Study Shows Snowbirds and Winter Texans Have a Choice in One North Texas Suburb

We’re not kidding ourselves when it comes to North Texas’ ranking for snowbird destinations. We know that the Dallas-Fort Worth area doesn’t necessarily work for the snowbirding lifestyle.

It can be uncomfortably hot. It’s vast. No ocean. It’s not Florida.

So, when STORAGECafé released its list of best 2021 snowbird destinations, Texas, as a state, ranked third with 17 cities in the top-100 best destinations, but you had to search hard for a D-FW presence. Texas cities were the usual suspects along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Of the 17 Texas cities, one North Texas suburb managed to crack the list — the town of Flower Mound, at 68th.

Corpus Christi was the top Texas city at ninth.

STORAGECafé is the self-storage division of internet listing service RENTCafé. STORAGECafé looked at data such as average temperatures during winter months, percentage of houses designated for seasonal use out of vacant housing stock, access to beaches, parks, and golf courses, health and safety indicators, availability of self-storage, and the Surgo Foundation’s COVID-19 community vulnerability index.

Based on those factors, Boca Raton, Fla., was the No. 1 spot with an aggregate score of 60.32. Flower Mound totaled 123.94, scoring high on safety and low on beach length (0 miles).

Flower Mound’s inclusion makes sense for a snowbird.

The town has interstate access to DFW International Airport and has several VRBO seasonal listings. In the era of physical distancing, Flower Mound’s outdoor perks and suburban-town feel can attract snowbirds.

Snowbirds can pretend they’re on an ocean coast by taking in activities on the north shore of Lake Grapevine or nearby Lake Lewisville. These lakes are no match for Corpus Christi, which has 39 miles of shoreline, but, in defense of Flower Mound, water is water.

Flower Mound features two public 18-hole golf courses — Bridlewood Golf Club and Tour 18 Dallas. Other courses and driving ranges are within easy driving distance of Flower Mound.

Flower Mound ranked better in most-affordable snowbird cities at 58th. According to Yardi Matrix data, the average monthly rent for a stay between October 2019 to March 2020 was $1,602 in Flower Mound.

In contrast, the South Texas cities of Brownsville, Harlingen, and McAllen are the top three affordable living options. The top six most-affordable snowbird cities are in Texas with average monthly rent from October 2019 to March 2020 ranging from $730 to $876.

This all fits into a recent University of Texas study on visitors spending the winter in the Rio Grande Valley. The study defines the Valley’s winter Texan as around 72 years of age, married, in a two-person household, and with an average annual household income of about $65,000. These winter visitors roll in from Canada, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan.

Despite the pandemic, Snowbird Advisor forecasts that 31 percent of its members still plan to relocate this winter.

Making up for fewer snowbirds are a growing number of remote workers who can work anywhere.

“What we’re seeing isn’t just snowbirds relocating now, but rather the ‘Zoomcation’ or Remote Worker relocation trend,” Angela Durko, a Texas A&M University associate professor who specializes in marketing and tourism, told STORAGECafé. “Previously it was typically a retiree traveling via RV or to a second home from the North to locations like Arizona or Florida for the winter.

“Now, it’s the young couple who are both working from home, the family with children who opted for virtual learning, or the business professional who has never had the time to leave their desk job, all with a newfound freedom to work/educate from the location of their choosing.”