CenTex GuyTexas best
May 21st 2008 23:42
Want to find a great place to live in the United States? How’s Honolulu sound?
Pricey.
But it was ranked by Best Life magazine as the best place to raise a family in the United States.
The best of Texas went to Austin, which came in 14th. The magazine said the criteria was based on safety, good schools with favorable teacher-student ratios and above-average test scores along with quality of living, and nearby resources (like museums, etc…)
Austin does have some great schools, and plenty of recreation. As the state’s capital it is a very diverse city as well.
But what struck me as odd is that the list said factors such as long commutes and expensive houses work against a city’s ranking. I find this odd because, while as a whole Austin has some good schools, the best are found in the expensive housing neighborhood where most of the government officials live (think President George W Bush when he was a citizen there). And a short commute is an oxymoron in Austin, unless you are lucky enough to work next door to where you live, although the development of some new toll roads have changed this slightly. But the two major roads that go through the city are heavily congested during rush hour, and on one Friday I hit Round Rock (a city north of Austin) at 4:30 p.m. and hit south Austin at 7 p.m. Not much of a quick commute I’d say.
But you can indeed find great things (decent affordable housing, good restaurants, great shopping, good nightlife, museums, parks, and access to higher learning institutes)
Also making the top 100 list in Texas were: 26. Plano; 62. San Antonio; 65. Denton; 69. El Paso; 86. Fort Worth; 91. McKinney; 94. Midland and 97. Arlington.
As a side note: My colleague Gene, who I work with on some blogs (see below), lives in Tulsa, which ranked 88 and has an average commute of only 17 minutes.He has it easy.
The magazine only lists the bottom 10 cities, but sadly Texas makes the list three times here too: Beaumont (2nd worst), Waco (5th worst) and Corpus Christi (8).
Hard for me to find fault with Beaumont. I’ve had friends over the years go work there and leave after less than a year. It’s odorous and is one of the most polluting cities around, due to major industries there. Waco and Corpus surprise me. Corpus mainly because over the years I think this is one of the cities that has worked hard to improve its image and attract newcomers. But I think the major issue here is lack of sound education. And Waco, while a quaint small size city doesn't have crime issues, and has a school system that has been on the decline for years.
Blog that I work on with Gene:
Pro Sports Wrap
Baseball Slate
Wrestling Wrap Up
Pricey.
But it was ranked by Best Life magazine as the best place to raise a family in the United States.
The best of Texas went to Austin, which came in 14th. The magazine said the criteria was based on safety, good schools with favorable teacher-student ratios and above-average test scores along with quality of living, and nearby resources (like museums, etc…)
Austin does have some great schools, and plenty of recreation. As the state’s capital it is a very diverse city as well.
Austin, Texas is ranked among the best cities to raise a family
The Bob Bullock museum is one of many museums that can be found in Austin
But you can indeed find great things (decent affordable housing, good restaurants, great shopping, good nightlife, museums, parks, and access to higher learning institutes)
Also making the top 100 list in Texas were: 26. Plano; 62. San Antonio; 65. Denton; 69. El Paso; 86. Fort Worth; 91. McKinney; 94. Midland and 97. Arlington.
As a side note: My colleague Gene, who I work with on some blogs (see below), lives in Tulsa, which ranked 88 and has an average commute of only 17 minutes.He has it easy.
The magazine only lists the bottom 10 cities, but sadly Texas makes the list three times here too: Beaumont (2nd worst), Waco (5th worst) and Corpus Christi (8).
Hard for me to find fault with Beaumont. I’ve had friends over the years go work there and leave after less than a year. It’s odorous and is one of the most polluting cities around, due to major industries there. Waco and Corpus surprise me. Corpus mainly because over the years I think this is one of the cities that has worked hard to improve its image and attract newcomers. But I think the major issue here is lack of sound education. And Waco, while a quaint small size city doesn't have crime issues, and has a school system that has been on the decline for years.
Blog that I work on with Gene:
Pro Sports Wrap
Baseball Slate
Wrestling Wrap Up
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