This Week's Hot Headlines

11 Houston companies named best places to work and more top stories

Houston is home to almost a dozen of America's best places to work.

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, beginning with Houston's best places to work. Plus, restaurant openings, the best new bars in America, and the fastest-growing affordable cities. Check out our five most popular stories below, and then visit this guide to plan the rest of your weekend.

1. 11 Houston companies named best places to work by U.S. News. Nearly a dozen public and private Houston-based companies have been hailed among the best places to work in 2025 by U.S. News and World Report.

2. Family friendly Garden Oaks restaurant coming soon to Magnolia. Family-friendly Garden Oaks restaurant D'Alba Craft Kitchen and Cocktails is cooking up a new location in this booming area.

3. Houston haunt earns only Texas spot on Bon Appètit best new bars list. A Houston bar is basking in the national spotlight. Bon Appètit has named Lee’s in Rice Village to its list of The 9 Best New Bars of 2025.

Lee's bar interior Lee's is one of America's best new bars, says Bon Appètit. Photo by Julie Soefer

4. New Korean cafe serves up viral breakfast sandwiches in Spring Branch. Korea-based Tom N Toms Coffee has chosen Houston as the home for its first corporate-owned store in the U.S. The cafe is now open in Spring Branch at 4145 Gessner Rd.

5. 2 Houston suburbs rank among fastest-growing affordable cities in U.S. A new national study has declared Texas is home to the most affordable, fast-growing cities in the country, and two Houston-area cities make the list.

flag-waving news

Texas drops on new list of most patriotic states in U.S.

Photo by Ray Shrewsberry on Unsplash

Texas ranked a dismal No. 45 this year after previously ranking as the 36th most patriotic state in 2024.

This may come as a surprise for many Texans, but the Lone Star State is far from being the most patriotic place in America, according to a new report.

WalletHub's latest study ranking the "Most Patriotic States in America" for 2025 placed Texas near the bottom of the list as No. 45, marking a significant nine-place drop from its rank as the 36th most patriotic state in 2024.

According to the findings, the three most patriotic states in America are Virginia (No. 1), Montana (No. 2), and Vermont (No. 3). Colorado (No. 4) and Oregon (No. 5) round out the top five most passionate, flag-waving states in 2025.

Texas flopped toward the bottom mainly due to its civic engagement rank (No. 47), but it did perform fairly well in the military engagement category (No. 13).

Texas has the third-highest average number of military enlistees, the report found, but it had the second-lowest percentage of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said patriotism can't be defined by geographic region or by which states fly the most American flags. Rather, true patriotism can be found in states with high voter turnouts, high volunteer rates, and more.

“The most patriotic states have a lot of residents who serve or have served in the armed forces, high voter turnouts during elections, and a high share of the population volunteering with national or local organizations," Lupo said.

States like Virginia and Montana ranked at the top of the list due to their high voter turnout rates during the 2024 presidential election, plus high volunteer rates in local or national organizations. Virginia is also home to the third-highest population of active-duty military personnel per 100,000 civilians, and there are 27 military bases in the state.

The report further acknowledges that many Americans may not be feeling very patriotic this year because of "societal issues" that span from "relentless high inflation" to tragedies like mass shootings.

"Many people may find it hard to celebrate a country where countless people are struggling and frequent violence persists," the report's author wrote. "However, an expression of love for fellow citizens is patriotic in itself."

Joining Texas among the least patriotic American states are Florida (No. 46), Alabama (No. 47), Louisiana (No. 48), New York (No. 49), and Arkansas (No. 50).

The top 10 most patriotic states in America are:

No. 1 – Virginia
No. 2 – Montana
No. 3 – Vermont
No. 4 – Colorado
No. 5 – Oregon
No. 6 – Washington
No. 7 – North Dakota
No. 8 – Maryland
No. 9 – Minnesota
No. 10 – New Hampshire

The report analyzed all 50 states across 13 "indicators of patriotism" based on military and civic engagement, including factors such as the rate of veterans living in each state for every 1,000 civilians; the share of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election and the 2020 primary elections; the number of AmeriCorps volunteers per capita, and more.

texas wallethub reports patriotism