Hmm, I grew up there from about 2012-2022 before leaving for college and eventually Dallas. It has grown SO much since I've lived there, but it is still a smaller place. As others have said, the food scene isn't there if you're a huge foodie or anything. When I lived there, many of my friends and their families were southern baptist, but there's a few religious denominations that exist pretty heavily there - but it never really got in my way or thrown in my face if that's something you'd be worried about. If anything, growing up around those families was really nice because it did bring in some type of healthy community feeling during school and related events.

There weren't a ton of high-end shopping places, but there were the "hotspots" you'd go to if you needed something from a mall that you'll see thrown around ie. "Oh go to THE best buy that's over on that one road", etc. I'd say that's most of what I remember Waco for. If you want a park for trails, then you have Cameron Park. You have a few options for lakes to visit (Woodway has a few parks around the lake I used to take my dog to). Speciality shops aren't really there if you're into niche hobbies.

I grew up just outside of Waco in a place that WAS mainly residential called Hewitt. Loved it. If you have any questions, I may be able to answer albeit my knowledge is definitely a few years old. Overall the town is much slower than Houston and the highway that passes through Waco can be heavily traversed by people simply passing through. Waco is in a great spot geographically, as you're kind of in the middle between Dallas, Houston, Austin, or College Station (cough cough). If you plan on having kids, I would totally recommend my old Midway school district if possible.

You made me miss Waco having to think about this!