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The Best Places to Live in Texas in 2024

By Alex Moretti

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Texas is by far one of the most popular places in the United States, although to be fair, it may be for the wrong reasons altogether.

Most people that don’t live in Texas have a very specific idea of what Texas is like, and while we won’t delve too deep into the stereotypes, let’s just say that they are not exactly nice to say the least.

With that being said though, Texas is still a beautiful place to live in, and it has a ton of different amazing sites that you need to visit at least once during your lifetime.

This is why for today we decided to bring you our very own list of the top 25 best places that you could live in Texas. This is our own list though, so just keep that in mind as there are many other incredible places that you could see or where you could move in the Lone Star State.

With that being said, let’s not waste any more time and instead hop right into our first pick of the day aka:

25. Brownsville

Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas / brownsvilletx.gov

Brownsville is actually a lot better of a choice than you may realize simply because of how affordable it really is.

Considering its median household income of almost $36,499, and the fact that the typical house here costs as little as $87,600, it’s no wonder so many people have started to move in here as of late.

Since it’s very close to the Gulf of Mexico you can enjoy some beach time and waves too.

24. Mesquite

Mesquite, Texas
Mesquite, Texas / visitmesquitetx.com

Mesquite is the type of place that you move into if you want to live near Dallas, but you don’t want to actually pay the Dallas prices to begin with.

Their median household income of $56,074 speaks for itself for the most part, and considering the decent price of $129,100 per house you can definitely see why it’s on our list to begin with.

This city is also famous for being the place where the Mesquite Championship Rodeo takes place, so if you ever wanted to live alongside the cattle and see what a true cowboy can do, you’ve definitely come to the right place here.

23. McAllen

McAllen, Texas
McAllen, Texas / Photo by Anthony Acosta / wikipedia.org

With a growing population of 142,212 and a decent median home price of $123,800, McAllen seems like the perfect option for the family that is already living the good life, and is instead concerned with upgrading it to the next level.

It is actually ranked second for the least violent crimes around, and on top of that you will be able to partake in the crazy nightlife activities that are famous around here.

The only real downside with McAllen is the lack of jobs and the overall unemployment rate, but if you already have a job waiting for you or you work remotely, then chances are you will really love your time here.

22. Amarillo

Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas / visitamarillo.com

If you are a fan of the foodie culture then you have got to check out Amarillo, simply because this is one of those places that thrives off of how many different cultures live there, and they all bring about their very own cuisines to make this a worthwhile place to visit.

On top of that it is also one of the most affordable places in the US, not necessarily for its house price, since its median is of around $127,200 per household. Let’s just say that anyone would have a blast living here to say the least.

You can also visit the beautiful Cadillac Ranch if you’re coming here, as this is the home of some of the most stunning classic Cadillacs that you’ll ever get to see.

21. Lubbock

Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas / lubbockeda.org

Most of the people out there that don’t know about Lubbock believe that it is just some forgotten city that nobody would ever want to live in, and that is mostly because it is not as popular as most of the other locations on our list.

The sad thing about this is the fact that Lubbock is actually a lot better than you may realize. It is even the home of the Texas Tech University which currently doubles down as the biggest employer in a city of 240,000 residents in total.

Besides that, you should also know that this town features the lowest percentage of people that commute, and let’s not forget about the fact that the nightlife here is absolutely incredible to say the least.

20. Denton

Denton, Texas
Denton, Texas / dentonedp.com

Denton is yet another great option that you should consider if you want to move into Dallas, but you don’t want to pay the prices or have to live with all that traffic.

It is a very diverse little town which features a plethora of different cultures, all living together and trying to make the most out of their situation.

It is still a bit of an expensive investment, especially since the typical house here costs around $265,000, but hey, it is still nowhere near as expensive as living in Dallas would be.

19. Laredo

Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas / facebook.com

Being the current largest inland port on the US – Mexico border, Laredo should definitely be on your list as a must-visit place, simply because of how culturally and historically rich of a place it is.

It actually used to be the capital city of the Republic of the Rio Grande way back in the day, and as such it is still considered to be a major historical landmark, that people from all across the globe travel to even to this day. Affordability wise, this town definitely is up there as the houses here are relatively cheap, going as low as $122,900 per house.

Overall, this is a great option for almost anyone that wants to take in as many cultures as possible, and become better acquainted with the US history as a whole.

18. Houston

Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas / Photo by Carlos Alfonso / unsplash.com

Houston really is a spectacle and a half and we do mean that, as here you can see where the space shuttle launch center is, and more specifically you can really live your best life, simply because of how amazing the life quality is here.

It is definitely one of the best cities to live in America and that is mostly due to the fact that the city is, from an economic point of view at least, one of the leaders in the country thanks to the 26 Fortune 500 companies where you can get hired as we speak.

17. Arlington

Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas / Photo by Nicolas Henderson / wikipedia.org

Arlington is yet another incredible option for you to live in, especially so if you want to move into a city that is similar to Dallas and Fort Worth, but it’s a little bit more quiet and very nice for sports lovers, since it’s home to the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers.

Overall, this is a much more affordable option than either of those, and while it is still a very expensive place to live in, with the median house rate being around $300,000, you can still get your money’s worth from the plethora of activities that you can take part in here.

16. El Paso

El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas / Photo by Benjamin Monroy / wikipedia.org

If you are a fan of the Hispanic culture and you really want to take in the historical greatness of Mexico, then this may very well be the perfect choice for you. El Paso is the 6th largest city in Texas and it has SO many things to offer to anyone.

We highly recommend that you get yourself ready for the Fiesta de las Flores festival while you’re here, as this is where more than 30,000 people are headed off to every single year, to celebrate one of the oldest Hispanic traditions of all time.

15. Garland

Garland, Texas
Garland, Texas / garlandpolice.com

Garland is known for their absolutely incredible parks and that’s not a joke. They are actually sitting proudly on the 8th place for the absolute best park system in the US and they’re getting closer and closer to that number one spot every year.

The houses here are also relatively cheap, going for as little as $146,200 per median house and considering just how incredible the community is here, you will definitely enjoy your time exploring the city during your stay.

14. New Braunfels

New Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels, Texas / nbtexas.org

New Braunfels is a very beautiful city that can be found in the Texas Hill Country and as far as your options are concerned, let’s just say that this city’s definitely up there considering what it has to offer.

First and foremost, it is a very historically rich place to live in, and while you’re at it you should definitely take part in their incredible annual event, aka the Oktoberfest.

While it is not the most affordable place to live in, let’s just say that New Braunfels more than makes up for it with its festivals and overall calm lifestyle that it has to offer.

13. McKinney

McKinney, Texas
McKinney, Texas / runproject.org

McKinney is often times referred to as one of the most family-friendly and safe environments in Texas and we do have to agree that it’s definitely up there as one of the best for a reason.

It has a ton of different outdoor activities for you to take part in and the parks here are just downright stellar. Couple all of that with its median home price of $300,000 and you’ve got yourself a very good option right here.

12. Killeen

Killeen, Texas
Killeen, Texas / Photo by Sergio Flores / texastribune.org

Being one of the top military towns in the US, it shouldn’t come off as a surprise that Killeen is one of the main choices for anyone that is looking to enroll into the US Army.

On top of that this is also a great place to live in, simply because of how close you are to both Austin and Dallas. It is the home of over 65,000 soldiers making this the largest military base in the world by area.

11. Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi / tripadvisor.com

Coming up next, we have Corpus Christi, by far one of the most chill places in Texas and maybe the entire US. More than 75% of the current residents here live close to or around a public park, which makes living here all the sweeter to say the least.

Considering just how affordable it is to actually live here, and how a typical home here costs as little as $133,200, it’s no wonder that with each passing year, more and more people move in to get a glimpse of one of the most laid back places they could ever live in.

10. Georgetown

Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown, Texas / Photo by Rudy Ximenez / austinmonthly.com

Georgetown is by far one of the most underappreciated cities in the US, simply because it is often times overshadowed by the other incredible places that you can find in Texas.

Overall though, Georgetown is definitely up there as one of the best cities in the state, and while you are here you should expect the streets to be clean, as the crime rates are very low and the community here is extremely friendly, and accepting to anyone from any corners of the world.

9. Dallas

Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas / Photo by R K / unsplash.com

If you’re looking for a culturally dense place where everyone has learned to live together over the years, then you’ve definitely come to the right place here.

Dallas is the perfect spot for you to move into, if you want to spend all of your time visiting some of the best museums in the world, and don’t even get us started on the plethora of galleries and cultural accomplishments that you can come across here too.

8. San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas / Photo by Yinan Chen / pixabay.com

Being the homeplace of one of the most historically significant monuments in Texas history definitely has its perks, as the Alamo brings about thousands of tourists every month, that come from all across the globe to check it out with their own eyes.

On top of that though it is a very incredible place to live in, especially if you’re a fan of the foodie scene, as San Antonio is more often than not considered to be one of the best places to visit if you love the Mexican and Texan cuisine.

7. Irving

Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas / pods.com

Irving is the perfect place for you to move into, if you want to be a part of one of the most close-knit communities in the US.

It is a very calm and down-to-earth type of a place, and on top of that it does feature a lot of culturally significant sites, that you can visit during your own spare time.

There are plenty of jobs to pick from while in here, and considering the relatively affordable median home price of $188,300, this should definitely be a very good option for you, especially if you want to ensure your child’s education is properly handled, as the schools here are just downright stellar.

6. Midland

Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas / midlandtexas.gov

Midland is a midsized Texas city unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. It actually really started to pick up a lot of attention as of late thanks to the recent oil boom, which has really helped the community here grow richer.

With a total population of 134,610 and a decent growth of 21.1%, it’s pretty simple to see why the numbers here are rising every day, and even more so when you see how safe of a city this is for you and your family.

5. Frisco

Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas / Roger Robinson / visitfrisco.com

The interesting part about Frisco is the fact that it was actually never considered to be all that great of a city to begin with, until these last couple of years when the numbers in it have started to rise exponentially, attracting a lot of eyes on them.

This has been especially great considering the fact that the median household prices have stagnated at around $368,000 and when you look at just how safe of an environment this is, and how most families here have an average income of $127,133, it’s pretty easy to see why Frisco’s been getting so much attention as of late.

4. Round Rock

Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock, Texas / facebook.com

Round Rock has definitely had its ups and downs over the years, but for the most part this has always been a great place to live in, especially thanks to its abundance of cultures and amenities that you can find here.

While the unemployment rate is definitely a very big low-point for Round Rock, they’ve more than made up for it with the fact that this is actually the home place of Dell and a lot of other tech behemoths that control the world as we know it.

3. Plano

Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas / visitplano.com

Plano is by far one of the most prosperous suburbs in Texas and this is mostly due to the people in charge here. They’ve done an exceptional job at improving their park system and more importantly they’ve made it so that this is actually one of the safest places to live in while in the US.

While it is definitely not cheap to live here, with the average median housing price going for around $291,300, it is an exceptional city from every other point of view, especially considering the plethora of amenities that you can take part in.

2. Austin

Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas / Photo by Mitchell Kmetz / unsplash.com

Most large cities out there don’t get praised as the best places to live in, simply because they are very loud and hard to get a grasp of, because of how many people live in them. Austin is an exception though as it is by far one of the most beautiful and one of the safest places to live in the US.

The US News and World Report have also stated that Austin is the best place to move into and we do have to agree as it is pretty much flawless from any point of view we could think of.

There are currently just under one million people living in Austin but considering just how popular it’s been as of late we wouldn’t be surprised if that number were to skyrocket within the next year or so.

1. Fort Worth

Fort Worth, Texas
Photo by Felix Mizioznikov / stock.adobe.com

Fort Worth is by far the most beautiful place that you could move into while in Texas. This is considered to be the sister-city of Dallas, but we would argue that it greatly surpasses it due to its lack of violent crimes and affordability.

The median housing price here goes for as little as $154,300 and there is no shortage of incredible activities to take part in while here. Overall, this is what we would say is the best city for you to move into while in Texas, and you can’t convince us otherwise.

Conclusion

Best Places to Live in Texas
Downtown Austin / Photo by MJ Tangonan / unsplash.com

Each and every one of these beautiful cities has earned the right for you to visit them at least once before making the final decision.

We suggest that you take your time and you really think this through, but at the same time you shouldn’t worry too much about making the wrong choice as they are all great choices at the end of the day.

Thank you for reading this far and we hope that we helped you get a better idea of which city you should be moving to next.

For more interesting places to live in, check out the neighboring states of Texas: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico.

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About Alex Moretti

Adventure junkie, content creator and storyteller, Alex left his nine-to-five career lifestyle to become a full time world traveler. He started his journey to the unknown 5 years ago and visited more than 30 countries and 400 cities ever since. Learn more about Placeaholic's Editorial Process.

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