Chip and Joanna Gaines Reveal Where They Would Move if They Didn’t Live in Waco

Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines have lived in Waco, Texas for years. But where would the Fixer Upper stars move if they couldn’t live in “The Heart of Texas”? Here’s where Chip said the couple would go if they had to live anywhere else in the world.  

Chip and Joanna Gaines have lived in different homes in Waco, Texas for years

Joanna and Chip Gaines have lived together in 10 different houses, including their current home, a 1,700-square-foot Victorian-style place they call “The Farmhouse.” The Fixer Upper stars bought the house in 2012 and moved in in October 2013 after months of renovations. 

The farmhouse sits on 40 acres of land in Crawford, Texas, a suburb of Waco. Chip, Joanna, and their five kids use the spacious land for farming, raising animals, and other recreational activities. 

But the couple’s first Waco, Texas home wasn’t the dream farmhouse where they live now. Chip and Joanna weren’t successful TV stars yet and couldn’t afford a beautifully renovated first home. But Chip had been learning how to flip houses since college, so he and Joanna bought an 800-square-foot fixer-upper.

Joanna shared an Instagram post admitting that she cried when Chip told her they were moving into their first Waco house because it was “dumpy” and “smelled bad.” But, after doing some renovations and design work, she said they “fell in love” with the place, and it remains one of their favorite houses to this day.

Chip and Joanna Gaines revealed where they would live if not in Waco, Texas

Joanna and Chip Gaines definitely consider Waco, Texas their home, but they have considered other cities where they might live. But their priority is where they want to raise their five children. 

At a KILZ Master Class in 2017, the couple was asked about other places they might want to live. “Mine would be Las Vegas,” Chip joked (via People). “I think the kids would really appreciate it.”

While Joanna said she would love to live in New York City, Chip said he would rather be “somewhere Caribbean, in Mexico somewhere, South America.”

“Waco is our meet in the middle spot: half big city, half tropical – maybe not,” he said. “We talk about it. We’ve been to Kansas City a lot recently and have just fallen in love with that community … Salt Lake, every time we go there it just kind of really inspires us. Obviously New York City for Jo. There are a few cities across the country that we would possibly consider if Waco did not work out.” 

The ‘Fixer Upper’ couple has helped the town grow

Chip and Joanna Gaines have done a great deal to boost the economy and tourism in Waco, Texas. When Fixer Upper started in 2013, America fell in love with the goofy Chip and sweet Joanna. Over years of the show running successfully, more and more people flocked to Waco to see the couple’s Magnolia Market at the Silos, a shopping complex spreading across two downtown blocks of the city. 

After Magnolia Market opened in 2016, the city saw a 165 percent increase in tourism in just one year (per Chron). An average of 2.5 million people visited Waco before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and 1.7 million visited in 2021. Some visitors decide to stay and live in the town, like the Gaineses.