Hi Rick - I'm in Austin. Ash is a very common neighborhood tree and quite stable. Other good woods - China Berry, Sycamore, Elm, Pecan, and most of the hardwoods. Hackberry spalts a lot and can work out well. Oak is pretty much discarded by the Austin turners - it warps a lot, and worse...it is a cracking machine. There's nothing worse than spending 30-60 minutes on a bowl blank and having it crack while it's drying.
Tip - rough turn your pieces from green wood to 1" thick for 12" diameter pieces. Then coat them with Anchorseal. Then you can finish turn them a year later. There are other drying techniques...that one works for me.