North Texas · Southern Oklahoma · Lake Texoma
Discover Texoma Living
Find the community. Find the lifestyle. Find where you belong.
From growing communities and quiet country roads to life near Lake Texoma, here is how the region really lives.
Lake Texoma-area photograph by Carol Layman
“Some places simply feel like home, even before you know why. Finding where you belong begins with discovering how a place makes you feel.”
— Carol Layman, REALTOR®
Experience
A track record you can count on
- Years in real estate
- 11
- Years with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans
- 6
- Homes sold
- 200+
- Sold home price range
- $30,000 to $2.35 million
“Carol is AMAZING to work with. We went in to the home buying process completely blind and at a loss on where to even start! We found her using realtor.com and she walked us through the whole process with no issues. I highly recommend her if you are ever in the market for a home.”
Amanda Evans, past client
Welcome to the region
So, What Exactly Is Texoma?
Sherman Realtor Carol Layman of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans helps buyers, sellers, and people relocating to the Texoma region, where North Texas and Southern Oklahoma meet, with Lake Texoma at its heart. The lake stretches across the Texas-Oklahoma border, and the communities and counties surrounding its shoreline have grown together around the lake, its recreation and the lifestyle it creates.
For Discover Texoma Living, I think of the Lake Texoma area a little more broadly. If you're within roughly 30 miles of the lake, you're close enough for Lake Texoma to be part of everyday life, even if you don't live on the water.
That includes larger communities with shopping, medical care and growing employment opportunities, smaller towns, country properties and places where lake life is just minutes away.
There's more than one way to live at Lake Texoma. Let's discover which one feels like home.
From growing communities and quiet country roads to life near Lake Texoma, discover the many ways to call North Texas and Southern Oklahoma home.
This guide is a neighborly look at the region, written by Sherman Realtor Carol Layman. It covers the towns and counties people ask about most: Grayson, Fannin, and Cooke in Texas, Bryan County in Oklahoma, and the lakefront communities in between, with honest notes on schools, parks, commutes, and what each place actually feels like on a Tuesday.
Find your town
County seat energy or lakefront quiet? Compare Sherman, Denison, Pottsboro, Durant, and more.
CommunitiesLove the lake
Marinas, striper fishing, state parks, and what waterfront living really involves.
Lake lifePlan the move
A gentle, step-by-step guide to relocating with school, work, and lake life in mind.
Moving guideCommunities
A town for every kind of week
Some people want the courthouse square within walking distance. Others want a boat docked at the end of the street. These six guides are the ones people ask Carol about most.
Lake Texoma Lifestyle
Days on the water, evenings on the dock
Lake Texoma is an 89,000-acre reservoir on the Red River, formed when Denison Dam was completed in 1944. At the time it was the largest rolled earth-fill dam in America, and the lake it created became the playground of the Southwest: striped bass fishing, marinas that feel like neighborhoods, state parks, and coves that stay quiet even on holiday weekends.
Waterfront living here looks different in every direction. Pottsboro and Gordonville anchor the Texas side. Kingston and Buncombe Creek anchor the Oklahoma side. Between them are marinas, sandy beaches, and a rhythm of life measured in boat days and sunsets.
Golden hour at a Texoma marina
A quiet trail near the lake
Things to Do
A full calendar of lake days and town days
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Parks and refuges. Eisenhower State Park, Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Bonham State Park, and the Tishomingo refuge put hiking, fishing, and birding minutes from town.
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Local favorites. The Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, Urban Air in Denison, and lake beaches like Island View Park make weekends easy.
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History everywhere. Eisenhower's birthplace in Denison, the Sherman Museum, Sam Rayburn's home in Bonham, and the Three Valley Museum in Durant.
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Dockside dining. Waterfront grills at Highport and Tanglewood, catfish worth the drive in Denison, and breweries in Sherman and Durant.
Moving to Texoma
Making a move this big feel calm
Relocating is part logistics, part emotion. Carol's moving guide walks through the practical steps, from school research to neighborhood shortlists, so the big decision can feel like a series of small, doable ones.
Common questions
The answers people ask for most
A few quick answers to the questions Carol hears most from people exploring a move to the Texoma region.
What areas does Carol serve?
Carol serves North Texas (Grayson, Fannin, and Cooke counties) and Southern Oklahoma (Bryan County), including the communities along the Lake Texoma waterfront.
Do I have to live right on the lake?
No. If you're within roughly 30 miles of the lake, you're close enough for Lake Texoma to be part of everyday life, even if you don't live on the water.
Is Carol licensed in both Texas and Oklahoma?
Yes. Carol is a licensed Realtor in Texas (Sales Agent, license 671026) and in Oklahoma (license 240360), with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans.
How do I get in touch with Carol?
Call or text Carol at 903-814-8845, or email her at carol.layman@winansbhg.com. Her office is Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans in Sherman, Texas.
Come home where you belong
A friendly guide, not a hard sell
"Home isn't just a place. It's the foundation for a life, and it's a privilege to help you find the one that fits you best."
Carol Layman spent years as a teacher, a coach, and a school counselor, and she brings that same calm, attentive care to real estate. A decade in, her clients still describe her the same way: patient, organized, and genuinely on their side.
Carol lives in Grayson County, her husband's hometown, and they have called the area home for 23 years.
2620 N Travis St., Sherman, TX 75090
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Say hello
Tell us what you are dreaming about
Curious about a town, ready to tour homes, or just gathering ideas? Send a note and Carol will reply with honest answers and zero pressure.
Thank you, we will be in touch.
Carol will reach out soon. If it is urgent in the meantime, call or text her at 903-814-8845.