This Week's Hot Headlines

4 Houston neighbors declared best small cities and more top stories

Friendswood ranks in the 76th percentile of the best small cities.

Friendswood Library/Facebook

Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, starting with America's best small cities before diving into the new Texas Michelin Guide. Read on for our most popular stories, then plan your weekend here.

1. 4 Houston neighbors ranked among best small cities the U.S. Four Houston neighbors — with Friendswood at the top of the pack — have been rated among the best small cities in America for 2026.

2. These 7 Houston restaurants could earn Michelin Guide honors this week. Ahead of the big Michelin reveal this week, CultureMap identified at least seven establishments that were likely to receive good news regarding the 2026 Texas guide.

3. Michelin adds 14 Houston restaurants but no new Stars for 2026. Houston restaurants led the way with 14 additions to the new guide, divided into five Bib Gourmands and nine Recommended restaurants. All six of the city's Star restaurants maintained their status.

4. Sneak peek at members-only wine club and restaurant opening soon in Upper Kirby. A wine-driven, members-only club is currently under construction next to Upper Kirby’s Levy Park. Called 55 Seventy, the game-changing facility is on track to open at the end of November.

55 Seventy Houston rendering Inside 55 Seventy. Courtesy of 55 Seventy

5. Aaron Bludorn dishes on his new neighborhood tavern in The Woodlands. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” chef and restaurateur Aaron Bludorn joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the new location of Bar Bludorn in The Woodlands.

most popular stories michelin guide hot-headlines anderson

stay alert

Texas shocks as the No. 3 least safe state in America, new report says

Photo by Lukas Souza on Unsplash

Texas ranks as the 48th "safest" state — out of 50.

While no state is invulnerable, some do more to protect their residents than others. And a new study has declared Texas one of the five least safe states in America.

WalletHub's "Safest States in America (2026)" report examined all 50 states for their emergency preparedness and for residents' personal and residential, financial, workplace, and road safety. Factors that weighed into the rankings include specific crime rates per capita, the share of the population that is uninsured, road quality ratings, workplace injury statistics, and more.

Texas ranked at the bottom of the list as the 48th "safest" state — or the third least safe state. It's joined by several other Southern states, like Mississippi (No. 50), Louisiana (No. 49), Florida (No. 47), and Arkansas (No. 46).

According to WalletHub, Texas specifically ranks third to last in the nationwide "emergency preparedness" category, which was determined based on the prevalence of climate disasters causing $1 billion or more in damages from 1980-2024, and the loss amount resulting from those disasters.

The Lone Star State also ranked 40th (or 10th worst) across three safety categories: personal and residential safety, financial safety, and road safety. The report additionally found that Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents nationally.

Texas' "workplace safety" was the state's highest-ranking category, landing 30th nationally.

Additional rankings that determined Texas' overall safety include:

No. 30 – Assaults per capita
No. 32 – Fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time workers
No. 32 – Sex offenders per capita
No. 35 – Murders and non-negligent manslaughters per capita
No. 36 – Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel
No. 41 – Loss amounts from climate disasters per capita

According to the report, the five safest states in America are all located in the Northeast. Vermont leads as the country's safest state in 2026, followed by Massachusetts (No. 2), Maine (No. 3), New Hampshire (No. 4), and Connecticut (No. 5).

Though every state has varying levels of safety, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo asserted that the safest places in the U.S. categorically invest in protecting their residents. Top-ranking states have low crime rates and diligently maintain their road infrastructure, and other states that prioritize their residents' safety have "strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations."

"[The safest states in America] have high levels of occupational safety and disaster preparedness, too," Lupo said. "In addition, states are made safer by efforts that individual residents take, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and EMT jobs at high rates."

safety texas wallethub reports