Are there any standout cities in the southcentral region that aren't very big that you find especially interesitng and beautiful, particularity architecturally or in an urban way? Let's say, areas with less than 750k or so, and as small as 1.
Lubbock's downtown is rather awful. There are a few highrises of decent size but its very dead and obviously car centric, but there's a budding arts district just northeast of downtown with some interesting contemporary architecture, and the bar district to the south is actually fairly nice. The area near Tech is going wild as well, but it feels a bit disingenuous as it's all very new and samey.
Tyler's town square is one of the more impressive of all the smaller cities, it even has those two decent sized highrises on it. The courthouse itself isnt supremely interesting but there are some nice old business that surround it and feel very familiar to any Texan. The brick streets in the whole of downtown are a nice touch to. There are quite a few interesting, albeit dilapidated, buildings and houses surrounding downtown, some nice churches as well.
Texarkana's downtown is very dilapidated, and right at the center sits a massive brutalist building which occupies nearly the whole block and just looks awful. The Amtrak station is beautiful and still in service I believe, but needs a good cleanup, like the rest of the town. The Mcartney hotel at 10 stories is the towns tallest, and in awful shape.
Mineral Wells has a fantastic setting, somewhat at the edge of a valley, surrounded on 3 sides by decent sized hills. The Baker Hotel dominates the cityscape in every way, even though it's completely empty it has remained beautiful. A few other large abandoned buildings also exist downtown. The main drag of 2 level buildings seems quite active however, and in decent shape.
Waco is dominated by the Alico Tower, one of the most impressive skyscrapers of any of the more medium sized town and probably the most beautiful, despite it's awful 60's lower floors. The main strip along Austin Ave. is very nice, the street is narrow and lined with large trees (something a lot of these towns could really benefit from) and bike lanes are some of the most well done of any Texas city, big or small. There is also new developments popping up and the city seems to be focusing on making downtown very nice. In addition, Baylor is beautiful and the new stadium is great.
Fredricksburg is a bit unique so far because it lacks any buildings of significant height, nothing in downtown is over 3 floors. But it feels rather big, downtown is on one street, primarily retail driven and bustling, and is a decent walk to get from one side to the other. The historic architecture is well preserved and the German flair is pretty unique. Ofcourse, the big draw here is the Pacific Theater Museum.
Corsicana sort of feels like a compacted version of Austin Ave. in Waco, similar architecture, nice shade trees, rather well kept, and the tallest building is a stunner, very beautiful. It's also similar to Waco in a way because the Courthouse is actually a few blocks removed from the "main" street, and the surrounding of the courthouse are of no interest.
Brownwood is rather dilapidated throughout, and surprisingly large, the downtown encompasses several blocks, although most are very empty feeling. It's a bit unique as there are two grid systems that come together, but both are aligned differently, creating some interestingly shaped blocks. The old jail is a really neat piece of architecture aswell.
Longview is rather charming, the main stretch isn't very large, but the streetscape is among the best of any of these smaller towns, the sidewalks are wide, full of benches, well kept flowers and other foliage, just generally very well done. The architecture here feels like it had its heyday in the 50s-70s rather than the 10s-40s that most of these small towns feel. And in some parts feels even more modern, there's even a sculpture garden in the middle of downtown.
Paris has the feel of being built around a courthouse square, although here the courthouse does not exist, the square is just a park. The square is mostly surrounded by well preserved 2-3 story buildings, some of which are very beautiful. There are some beautiful churches a few blocks surrounding downtown. A ways outside of downtown they have the 70 foot Eiffel Tower wearing a cowboy hat, which is amazing. Or awful. I cant decide.
Eastland is pretty much just the courthouse square and surroundings, it's not particularly interesting but does have two larger structures, one 4 and the other 5 floors, that are really quite pretty. The whole area is surrounded by large trees which are nice as well. The courthouse itself has that nice, rather simple deco look to it.
Sulpher Springs is probably one of the smaller downtowns here, but it is fantastic. Its centered on the Courthouse Square, but unlike most the courthouse itself sits at the very edge of the square, and the remainder is filled with a park which is very well done, it would appropriate in a city with over a million people. The park hosts regular events such as concerts and farmers markets, it has jumping fountains to play in, giant chess sets and various monuments to the history of town. Most interestingly about the plaza though is the glass bathroom, it looks like a box made of mirrors from the outside, but the inside contains toilet and you can see right out of it. You can just take a dump in the middle of town, watching people come and go from the courthouse. Both the streets and sidewalks are done in brick, and also are full of trees, flowers, etc. One of the best small cities in the state, no doubt.
On Friday afternoons, expect all the windows in the city to shake and rattle from the minor quakes caused by exploding artillery rounds from the base. Then the commotion moves to Lawton on Friday night. 
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