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    we're no. 1 (again)!

    Blooming Houston suburb lands No. 1 ranking in best cities to live in the U.S.

    John Egan
    Mar 14, 2022 | 1:45 pm
    The Woodlands Resort
    The Woodlands is described as “a dynamic hometown within a natural forest. ” (Pictured here: The Woodlands Resort.)
    Photo courtesy of The Woodlands Resort

    The Woodlands is a two-time champion in Niche.com’s ranking of the best cities in live in the U.S.

     

    The Houston suburb, home to more than 114,000 people, lands at No. 1 on this year’s list of the best cities to live, repeating its ranking from 2021. The Woodlands ranked second in 2020. Niche specializes in supplying data, reviews, and ratings of schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S.

     

    In a 2021 news release about the Niche rankings, Gordy Bunch, chairman of The Woodlands Township, described his community as “a dynamic hometown within a natural forest” that is known for “its balance between man and nature.”

     

    “The Woodlands provides premier services and activities, superior educational opportunities, is committed to public safety, has a diversity of jobs, vibrant public spaces, integrated mobility options, public activities, cultural events, and entertainment,” Bunch said. “We are a thriving business community and a place where generations from all over the world come to live, worship, work, learn, and play.”

     

    Aside from being named the best city to live, The Woodlands ranks second on Niche’s list of the best cities to buy a house, and sixth on its lists of the cities with the best public schools and the best cities for retirees.

     

    This year, Niche combed through data for 228 cities, as well as 18,515 towns and neighborhoods, to develop its annual rankings. Niche relies on data from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau and FBI, along with residents’ ratings.

     

    “Whether our users are young professionals, parents with young kids, or retirees, Niche’s … rankings serve as an excellent starting point for considering a move,” says Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche.

     

    “The pandemic triggered a new set of possibilities — suddenly, many individuals and families found themselves more mobile than ever before, and in the past two years they have continued to think hard about where they really want to live,” Skurman adds. “Families wondering about an area’s school district, a major part of many relocation decisions, can also use our comprehensive school profiles and rankings to get a sense of what their child’s future school might be like.”

     

    On the list of the best cities to live, The Woodlands is followed by:

     
       
    • Cambridge, Massachusetts, No. 2.
    •  
    • Naperville, Illinois, No. 3.
    •  
    • Arlington, Virginia, No. 4.
    •  
    • Overland Park, Kansas, No. 5.
    •  
     

    Other than The Woodlands, the only city in the region to show up in the ranking of the best cities to live is Houston, which grabs the No. 71 spot.

     

    What follows is a breakdown of other communities in Texas that earned places in Niche’s ranking of the best cities to live.

     

     Dallas-Fort Worth

     
       
    • Plano, No. 9
    •  
    • Richardson, No. 12
    •  
    • Irving, No. 40
    •  
    • Denton, No. 56
    •  
    • Dallas, No. 80
    •  
    • Arlington, No. 89
    •  
    • Fort Worth, No. 135
    •  
     

     Austin metro area

     
       
    • Austin, No. 25
    •  
    • Round Rock, No. 29
    •  
     

     San Antonio metro area

     

    San Antonio, No. 101

     

     Elsewhere in Texas

     
       
    • College Station, No. 27
    •  
    • Lubbock, No. 72
    •  
    • Tyler, No. 94
    •  
    • Wichita Falls, No. 98
    •  
    • El Paso, No. 100
    •  
    • McAllen, No. 102
    •  
    • Abilene, No. 112
    •  
    • Amarillo, No. 122
    •  
    • Waco, No. 130
    •  
    • Corpus Christi, No. 132
    •  
    • Midland, No. 158
    •  
    • Beaumont, No. 170
    •  
    • Killeen, No. 189
    •  
    • Brownsville, No. 193
    •  
     

    On the list of the 200 best places to live, featuring suburbs and neighborhoods, Houston’s Cinco Ranch came in at No. 83, with The Woodlands 10 spots behind. Chesterbrook, a suburb of Philadelphia, ranked first.

     

    Other Texas suburbs and neighborhoods making the top 200 for best places to live are:

     
       
    • Cottonwood Creek South Richardson, No. 5. (Cottonwood Creek South also is the highest-ranked place in Texas —No. 108 — on the list of the best places to raise a family).
    •  
    • Height Parks (Richardson), No. 81.
    •  
    • Canyon Creek South (Richardson), No. 99.
    •  
    • Coppell (Dallas-Fort Worth), No. 102.
    •  
    • Alamo Heights (San Antonio), No. 162.
    •  
    • Old Enfield (Austin), No. 169.
    •  
     

    Other notable Texas rankings:

     
       
    • Plano ranks fifth (three notches behind The Woodlands) among the best cities to buy a house, and Richardson takes the No. 9 spot.
    •  
    • Plano ranks ninth (three spots behind The Woodlands) on the list of the cities with the best public schools.
    •  
    • Arlington (No. 11) and Irving (No. 12) are the top-ranked Texas cities on the list of the most diverse cities.
    •  
    • Austin is the top-ranked Texas city (No. 19) on the list of the best cities for young professionals, with Plano five places behind at No. 24.
    •  
    • Richardson, ranked fifth nationally, is the best Texas city for retirees.
    •  
    • At No. 42 nationally, Plano is the healthiest city in Texas, followed by Richardson at No. 43.
    •  
     
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    warning for drivers

    Texas steers onto list of states with highest speeding ticket costs

    John Egan
    Jul 10, 2025 | 1:45 pm
    Speed limit sign
    Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
    Gotta watch out for speed traps in Texas.

    The next time you’re tempted to push past the speed limit on your Texas road trip or your commute to work, think about the risk to your life — and your bank account.

    A new ranking from the FinanceBuzz website shows that when comparing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Texas motorists pay the fourth highest amount in fines and court costs for going either 10 mph or 15 mph over the speed limit.

    For a 10 mph-over-the-limit violation in Texas, the average fine and court costs total $223, according to FinanceBuzz. For a 15 mph infraction, the average speeding ticket will run you $245. Texas is one of only six states where a 15 mph-over-the-limit speeding ticket surpasses $200.

    California ranks first in the 10 mph category ($234), and Nevada ranks first in the 15 mph category ($290).

    If you’re slapped with a ticket for driving 40 mph over the speed limit in Texas, the fine and court costs are relatively low. At an average of $320, Texas sits at No. 21 on the FinanceBuzz list. Illinois ($2,500) leads the 40 mph category.

    “Not all speeding incidents are the same, as the faster someone goes while driving, the more danger they pose to themselves and others sharing the road with them,” says FinanceBuzz. “As a result, the authorities tend to issue larger fines the faster a speeder is going.”

    Of course, it might be tough to go even one mph over the speed limit if you’re driving on I-45 in the Houston area. The notoriously congested stretch of interstate highway is nearing the end of its “functional life,” according to the Washington, D.C.-based Congress of New Urbanism. I-45 is also the deadliest road in Texas, according to the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

    Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio are also home to some of the state’s most congested roads, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. And if you’re on any of those clogged roads, the danger of getting a speeding ticket might decrease.

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