Courtesy of Dave Wilson under a CC 4.0 license.
Good climate, many things to do, a strong economy and an exciting capital city highlight the Lone Star State, and the following are 11 of Texas’ finest communities
With an official slogan of “Live Music Capital of the World," Austin, the state capital of Texas also adopted an unofficial slogan of “Keep Austin Weird” that refers to the eclectic, liberal lifestyles of many residents. The University of Texas calls Austin home, and the FBI ranks Austin among the safest major cities in America.
A college town with 35,000 students attending the University of North Texas, Denton is also known for live music. The annual Denton Arts and Jazz Festival attracts 200,000 people to Civic Center Park, and Paste Magazine has ranked Denton among the nation's Best Music Scenes. The city has also hosted the North Texas State Fair & Rodeo since 1928.
The most populated city in Texas and fourth-largest in America, Houston is home to NASA's Johnson Space Center, the Port of Houston and pro sports teams like the Astros, Texans and Rockets. Houston attracts 7 million visitors a year to its Museum District, and as for Fortune 500 headquarters – only New York City has more.
Cinemark Theatres, Dell Services, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Frito-Lay, HP Enterprise Services, Rent-A-Center and Toyota Motors USA are among the dozens of major corporations headquartered in Plano. The city is ranked among the country's wealthiest by CNN Money, and among the safest by Forbes. For quality of life, two massive open space preserves exist: Bob Woodruff Park and Oak Point Park.
Courtesy of faungg's photos under a CC 4.0 license.
Known as the “City of Cowboys and Culture,” Fort Worth hosts the world's largest indoor rodeo each year. Cultural sites like Amon Carter Museum, Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum grace the city, and college students have their choice of attending top higher education institutions such as Texas Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University.
Home to the five-time NBA champion Spurs, San Antonio welcomes 26 million tourists each year who visit attractions like The Alamo, SeaWorld, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and the River Walk shopping and entertainment district. The city houses a number of U.S. military bases and hosts the long-running annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.
Barbecue, Mexican and Tex-Mex are renowned cuisines in Dallas, plus Forbes ranks the city among the best places for business and careers. Dallas accommodates 12 Fortune 500 companies, is home to the bustling Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and hosts the State Fair of Texas at Fair Park that contributes $350 million to the local economy each year.
Just northeast of Dallas and part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is Garland, offering quality of life amenities like six recreation centers, 60 parks, Lake Ray Hubbard and the Spring Creek Forest Preserve. Patty Granville Arts Center features two theaters that seat 720 and 200, while Richland College and Amberton University serve large student populations.
Post Oak Mall is the largest employer and largest mall in College Station, but the city is perhaps best known for being home to Texas A&M University. The university is well regarded for its research efforts, with its projects funded by top agencies such as NASA, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.
With a nickname of “Hub City,” Lubbock in northwestern Texas is an economic, education, retail and health care center for a multi-county region commonly called the South Plains. Lubbock is also the largest contiguous cotton-growing area in the world, and home to the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference.
Gracing the east-central part of Texas is Tyler, whose population recently surpassed 100,000, the magic number for national retailers looking to locate to growing communities. Nicknamed “Rose Capital of America” for its long history of producing roses of all colors and types, Tyler also has economic sectors strong in education, energy, food production, healthcare, manufacturing and outdoor recreation. Residents and trucking companies have access to a good transportation network that includes Interstate 20 and U.S. 69.
