Suburban living leads the way in the Lone Star State as five of the 10 Best Places to Live in Texas are in and around the Houston area.
A new study from NerdWallet analyzed several metrics — such as public schools, walkability, crime rates, homeownership, commute time and unemployment rates — to determine which of Texas' 50 largest cities have the highest quality of life.
Coming in as the No. 1 best place to live in Texas is The Woodlands, which was praised for receiving high marks for education as well as lower crime and unemployment rates. Although it ranks highest on the list, The Woodlands area scored poorly in transportation with a very low walkability score and an average commute time of 31 minutes.
The state's largest cities rank near the bottom of the list. But the study omits factors like the arts, restaurants and other amenities of urban living.
Sugar Land comes in at No. 4 on the list, with a homeownership rate of 81.3 percent, an unemployment rate of only 3.7 percent, a highly rated school system and low crime rates.
Pearland is No. 6, with high safety ratings, a homeownership rate of 79.7 percent and an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent.
League City is ranked as the No. 8 best place to live in the state with high population, residential and commercial growth as well as an unemployment rate of 4.1 percent.
Missouri City ranks No. 9 with a very high safety rating and a homeownership rate of 84.5 percent.
The state's largest cities rank near the bottom of the list. Austin is No. 37, Fort Worth at No. 45, Dallas at No. 46 and Houston at No. 47. However, the study omits factors like the arts, restaurants and other amenities of urban living.
Other highly-ranked cities include Allen (No. 2), Frisco (No. 3), McKinney (No. 5), Plano (No. 7) and Carrollton (No. 10).
Coming in as the best place to live in Texas is The Woodlands.
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Photo by Leonid Furmansky
