Dallas-Fort Worth a Top 25 Place to Live, But Austin Is Number One

Four Texas metros hit the U.S. News and World Report list of best places to live — and Dallas-Fort Worth was in the top 25. But how did the city fare in a study of diversity? And where do Millennials want to move?

We cover all this and more in this week’s roundup of real estate news.

Dallas-Fort Worth In Top 25 Best Places to Live

In a ranking of 125 best places to live, Dallas-Fort Worth came in 21st, the U.S. News and World Report said.

Austin came in first, and Houston and San Antonio ranked 30th, and 34th, respectively.

“The small-town feel of Friday night football games and backyard parties exists in the suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth. In those areas, residents can bump into their friends at the local Tex-Mex restaurant, children ride their bikes and joggers hit the pavement for evening runs,” the report said. “But even in DFW proper, many people exude that Texas friendliness with a wave or a ‘hello’ to strangers.”

The area’s commute time was roughly 1.7 minutes longer than the national average, but the magazine was also not impressed with the public transit offerings.

“The rail system’s coverage is limited, however, with only about 60 stations spread out over the area,” it said. “Its best use is during city events and concerts when riders can take the DART from stations in Plano and Irving to downtown Dallas.”

Source: U.S. News and World Report

Dallas, Arlington Rank in Top 10 of Diverse Cities

Dallas ranked fifth in a comparison ranking 501 cities on diversity, and Arlington came in at No. 9, WalletHub said.

Houston was found to be the most diverse city in the U.S., and Fort Worth and Plano were 25th and 57th on the list. Laredo was the least diverse city at 463rd.

Source: WalletHub

Dallas Tops List of Metros Millennials Want to Move To

Dallas tops a list of places where Millennials say they would consider moving to, Builder Magazine sibling unit Meyers Research found in its annual survey.

“This year, we added a new question to our survey: Have you seriously considered moving out of your current city? If yes, to where and why? Much to our surprise, nearly 60 percent of our respondents said yes,” the magazine said.

The survey found that 70 percent of Millennials aged 19-24 have considered moving, with more renters open to it (60 percent) than homeowners.

“For reference, Millennials make up a large share of closed loan applications in Baltimore, Houston, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Nashville, according to Ellie Mae,” the article said.

Texas by and large dominated the list, with Dallas ranking No.1 and Houston coming in second. Austin came in third.

“Dallas and Houston ranked extremely well for quality of life, cost of living, and overall employment opportunities, propelling the markets to #1 and #2, respectively,” the article said. “Austin, a far smaller metro, rounds out the top three, with a heavier focus on relative housing affordability and the fun factor.”

Source: Builder