Texas: The Lone Star State, home of the Live Music Capital of the World, where everything is bigger, where near everything is better, and where the word “proud” isn’t enough to describe the level of passion its residents feel for their home. This true Southern state isn’t just great in size, but in countless other areas as well. Natural beauty, a whole country’s worth of weather packed into one state, tons of things to do, places to explore, a rich and unique history, and of course, the barbecue are just a few things that make Texas so great.
It’s no wonder Texas Pride is not so much an attitude but a way of life—particularly in the cities on this list. That’s because out of the hundreds of places we looked at, these 10 were the cream of the crop.
What is so darned special about Fredericksburg? Is Sugar Land as sweet as it sounds? Visit each spot on our list to see what makes them shine, and why if you’re considering making Texas home, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio aren’t the only places that should be on your radar.
What Makes These Places So Great?
To determine the best cities to live in Texas, we had to look beyond natural beauty, city pride, and even the number of HEBs and boot shops per capita or else we would have ended up with one long list of ties. Instead, we looked at the U.S. Census data for all of the places in Texas with populations over 10,000 people and ranked them based on these measurable criteria:
- Total amenities
- Quality of life (cost of living, median home price, median rent, median household income, and student-to-teacher ratio)
- Total crimes
- Tax rates (sales tax and income tax)
- Unemployment rate
- Commute time
- Weather (temperature and air quality)
Based on these statistics, we gave each city a score and ranked them based on which locale had the best blend of things to do, affordability, job opportunities, and quality of life. See if your hometown made the list.
10. Sugar Land
This city within a city (it’s located on the edge of Houston) is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing places in the state—and for good reason.
According to our numbers, Sugar Land has thousands of amenities, a median household income of over $105,000, and a median home price of approximately $330,000, all of which combine to give Sugar Land a high ranking for quality of life. However, this quality of life comes at a cost, and Sugar Land’s higher than average cost of living was the main reason Sugar Land only came in at number 10.
9. Hutto
Just outside of Austin, in Williamson County, Hutto scored well in many criteria in our analysis—plus, it has the benefit of being just outside of Austin where there’s always something going on.
So it comes as no surprise that Hutto ranked high when it comes to amenities. It also scored well in education with a 15-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and is one of the safest places to live in Texas. But it also has one of the highest median rent prices on our list at $1,500 per month for a 2-bedroom property, which also indicates that the area is very desirable.
8. New Territory
New Territory may be appropriately named, as it is certainly breaking new territory when it comes to Texas affluence. With a median household income of over $135,000, New Territory was among the highest-earning cities in our analysis; and with median home and rent prices of $315,000 and $1,400, respectively, it is clear that this area in Fort Bend County has some desirable real estate. This plus a school system that tests almost twice as high as the national average, combine to make New Territory the number one place in our analysis in terms of overall quality of life.
The only downside? With most of its residents working outside of town in Houston, New Territory had one of the highest average commute times in our analysis at 33 minutes.
7. Hewitt
Just outside of Waco, Hewitt has all of the benefits of its larger neighbor city, without actually having to be in a larger city. In fact, Hewitt ranked among the best when it came to its overall quality of life, with a median household income that’s higher than the rest of the state and the nation and a cost of living that’s lower than the state and the nation.
As far as safety goes, Hewitt is on par for cities of the same size and population density with almost no violent crime, making it a safe place to live.
6. Pampa
Located just about as north as you can get in North Texas, it may not be surprising that this city of nearly 18,000 ranked well for a low summer temperature, averaging 75 degrees, and clear skies, with a low air quality score (the lower the better). What may be surprising, though, was that Pampa ranked highest in our analysis for quality of life.
With plenty to do and clear, clean air to do it in, it’s almost a shame that 96 percent of residents are busy at work every day—Pampa’s unemployment rate is just 3.8 percent. At least with a short average commute time of 18 minutes, there’s a chance for residents to get home early to enjoy that North Texas weather.
5. Odessa
This Ector County city just outside of Midland is probably best known as the setting for the movie “Friday Night Lights,” but it should be known for its over 16,000 amenities, low cost of living, and quality public education system.
Odessa also ranked well for its average summer temperature of just 79 degrees, which residents argue may not always feel like this, but we assure you, these numbers don’t lie.
4. Hereford
Hereford may be known as the Beef Capital of the World for its high concentration of cattle ranching (fun fact: It’s also known locally as the Town Without a Toothache for its high level of naturally occurring fluorine in the water), but after our analysis, it may want to add “Coolest City in Texas, Literally” to its list of nicknames.
That’s because with an average summer temperature of just 73 degrees, it is the coolest place in Texas—or at least in the 242 places we looked at. Hereford also scored points for its unemployment rate of just 3.1 percent, its affordable cost of living, and a commute time of just 12 minutes on average.
3. Levelland
Located in West Texas, Levelland ranked well in our analysis for its relatively low cost of living, low student-to-teacher ratio of just 13-to-1, and some of the best weather in the state. Don’t get jealous, Houston, but Levelland had an average summer temperature of 77 and an air quality score that is 50 percent better than the nation.
Levelland was among the best when it came to low unemployment and sales tax as well, 4.3 percent and 8.25 percent, respectively. Of course, all of Texas enjoys an income tax of zero percent, so the sales tax really does make all the difference, and in Levelland, that difference is pretty awesome.
2. Midland
Midland may well be the quintessential West Texas city. Not only is this historically oil-based city the hometown of none other than former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, but in our analysis, it scored major points for historically having the lowest unemployment rate in the state. Plus it has a shorter than average commute time of just 19 minutes.
While Midland boasts a higher median home price than over half the places in our analysis, owning a home is still very affordable at $260,500. Coupled with its many historic and art attractions, Midland is the perfect family-friend place to call home.
1. Fredericksburg
This uniquely German city in Gillespie County, Texas, did well in nearly all of our criteria, but when it came to weather, unemployment rate, a median home price of $353,000, and education, Fredericksburg did simply wunderbar.
With temperate summers compared to the typical scorching Texas temperatures, an unemployment rate of just 2.6 percent, and one of the best school districts in Texas, this city of just over 11,000 people has a lot to offer a new Texas resident.
Whether you’re a Texas transplant or looking to relocate within the state, these 10 places boast some of the state’s best education, highest incomes, lowest crime rates, and the quality of life that keeps drawing more residents to the Lone Star State.
