Weather

The first major asset is God given. Compared to the rest of Texas and the US as a whole, Brady has almost ideal weather.

Temperature is generally mild. High Temperatures in July average about 95° while low temperatures in January average about 32°. The number of heating degree days (degrees < 65°) and cooling degree days (degrees > 65°) is almost equal, indicating overall comfortable temperatures.

Brady averages about 23” of rain each year, more of less evenly spread over all months. Brady receives a little more hail than the US average but much less than the Texas average. There are no hurricanes. Tornadoes are rare by national standards and very rare by Texas standards.

 Crime

Brady has a very low crime rate compared to the US and even lower compared to the rest of Texas. It is as safe place to live as person is likely to find anywhere. Murder risk is one-third and rape risk one-fourth of the national average while robbery risk only 15%. Compared to the US average, burglary risk is 55%, assault risk 60% and larceny risk 63%. Motor vehicle theft risk is a miniscule 2% of the national average.

Employment

The largest employer in McCulloch County is the Brady ISD with 210 employees. This is normal for rural communities throughout the nation.

Other public employers include the City of Brady (125), Heart of Texas Health Systems (85) and McCulloch County (53). Together the School, City, Hospital and County employ about 473 people, or about 23% of the employed workforce.

The second largest employer in Brady is Loadcraft (~200 employees) followed byWal-Mart with 165 employees. There are not any other large retail employers listed, but CLRsearch shows 355 people employed in the Retail trade. The other 190 retail employees apparently work for small businesses. If Accommodation and Food Services (basically motels and restaurants) are included as retail employees, the total grows to 500 or 24% of the employed workforce.

Eight Mining/Manufacturing/Trucking companies employing a total of 542 people (26% of employed workforce) follow on the list of large employers.

Rounding out the list of large employers (25 or more employees) are Commercial National Bank (33), Jacoby & Jacoby (30) and Brady National Bank (25). Together they account for about 4% of the employed workforce.

The above discussion accounts for 77% of the employment in Brady. It is a general summary since some employees live outside the City Limits of Brady. Hopefully, it informs without bogging down in detail.

The remaining 23% of the employed workforce are self-employed, contract workers or working for small employers.

One thing that should be noted is that most of the Mining, Manufacturing and Trucking industry centered in Brady is highly dependent on the cyclical oil and gas drilling business.

 Brady Asset Summary and Conclusion

The weather and crime rate make Brady the ideal place for people to retire. Many retired people have ample retirement funds and can add to the general economy.

A significant number of more affluent retirees choose to live in McCulloch County outside the City of Brady to avoid onerous utility surcharges and drinking water that does not meet state minimum standards. Many simply choose other small Hill Country towns that are more friendly toward financially comfortable older people.

Future planning should take this into consideration.

Brady does not have a lot of natural resources or infrastructure to offer large employers. The workforce, housing and transport facilities necessary to support more manufacturing than we have now are simply not here. It is highly unlikely that there will ever be a seaport, Class A railroad or Interstate highway in Brady.

But the world is changing. Brady can offer the same internet connections and shipping services that big cities offer. And, we can offer those things in a much safer, more pleasant environment.

Already, without community support or government subsidy, individuals are manufacturing custom made metal products, crafts, artwork, jewelry and myriad other items to sell online. It is as easy (or easier) to ship by USPS, UPS or FedEx from Brady as it is from Dallas.

It is as easy (or easier) to build and manage commercial websites from Brady as it is from anywhere else. Commercial artwork, database maintenance and many other internet driven industries that are booming worldwide can be done in the safe and pleasant environment of Brady as efficiently as anyplace on earth.

Future planning for economic development should take this type of business into consideration. All it takes is an open mind and a willingness to change.

Reference – Texas Almanac (2010 – 2011), CLRsearch