I'm in San Antonio and there are several small towns within 45 minutes of SA. Just depends on where your job will be. Pleasanton, Jourdanton, LaCoste, LaVernia are to the south and east. Boerne and New Braunfels area are to the north. There is a forum for people looking to relocate to SA (and other cities, too).
http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-antonio/
Here's a link to properties in Pleasanton/Jourdanton area with ~10 acres.
http://www.landsoftexas.com/texas/At...&search=county
The oil boom is big down here and property values have jumped in some areas. And Texas doesn't have state income tax but uses a property tax based on value.