In the event you’re planning on shifting to Texas, add these cities to your listing.
Texas is large. Huge landscapes and massive cities outline the southern state, together with a southern tradition that values progress and custom. This distinctive mixture has helped create sprawling cities stuffed with vivid lights and innovation adjoining to huge prairies the place ranchers have farmed for generations.
These qualities have attracted individuals to the state for years: Texas was among the many quickest rising states within the U.S. from 2010-2020, and remains to be rising quickly as individuals search for sunshine and affordability. Most individuals are shifting to the state’s giant city facilities, like Austin, Dallas, and Houston.
Due to its dimension, Texas’ panorama varies broadly from one finish to the opposite. There are woodlands to the east, marshes within the south, mountains and desert to the west, and hundreds of miles of rolling prairies within the middle and north.
Texas’ local weather can be very various. Western Texas sees dry, sunny climate for a lot of the 12 months, with extremely popular summers. Central and Northern Texas expertise a windy, temperate local weather. As you progress east, the local weather turns into wetter and extra humid, particularly within the far east. The complete Gulf Coast sees an enormous quantity of rain yearly, primarily from tropical storms.
Importantly, excessive climate is widespread in Texas. It sees the very best variety of tornadoes within the U.S. (often within the central and northern plains), is very susceptible to flooding, wildfires, and drought, and generally sees tropical storms and extended warmth waves.
So, which cities within the Lone Star State are one of the best? On this Redfin article, we’ve uncovered one of the best locations to reside in Texas, rating them on qualities equivalent to affordability, navigability, and variety of facilities. You will discover extra details about our methodology right here or on the backside of the article.
The perfect locations to reside in Texas
Fort Value, TX
San Antonio, TX
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
El Paso, TX
Denton, TX
Richardson, TX
School Station, TX
Plano, TX
1. Fort Value, TX
Inhabitants:978,468Median Sale Worth:$357,000Median Hire Worth:$1,280Average Commute Time:26.9 minutesUnemployment Fee:3.9%
Constructed across the fertile banks of the West Fork Trinity River, Fort Value tops our listing as one of the best place to reside in Texas. Comparatively inexpensive housing prices, loads of job alternatives, and a gradual economic system helped earn town prime marks. Cattle ranching and oil drilling have formed town since its founding in 1853, however a various and engaged inhabitants have stored it thriving.
Fort Value is usually thought of a quieter, extra inexpensive different to Dallas the place you keep the big-city facilities and achieve a small-town group really feel. Fort Value’s Downtown neighborhood is a superb instance of this: it’s historic, slower paced, and stuffed with locally-owned companies, but in addition has giant sights just like the Water Gardens and Conference Middle.
Whereas sometimes called a part of the bigger Dallas-Fort Value metropolitan space, Fort Value is a world-class metropolis in its personal proper. Almost 1,000,000 individuals benefit from the metropolis’s big open areas, distinctive delicacies, and annual occasions. The Botanic and Japanese Gardens at Trinity Park are a must-see. For foodies, Panther Metropolis BBQ, Birria y Taqueria de Cortez, and Swiss Pastry Store are among the many finest native eats. And in the event you’re in search of a enjoyable weekend, the Fort Value Inventory Present and Rodeo each winter is iconic.
Nonetheless, minimal public transportation and a fast-growing inhabitants typically results in heavy visitors congestion within the mornings and evenings.
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2. San Antonio, TX
Inhabitants:1,495,295Median Sale Worth:$315,000Median Hire Worth:$1,100Average Commute Time:24.6 minutesUnemployment Fee:3.9%
Situated in Southern Texas, 150 miles from the Gulf Coast, San Antonio is second on our listing. San Antonio is known as the Alamo Metropolis after its most well-known landmark, and manages to mix colonial historical past, agricultural traditions, and fashionable luxuries into one. Together with a really inexpensive price of residing (housing prices are ~30% lower than the nationwide median) and loads of facilities, San Antonio has loads to supply.
A defining function of San Antonio is its meals scene. In reality, it’is a UNESCO Inventive Metropolis of Gastronomy, giving credence to town’s various inhabitants and excellent delicacies. Barbecue and Mexican meals is world-class, after all, however there’s a lot extra. Nice choices can be found in any respect worth factors, too. San Taco, Shiro Japanese Bistro, and Dough Pizzeria Napoletana are among the many finest.
Lovely parks and trails are a little bit of a hidden gem in San Antonio. Greater than 240 fields, swimming pools, and services are scattered all through town, with Pearsall Park, Southside Lions Park, and Phil Hardberger Park among the many hottest. You possibly can’t miss the long-lasting River Stroll, both. And simply exterior metropolis limits, you may see Authorities Canyon and Pure Bridge Caverns, residence to forested trails and underground concert events.
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3. Austin, TX
Inhabitants:979,882Median Sale Worth:$443,000Median Hire Worth:$1,420Average Commute Time:24 minutesUnemployment Fee:3.2%
An hour and a half northeast of San Antonio, Austin is a historic and classy hub of expertise, tradition, and training.
Often called the Reside Music Capital of the World, tens of millions of individuals flock to Austin yearly for its music, highlighted by the South by Southwest and Austin Metropolis Limits festivals. However that’s simply the tip of the musical iceberg; greater than 250 music venues (plus the airport) host exhibits year-round. Some bands will even skip the formalities and simply arrange on a nook downtown.
Importantly, Austin has been the poster youngster of progress previously few many years, and actually took off through the pandemic housing growth. The following housing frenzy led Austin to be a nationwide hotspot, including wealth, jobs, and new communities seemingly in a single day. What was already a hip vacation spot turned famend nationwide.
Partly because of the progress, home costs in Austin rose from $309,000 in January 2020 to $555,000 in April 2022. Sadly, the rise priced some homebuyers out of town, and continues to influence locals. Austin has seen giant worth drops and inhabitants decline just lately, with lease costs falling for nearly two years straight.
Even with the entire latest modifications, the Texas capital manages to stay to its “Keep Austin Weird” slogan. Eat breakfast tacos, float down the river with associates, and see your favourite band at a bar. In Austin, the world is your oyster.
Austin houses on the market | Austin homes for lease | Austin flats for lease
4. Dallas, TX
Inhabitants:1,302,868Median Sale Worth:$419,000Median Hire Worth:$1,455Average Commute Time:26 minutesUnemployment Fee:3.4%
Dallas is available in at quantity 4 on our listing of one of the best locations to reside in Texas. Sitting adjoining to Fort Value, Dallas is thought for its soccer, cowboy tradition, glamorous downtown, and nice barbecue. Dallas is usually pricier than Fort Value, however each sit under the nationwide median home and rental costs. Loads of individuals have been benefiting from the affordability just lately, too; the realm noticed the biggest inhabitants progress of all U.S. metros in 2023.
Folks of all ages can have loads to do in Dallas. The Nice Wolf Lodge, Six Flags in Arlington, and the Dallas Zoo are good for weekend enjoyable, whereas 180 miles of pedestrian trails make for simple recreation. Dozens of historic landmarks dot town’s gridded streets, too, like Founder’s Plaza, the Previous Pink Museum and Courthouse, Previous Metropolis Park, and Degolyer Home & Gardens.
And you may’t miss the meals, whether or not it’s Tex-Mex or good ol’ barbecue. Avila’s, Hutchins BBQ, and Maple and Motor supply a few of the finest delicacies town has to supply.
Make sure that to think about the local weather earlier than making the transfer. Much like many different Texas cities, Dallas summers could be unbearably sizzling and really stormy. However a light, sunny local weather the remainder of the 12 months is a good tradeoff for locals, good for having fun with sporting occasions, consuming outdoor, or having fun with one in all 410 metropolis parks.
Dallas houses on the market | Dallas homes for lease | Dallas flats for lease
5. Houston, TX
Inhabitants:2,314,157Median Sale Worth:$338,000Median Hire Worth:$1,250Average Commute Time:27.3 minutesUnemployment Fee:4.2%
Houston, the biggest metropolis in Texas, is subsequent on our listing. Town extends over 600 sq. miles almost to Galveston, and hasn’t stopped rising for many years. It noticed the second-largest inhabitants progress within the nation in 2023, and the bigger metropolitan space has added a million new residents since 2010. Many individuals select to reside in Houston for its financial alternatives and inexpensive price of residing, particularly within the metropolis’s suburbs.
In Houston, a glowing, historic downtown provides solution to a seemingly limitless variety of buildings and sights. You’ll discover 10,000 eating places, miles of bayous and trails, hundreds of acres of parks, a House Middle, battle memorials, ritzy procuring districts, and way more.
Oil, pure fuel, and manufacturing are the foremost industries on the town, however startups and expertise are rising, too. You’ll seemingly want a automobile to get to work, although, as public transportation and pedestrian entry are typically missing. Consequently, visitors could be very heavy throughout rush hours.
It’s additionally important to think about local weather dangers. As a result of metropolis’s large sprawl, very moist local weather, and poor city planning, flooding is widespread and could be excessive. Scorching, humid summers give solution to robust tropical storms and hurricanes. Thunderstorms are widespread through the spring and summer season, too. Drought has additionally been an everyday incidence previously decade. Fall and winter are one of the best seasons in Houston, when gentle climate and loads of sunshine dominate the forecast.
Houston houses on the market | Houston homes for lease | Houston flats for lease
6. El Paso, TX
Inhabitants:678,958Median Sale Worth:$264,000Median Hire Worth:$955Average Commute Time:23.7 minutesUnemployment Fee:3.8%
El Paso, situated within the Chihuahuan Desert, has a markedly drier, sunnier, hotter local weather than most different cities in Texas. It’s named Solar Metropolis for a cause, in any case. Nice affordability, loads of open area, and outside recreation earned it the quantity six spot on our listing.
The world has been each a railroad and cow city, each legacies of that are nonetheless apparent in the present day. You’ll discover loads of steakhouses, historic grazing lands, and modern-day ranchers with their Stetson hats and spurred boots, in addition to railroad reveals on the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens.
El Paso is nice for many who benefit from the outdoor. The Rio Grande River offers loads of alternatives for whitewater rafting, fishing, sunbathing, and extra. Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks State Parks are most likely the preferred spots, although, with amphitheaters, trails, vistas, and extra.
Importantly, El Paso is situated on the border of Mexico, adjoining to its southern twin, Ciudad Juárez (whose identify was El Paso Del Norte). The 2 cities had been initially based as one, however they had been break up by the border in 1848. Right now, the cities have a cordial relationship with each other, with every day life typically break up between the 2. For instance, it’s commonplace for binational kids to cross the border day-after-day for varsity.
El Paso houses on the market | El Paso homes for lease | El Paso flats for lease
7. Denton, TX
Inhabitants:158,349Median Sale Worth:$387,000Median Hire Worth:$1,215Average Commute Time:24.6 minutesUnemployment Fee:3.3%
Denton is residence to nice meals, quiet neighborhoods, and historic buildings all through its compact structure, together with 41 parks and hundreds of acres of open area. Housing is comparatively inexpensive, too, though costlier than Dallas correct. Normally, a powerful economic system, nice colleges, and a steadily rising inhabitants assist make town a horny place to reside.
Denton has lengthy been a college city with a youthful vibe, residence to the College of North Texas (UNT) and Texas Girl’s College (TWU). Greater than 50,000 college students are enrolled throughout the 2 schools, influencing town’s tradition and economic system. Schooling is town’s prime business.
The center of Denton is the recognizable Denton Sq., residence to the historic Denton County Courthouse and a brand new, giant shopping center. As you progress out, you’ll discover suburban neighborhoods, parks, and vigorous group hubs.
Eating places of all kinds, from black-tie institutions to informal diners, are a neighborhood spotlight. Nonetheless, town’s music scene could also be its best-kept secret. The Denton Arts and Jazz Competition, Denton Blues Competition, and Make Music Day are annual highlights. UNT’s famend School of Music bolsters the music group, too.
Denton houses on the market | Denton homes for lease | Denton flats for lease
8. Richardson, TX
Inhabitants:117,435Median Sale Worth:$431,000Median Hire Worth:$2,020Average Commute Time:23.9 minutesUnemployment Fee:3%
A suburb simply 20 minutes from downtown Dallas, Richardson is the eighth-best place to reside in Texas. Financial stability, an abundance of housing, and scrumptious meals are town’s foremost calling playing cards. Housing costs are comparatively costly, although, with sale and rental costs sitting above the nationwide common.
Richardson is finest recognized for its telecommunications business. In reality, town is sometimes called the Telecom Hall because of the focus of corporations like AT&T, Cisco, and Texas Devices. This abundance helped transfer town past a small suburb, and at the moment makes the realm interesting to professionals.
Although Richardson is a comparatively quiet, business-focused suburb, you gained’t simply run out of issues to do. You possibly can play greater than 80 retro video games at Free Play Arcade (not really free), sip a beer from Guitars and Growlers, or see a present on the Eisemann Middle for Performing Arts. Reside music is an enormous deal in Richardson, too.
Richardson houses on the market | Richardson homes for lease | Richardson flats for lease
9. School Station, TX
Inhabitants:125,192Median Sale Worth:$320,000Median Hire Worth:$1,685Average Commute Time:17.2 minutesUnemployment Fee:2.8%
School Station, generally known as The Coronary heart of Aggieland®, is situated in Central Texas between Dallas, Austin, and Houston. Texas A&M’s flagship campus is located within the coronary heart of town, round which residential neighborhoods, parks, and different facilities are situated. Town of Bryan is immediately adjoining, to the northwest. Sturdy training and an inexpensive price of residing helped School Station earn a excessive rating.
School Station is nicely and actually a school city. Greater than 71,000 Texas A&M college students reside within the metropolis, accounting for nicely over half its inhabitants. Most of the metropolis’s sights are additionally hooked up to the college not directly. For instance, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum, Gary Halter Nature Middle, and The Gardens are all on the campus, however welcome everybody who desires to go to. Past campus limits, you could find locations just like the City Air Trampoline and Journey Park and BigShots Golf.
Additionally, you will discover loads of eating places on the town beloved by college students and longtime residents alike. The Northgate district is the place you’ll discover most scholar hotspots, together with Nam Cafe and the long-lasting Dixie Rooster, A&M’s favourite watering gap.
School Station houses on the market | School Station homes for lease | School Station flats for lease
10. Plano, TX
Inhabitants:290,190Median Sale Worth:$550,000Median Hire Worth:$1,815Average Commute Time:25.6 minutesUnemployment Fee:2.8%
Plano is a dense suburb of Dallas however has just lately grow to be a metropolis in its personal proper. A powerful economic system, excessive incomes, and loads of fashionable facilities assist make Plano an excellent place to reside. It would price fairly a bit extra to purchase a home than surrounding areas, although – almost $150,000 greater than Dallas correct.
Plano noticed an enormous surge in progress from 1970-2020, rising almost 15x. On account of this booming inhabitants, and a business-friendly atmosphere, quite a few Fortune 1000 corporations now have headquarters within the metropolis, together with JPMorgan Chase, Financial institution of America, Toyota, Liberty Mutual, and extra. In the event you’re seeking to relocate for a profession, Plano could be the place for you.
Hottest facilities on the town are situated at one in all many malls, equivalent to Preston Park Village, Park Pavilion Middle, and Lakeside Market. Different distinctive facilities, just like the Japanese meals and items retailer Mitsuwa Market, could be discovered alongside foremost boulevards.
Plano houses on the market | Plano homes for lease | Plano flats for lease
Methodology
Redfin’s Greatest Locations to Reside rankings are supposed to assist residence searchers make an knowledgeable resolution when selecting the place to reside. To try to measure the general high quality of a metro space, every rating takes into consideration a number of key elements, together with entry to healthcare, open outside area, navigability, housing traits, employment statistics, revenue, and journey time to work. Solely metros with a inhabitants of 100,000 or higher had been thought of for our Texas listing. Extra details about our methodology could be discovered right here.
Knowledge legitimate April 2025. This text is for informational and academic functions solely.
