Haven't grown one myself, but here's a little something from the Aggies that seems helpful.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2010/apr/pears.html

FWIW my great grandfather had what I believe to be an Keiffer pear he grew out in the panhandle for forever. Not bad eating raw, but made great mincemeat.

Will need a self-fertile variety unless there is (will be) a matching pollinator near by. The few self-fertile varieties that do well in north Texas are usually listed as partially yielding at best (without a pollinator) - though current web info on this seems a conflicted mess even among the ag schools and extensions.

We've grown 'Orient' in Houston and Dallas. It used to be reliably classified as partially self-fertile, but not as consistently more recently. It fruited in four years with a pollinator, but took about a decade to yield solo in Dallas... though, of course, can't be certain someone didn't add a pollinator somewhere in our area. Nice size, texture, and taste; sweet enough to eat off the tree, but not as sweet as the "dessert" varieties. Pretty blight and pest free. Main problem for us is that the local hoard of squirrels LOVE them and strip 100% of the fruit just as they turn sweet.

There may be more self-fertile options with the new Asian cultivars, but am unfamiliar with these.

How close does the pollinator have to be?

To the North of us there is a pear tree at a school about 1/2 mile and to the west is one about a block. I don't know what kind they are. The one at the school isn't very good to eat. I tried one and it was pretty small, hard and not very sweet. The one to the west is a small tree that I just noticed last year. It had a few pears that looked good.

I've heard within a few city lots of your tree, though TAMU Extension recommends 40 to 50 feet at their Home Fruit Production - Pears site. Assume the closer distances are to improve the likelihood of a good crop every year.

Other factor is the bloom time. UGA Extension provides a table of matching pollinators at their Home Garden Pears site.

Would try 'Warren' that is mentioned favorably on both of these sites if we had space and a pollinator near by. Though believe there has been some discussion on other GW forums about the length of time it sometimes takes this and other cultivars to start producing. Unfortunately it appears to be quite variable even among the same variety of pear trees. Two of ours took roughly a decade from 8 ft nursery stock. Hope you end up with the right tree, location, and whatever other factors are needed to see fruit within just a few years.

The best Pears to grow in Texas are the Asians. Hands down the best. Fire blight won't knock them down and they bear quick compared to all others (couple years and you are on your way to eating/canning. Since they are the crisp, sweet types, they will be well suited to drying. The European types suffer from lack of correct chill hours, fire blight and often a loooong time to come into bearing-10 years is not uncommon. The Pear mentioned in above posts, Orient, is not an Asian but is bullet proof in Texas primarily due to its resistance to Fire Blight. Think, as I recall, it has different genetics (Pyrus Usseriensis?) floating around in its background. I am not a fan of this Pear for fresh eating but it is terrific for processing of any type. The Asians (you will know these by their Japanese sounding names- Chojuro- for example) are absurdly expensive in the stores (a buck a piece in WalMart!) yet are so easy to grow. I have never had to spray mine for anything. Here in East Texas it is a fungus bath but they seem to shrug off any problems.

Since you seem to have room for only one Pear, I am going to tell you something that to many will seem unthinkable. You CAN plant two different Pears in one hole. Horrors! Gasps! Stunned silence! Yeah, you can do this- it is not a big deal. All you need to pay attention to is that one variety does not overrun the other in the early years. A few simple clips each year will take care of this problem. Over time, they will appear as though it is one tree. It is not uncommon for them to self graft to each other and begin to function as one tree. If you choose to do this, make certain you have two different varieties..not just two of the same variety. You would be surprised how many people make that mistake. 30 years in a garden center has made me anticipate so many questions/problems before they actually happen, lol. Anyway, pollination problem solved if you choose to double plant. So, call around, find a store that caries Asian Pears...it is exactly what you need!

BTW...if you have Pear tree within a mile of you, the local bees will take care of pollination for you providing they are blooming at the same time.

I bought a Shinseika pear tree this weekend.

timintexas, do you know what variety you have?

I probably will get a second asian pear tree, maybe next year. I have a list of possibilities but I guess it depends on what kind I find available locally. Seems like the information I find on them regarding harvest time and storing time is inconsistant. Must have to do with what zone it is being grown in.