1830! Yep, they beat us here.
FWIW, in our County and School Dist., we have a great propery tax exemption for those folks who are 65 and up. It works well for retirees.
As far as the heat goes, I can tolerate it better than the cold of more Northerly climes. At least I can stay in the AC if it gets too hot!
Our County voted against Obama 75%+. About 90% of the Whites voted against him and about 99% of the Blacks voted for him. Hmmmm. Do I detect a split there?
Anyway, we love it here and have no plans to move in the forseeable future.
Good luck in the Ozarks!
Texas will have to be careful that it doesn't turn into a pariah that South Africa once was back in the '80s.