ranch & Premier Properties in Midland, TX. Thomas sells Commercial / Residential Land & Homes in the Permian Basin, South Plains, Concho Basin, Hill Country, as well as West Texas & New Mexico Ranches. His college career included a run at Texas Tech where he received a BA in Communications with Marketing minor. Thomas is a networker, this is his number one quality that sets him apart; if you need anything he has someone to fit that need or knows a professional to connect you with.
He worked as a landman leasing acreage from farmers and ranchers for wind farms while earning his real estate license. When Thomas made the transition from wind to real estate, he hit the ground running and never looked back.
Thomas is a part of the Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors and Permian Basin Home Builders Association where he held a Director Position from 2011-2013, and the Permian Basin Board of Realtors where he held a Director Position 2008 - 2012.
Local Real Estate & Community Involvement 2008 – MLS Committee Political Affairs from 2007 to Present and 2010 & 2011 Past Chair 2007 - Key Communicator (Midland, TX Independent School District) 2008 – Present: Education Committee 2007- Rookie Realtor of the Year Permian Basin Board of Realtors Founded YPN (NAR Young Professionals Network) Permian Basin and Past Chair 2010 & 2011 Current Chair - Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee TREPAC 2007 – 2012 Director, Permian Basin Board of Realtors 2011 - 2013 Director, Permian Basin Home Builders Association 2012 - Director, Young Professionals of Midland (Chamber of Commerce) 2011- 2012 Chair, Leadership Midland (Chamber of Commerce) 2009 - Graduate of Leadership Midland 2012 - Class of Midland 101 (City Manager) 2005 - Current Director of Permian Basin Ducks Unlimited 2008 - Life Sponsor Ducks Unlimited 2010 - Life Sponsor TWA 2012 - Life Sponsor Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation 2013 - Life Sponsor Dallas Safari Club 2015 - Current Invitee Landowner of The Year Award Texas Parks & Wildlife 2016 - Current - Steward of The Wild Member Texas Parks & WildLife 2019 - Life Sponsor CCA
Real Estate Statewide: Graduate of Texas Realtors Leadership Program 2009 Recipient 2010 Texas Realtors® Strike Force Award Achievements in Governmental/Political Affairs Education Committee 2010 & 2011 Texas Realtors Leadership Program Committee 2010 & 2011 Political Affairs Committee 2009 & 2012 Participated in 2010 & 2011 Realtor Board Leadership Officers Conference 2009 – Current ALC (Accredited Land Council) 2011 – Current RLI (Realtor Land Institute) Permian Basin Board of Realtors Member Odessa Board of Realtors Member Highland Lakes (Horseshoe Bay) Board of Realtors Member Hill Country (Junction to Johnson City) Board of Realtors Member San Antonio Board of Realtors Member 4 Rivers (San Marcos) Board of Realtors Member Austin Board of Realtors Member Waco Board of Realtors Member San Angelo Board of Realtors Member Co-Star Member Loopnet Member LandBroker Member LandsofTexas Member CREXI Member
Real Estate Nationally: Invitee & Attendee NAR YPN 40 under 40 Leadership Retreat & NAR Summit in Chicago, Illinois, August 2011 40 of the Most Successful Real Estate Agents & Brokers were invited.
What My Letters Mean (as you might have been asking yourself): Texas Licensed Broker ABR Certified (Accredited Buyer Representative) CNHS Certified in New Home Sales CCNS Certified Contract Negation Specialist TRLP Graduate of Texas Association of Realtors Leadership Program GRI Graduate of Realtor Institute SFR Short-Sale / Foreclosure Resource TAHS Texas Affordable Housing Specialist Notary Public for the State of Texas TVLB Texas Veteran Land Board Certified Licensed Right of Way Agent Currently The Real Estate Ranch is the Top Commercial Brokerage in West Texas servicing a wide range of clients from Development, Multi-Family, Industrial, Man Camps, RV Parks, Hotels, Government Agencies, Retail and Cell Towers. ?As one of the Top Ranch Agents in West Texas, Thomas travels the State of Texas in search of Ranching Investments. He is constantly scanning the web and papers looking for ranch deals and investment ranches from as far North as Lipscomb County all the way South to Hidalgo County. Thomas can find the perfect fit for you whether it be a Flip Ranch or a Turn-Key Deal. Not only does he possess great real estate knowledge, but he also possesses knowledge of government land programs and methods of funding your investments.
He has assisted in the development of the newer parts of Midland in the Past 3 years. That’s why he is at the top of everyone’s list when it comes to finding a development, selling out-right, or when a landowner wants to develop their land on their own. ? Thomas Johnston’s sales numbers since January 2007 in Midland alone were MLS Ranked #8 in that time span with 172 closed transactions totaling $550,397,253 in sales.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
