By population, Houston is the largest city in Texas and the 4th largest city in the United States. Due to its dependence on the oil/gas industry, Midland has been able to successfully defy the trend and find prosperity out in sparsely-populated West Texas. 130 on the Best Places to Live list. Laredo’s top categories were affordability and food. The city also is one of the safest in the state as well. And as if we needed any reminding, the latest Best Cities to Live in America rankings has placed Texas firmly in second in terms of livability, second only to California. With a median home price of $255,033, homebuyers in the area should expect higher prices than many other parts of Texas. Amarillo is one of the few cities on this list located near the Texas panhandle and is the northernmost major city in Texas. Known For: Garland is famous for its signature “Firewheel” – a wildflower that flourishes across the area in spring and summer. 3. Known For: Plano is corporate headquarters central! The best places to live in Texas include Plano, Denton, Corpus Christi, Cedar Hill, Rowlett, Tyler, McAllen, El Paso and Fort Worth. New Braunfels’ Germanic heritage manifests itself in the local cuisine, its renowned dance/live music venue, Gruene Hall, and in the city’s most popular annual event, Wurstfest. Well, that's all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in Texas based on numbers--not opinions or hearsay. This Dallas-Fort Worth suburb is one of the most well-rounded cities on the list. Dallas is a short drive south from Plano for residents who want access to the theaters, restaurants, and museums of the big city. The homes can be pretty expensive though, and the whole city can get PAINFULLY humid during the summer. (*The median home price for McAllen was not available, so median home value is listed. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Lone Star State and no one pays attention to the little guy. For those who are looking for more value to their dollar but also love the Texas coast, Corpus Christi is your city. Upper East Texas The 23-county Upper East Texas region stretches from the piney woods bordering Louisiana and Arkansas to the eastern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.. Well rounded, and affordable compared to its neighbors; Dallas, Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Denton, and Irving. Arlington’s two highlight categories were its parks and food, where it ranked #9 in both. Being in the Rio Grande Valley, McAllen is a melting pot of Mexican and American cultures. Just 45 minutes west of Austin, Marble Falls is a true must-visit Texas Hill Country destination and a great launching point for some of the best scenery in the area. Dallas has some of the best public parks in the state, and 71% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. This city on the southern tip of Texas borders Mexico and touches the Gulf of Mexico, making it a destination for many vacationers looking to enjoy the beaches of South Padre Island. The median age of Frisco … The population of Beaumont is 498,663 residents. Amarillo is home to Cadillac Ranch, an outdoor art installation of classic Cadillacs that are buried halfway into the ground and painted bright colors. Still, residents spend just over 23.4% of the median household income on living expenses. Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 138Metro Population: 421,750Median Home Value: $110,164*Average Annual Salary: $35,230. Killeen is a military town through and through. Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 3Metro Population: 2,058,351Median Home Price: $313,308Average Annual Salary: $53,810. With an annual violent crime rate of 104.4 per 100,000 residents per year, McAllen beat out all other Texas cities in terms of safety. Known For: Arlington is home of the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, also known as Jerry World, which is the 4th largest stadium in the NFL. Strangers smile and say “hi” to you when they’re walking by. The area's rapid growth has increased the cost of living, however, which contributed to its fall from the No. Luckily, AreaVibes has done all the heavy lifting for you. Known For: Houston is home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the headquarters of NASA’s human spaceflight and space shuttle program, which has earned it the moniker of ‘Space City USA’. 10. Known For: Amarillo is known for its Route 66 District, Cadillac Ranch (an outdoor art installation), and its V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft assembly plant. Dallas is the center of North Texas culture and the anchor that allows for the prosperity of all the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs to occur in the upper ranks of our list. Founded in 1718, San Antonio is the No. For prospective residents with technological backgrounds, the Austin suburb is the perfect place to enjoy all the cultural perks of Austin while avoiding Austin’s traffic and congestion. West University Place made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in Texas for 2021. Analogous to its ranking neighbor Georgetown, McKinney residents have the luxury of easy access to all of the world-class restaurants, museums and culture of Dallas, yet they get to avoid the worst aspects of Dallas such as a high violent crime rate and a low median household income. Georgetown is the third Austin-area city to make our list—and in our opinion the most underappreciated. 10 Most Affordable Cities to Live in California. Frisco has the highest median household income in Texas with the median household raking in $127,133 annually. Denton is becoming more popular as other cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area are seeing their growth stagnate. Known For: San Antonio is the proud home of The Alamo, the most important historical battleground from the Texas Revolution. Arlington is also relatively safe with a lower rate of violent crime than Dallas or Fort Worth. Its premier park system places Plano far above the rest of the pack. McKinney residents enjoy the third-highest median household income in the state while raking in $89,964 per year. With the #3 ranked local foodie scene in the state, San Antonio is the perfect city for those who are seeking authentic Mexican dishes, breakfast tacos, and some of the best BBQ in the country. With such a diverse background, Texas has served as a cultural melting pot over the course of its existence. Fort Worth is a beautiful North Texas oasis. Then, we explored which of these were the fastest growing cities in Texas based on population growth between 2010 – 2016. Situated in the Bell County area, Killeen is a short drive to both Austin and Dallas. Known For: Lubbock is the home of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the city where Patrick Mahomes, 2018 NFL MVP and 2019 Super Bowl Champion, moved his football career into the national spotlight. According to 2016 Census data, Garland has the 14th largest Vietnamese population in the United States, so if you are a lover of authentic Vietnamese food and culture, this may be the city for you. Corpus Christi residents also have a short morning commute to work, with an average of just 20.2 minutes from door to door, making it the sixth-shortest commute out of the 150 most populous metro areas in the U.S., tied with Brownsville and Eugene, Oregon. Then we’ll take a closer look at each … For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. ), Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 110Metro Population: 438,265Median Home Price: $153,133Average Annual Salary: $43,990. San Antonio’s pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 3.1% was well below the national rate of 3.7%, though the average annual salary, at $46,650, is below the national average of $51,960. Austin is by far the greenest urban region in the entire state and holds the #2 spot of all cities in Texas from the Trust for Public Land’s Annual Park Ranking. It would be higher on our list if it weren’t for its low median household income. Known For: Fort Hood, the most populous U.S. military installation in the world! Dallas also is excellent for foodies and ranks #4 in our local cuisine category, right behind San Antonio. This South Texas metropolis is home to one of the most important historical monuments in Texas history, the Alamo. Plano is the greenest and most prosperous suburb in all of Texas. It enjoys all the same urban perks of its sister-city Dallas, without many of the downsides such as high violent crime rates, low growth, and unaffordability. Its economy is extremely intertwined with the university, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when the university is as well known as Texas Tech. This diverse metropolis is also known as the epicenter of hip-hop culture in Texas. Known For: Midland is famously known to be the oil capital of Texas due to its location in the Permian Basin. Here are the 10 best places to live in Texas: Devon Thorsby is the Real Estate editor at U.S. News & World Report, where she writes ...  Read more. As the only representative of West Texas in our top 10 and the only city that does not reside in a major metropolitan area, Midland is unique. Despite that, a declining population due to net migration and low average annual salary contribute to El Paso’s rank at No. With the fifth-highest growth rate and the fourth-highest median household income in the state, residents pull-in $80,637 annually. Finding the best places to live in a state as big as Texas definitely isn't easy, but we'll help you out: these cities and neighborhoods are our top picks. California Do Not Sell My Personal Information Request. 138 out of 150 on the overall Best Places to Live ranking, placing it last on this list. The second-largest metro area in Texas, Houston ranks No. TCU’s football team is consistently ranked in the top 25 in the country. * Maximum Square-Footage for your Dollar: Texas’ median listing price per square foot: $129. Fort Worth bolsters the youth, income, and intellect of its workforce by serving as the home to one of Texas’s premier universities, TCU. Best Towns To Live In Texas. When it comes to people moving into and out of the area, Killeen nearly broke even between 2014 and 2018: The metro area population decreased by 0.07% during this time due to net migration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With around 30,000 attendees and 80 booths, Fiesta de las Flores is one of the largest and oldest Hispanic festivals in Texas. Laredo also has a full array of authentic Mexican cuisine that helped it earn the #10 spot for the best food in Texas. 2020 Best Places to Live in the Houston Area About this List Explore the best places to live in the U.S. based on crime, public schools, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities. Having decreased by 2.65% between 2014 and 2018 due to net migration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, El Paso’s population is the fifth-fastest declining out of the 150 places on the list. As for the rest of us, the numbers show that our cities develop and perform better when they are clustered around each other. Garland’s shining category in these rankings was their parks. Current Resident: I live in this neighborhood and its a good place for families to live in Houston, but I didn't know its the BEST neighborhood in the whole city. Dallas is home to some of the best museums, galleries, and cultural accomplishments the Lone Star State has to offer. ), Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 136Metro Population: 849,389Median Home Value: $151,280*Average Annual Salary: $36,700. Residents enjoy a median household income of $71,410, and in addition, Georgetown is the third safest city on our list according to violent crime rates. Known For: Fort Worth is the home of the TCU Football team. Home to the U.S. Army’s Fort Hood military base, Killeen is a relatively affordable metro area, with residents spending 22.75% of the median annual household income on living expenses. Known For: Denton is known for its annual Denton Arts and Jazz Festival has seven stages, 2,300 artists and 250+ arts and crafts booths which bring in over 200,000 jazz and art enthusiasts every year. (*The median home price for Beaumont was not available, so median home value is listed. 4 best place to live in Texas. Dell Services, Frito-Lay, Rent-A-Center, Pizza Hut, and Cinemark Theatres have all chosen Plano as the home base for their respective companies. However, there are always exceptions to the rule and Midland is one of them. One of the biggest decisions we make in our lives is deciding where to live. Each of the best cities in Texas has something new and fresh to offer whether it is Austin’s spectacular live music shows, Galveston’s getaway beaches or Fredericksburg’s German heritage. Buying a home is a milestone in that storied American journey towards prosperity, however, deciding where that home should be located can be a difficult and stress-inducing process. In fact, their main employer is the U.S. Army. Now that we have reached the end of the list, it is only proper that the 25th best city in Texas is also the most affordable! 63% of residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. Known For: El Paso is known for being the farthest Western point of Texas, across to border and sister-cities with the famous Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Major industries in Texas include agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers, aerospace and biomedicine. Half those new Texas are newborns, and the other half are migrants, who, like our readers, had to make the tough decision on figuring out where in the Lone Star State they can call their new home. The Texas Revolution is remembered in the stories of the Alamo, Santa Anna, and the brave Texian soldiers who fought for independence in 1836. It’s also home to the University of North Texas and boasts an active arts and music community. 18 cities (36%) fell in rank. Laredo has a rich history and culture, and it was even once the capital of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840. If you’re looking to relocate to Texas, feel free to reach out to the experts at Better Homes and Gardens HomeCity. Once you try a fresh homemade pecan pie, you can never live in another state again. Denton’s North Texas State Fair and Rodeo bring in over 100,00 attendees annually. Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 24Metro Population: 7,255,028Median Home Price: $255,033Average Annual Salary: $52,590. Amarillo’s best qualities are its amazing foodie culture and its affordability. Known For: Mesquite is known as the host city of the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. If you know what city you're interested in, let us know and we can send you information on the area, exclusive listings and real estate market stats. Cacti, roadrunners, coyotes, rattlesnakes, tumbleweeds; West Texas has it all for those looking for the Texan cowboy lifestyle. This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information. Houston ranks #2 in Texas on Wallethub’s rankings of the best foodie cities in the U.S. Houston has some of the best cultural institutions in the country and draws in over 7 million visitors annually to its Museum District. The median household income for the residents of Laredo is $43,341, but a low median housing price offsets that number making Laredo the 8th most affordable city on our list. This summer oasis lies Northwest of San Antonio and is famous around the state for its Germanic roots dating back to the 1800s. Round Rock sits comfortably north of Austin. Houston area residents spend 22.81% of the area median household income on housing expenses. In terms of scale, Fort Hood exists on 214,000 acres (87,000 ha), making it one of the largest military bases in the world by area. The city is generally known as the "Rodeo Capital of Texas.". 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