The Escapees RV Club has been our legal residence for our entire time as fulltime RV travelers. We joined this club in the fall of 1999 and began the process of making it our legal address the following March. If you happen to already be a Texas resident, this process is very easy and it does not even require you to visit the Livingston area. Texas is one of the most RV friendly states and among the easiest to gain residency. So if you have never been to Rainbow's End, drop in and take a look around. While nonmembers do pay a higher rate per night, the price is competitive with other parks in the area.
The club headquarters has a staff of about thirty people. The rear wing is the mail forwarding service, which is by far the biggest operation of the club with more than 15,000 addresses issued to member-users. The clubhouse was the original headquarters and is used today for small, impromptu gatherings of members and guests at the park. The activity center is used for larger gatherings and meals as well as being the location of the swimming pool. The red parts of the map are sites for short term visitors and the orange section shows the leased and deeded sites for member's homes. The blue section is the most unique part of the park & headquarters.
The Escapees CARE is a separate, nonprofit organization who's donations are tax deductible. They reside on the property of Escapees RV Club, but they are run by a board of directors and are totally separate from the Escapees Inc. This is a unique organization and it provides a place for the fulltime RVer to go when he is in need of assistance in his day to day living. By residing here the RVer can continue to live in his RV when the time of life arrives that outside help is required, or when one's spouse is in need of constant care, beyond what he/she can provide. Visit the website for more information about this wonderful organization.
We spent two weeks here including both Christmas and New Years Eve, 2006. Our Christmas dinner was memorable, as it was truly a gathering of friends, none of whom had ever met before we gathered to organize our holiday dinner. It was a wonderful day!
If you are not familiar with Escapees RV Club, just click on the name and you will find information about the very best support organization for fulltime RV life that exists. And the Escapees members are some of the finest, most friendly people there are and they are lead by the owners and founders Kay & Joe Peterson who must be the most remarkable business owners in the world. It was their vision that brought about the organization and their concern for the membership that inspired the founding of the CARE center which will one day be their legacy. If you are going to become a "fulltimer," you should consider becoming an Escapee.
Rainbow's End is a place where many members of this unique organization pass through from time to time and is the scene of many a reunion for old friends. It is also the place where one can meet the staff and actually visit with the people who run the operation and make the decisions. It is far more than just another RV park.
One of the best things about using Escapees and Livingston, Texas as your domicile is the reception of the residents of the community. Livingston is probably the only community in the world where one can walk into any business or government office and nobody will ask you what a "fulltimer" is or how you live in an RV. Everyone here knows that and members of the RV community are very well treated. Businessmen seek our patronage, politicians recognize the impact of our large number of voters here and seek our input. While the community is less than 1 hour's drive from Houston, it remains a very rural area and lives the typical slow pace of such areas. And all of Texas is very RV friendly and enjoys a large economic impact from RV travelers. There are many good reasons for selecting a location as your domicile, but Escapees RV Club is one significant factor in the large number who choose Texas.
Texas is a place that is well worth considering as your RV home. If you are considering making Texas your domicile, there is a free booklet called How to Become a Real Texan that will probably be very helpful. Don't forget that Escapees have 19 RV parks scattered about the country where members stay inexpensively and numerous other benefits. Check them out on their website if you are considering joining.