moving on up

Dallas-Fort Worth climbs 5 spots on U.S. News’ prestigious list of best places to live 2022

Who wouldn't want to live here?

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Bad news for Austin, good news for Dallas-Fort Worth: While Texas' capital city has been knocked out of the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the best places to live in the U.S., DFW has moved up five spots.

DFW landed at No. 32 on the 2022 list, up from No. 37 last year.

The Austin metro area tumbled from No. 5 last year to No. 13 this year. It does remain the top-ranked place in Texas, though; DFW is No. 2.

For this year’s ranking, U.S. News considered key factors for 150 metro areas such as job availability, housing affordability, quality of life, and desirability. This year, the publication added data about air quality for the first time.

Of DFW, U.S Newssays, "Offering both big-city excitement and quiet, suburban living, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area has an interesting mix of Texas pride and cosmopolitan offerings. The cowboy life still exists in Fort Worth, while Dallasites love the trendy local bars and numerous retail shops. And no matter which part of the metroplex they call home, sports fans rally together behind their professional sports teams."

They cite DFW residents' friendliness and note that there are a lot more of us.

"People from both demographics are flooding the area, and the population has swelled from about 5.8 million people in 2005 to more than 7 million people today," they write. "New developments have drawn in both families looking for their dream home and professionals looking to advance their careers."

Huntsville, Alabama, grabbed the No. 1 spot in 2022 from last year’s top-ranked metro, Boulder, Colorado. Huntsville came in third place last year.

“Much of the shakeup we see at the top of this year’s ranking is a result of changing preferences,” Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News, says in a news release. “People moving across the country today are putting more emphasis on affordability and quality of life than on the job market, which in many ways takes a back seat as remote work options have become more standard.”

Elsewhere in the U.S. News rankings:

Houston landed at No. 59, down from No. 39 last year.
San Antonio landed at No. 83, down from No. 75 last year.
Killeen landed at No. 108, up from No. 114 last year.
Beaumont landed at No. 109, up from No. 124 last year.
El Paso landed at No. 124, up from No. 131 last year.
Corpus Christi landed at No. 133, down from No. 129 last year.
Brownsville landed at No. 134, up from No. 140 last year.
McAllen landed at No. 138, up from No. 139 last year.

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Christmas in Cowtown

Festive Fort Worth makes new list of top cities to celebrate Christmas

Visit Fort Worth - Facebook

There's much to love around the holiday season in Fort Worth, including meeting Cowboy Santa.

Fort Worth's festive spirit is on full display, from Cowboy Santa's visits in the historic Stockyards to the sky-high tree in downtown's Sundance Square. It's no wonder the city made WalletHub's list of the best cities for celebrating Christmas 2024.

Merry Fort Worth lands at No. 57 spot on the new list, which annually ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five key dimensions: Traditions and fun, observance, generosity, shopping opportunities, plus travel and meal costs.

Fort Worth ranked as the No. 50 best U.S. city for celebrating Christmas in WalletHub's 2023 report.

Here's how the city performed across the study's five main categories this year:

No. 16 – Costs rank
No. 38 – Generosity rank
No. 55 – Observance rank
No. 59 – Traditions and fun rank
No. 65 – Shopping rank

No matter what the rankings say, jolly Fort Worth residents can enjoy a host of holiday happenings this winter, including numerous light displays and dazzling neighborhoods throughout town. From local restaurants and bars creating festive feasts and delightful cocktail experiences, to great places to ice skate, there is plenty to get Fort Worth residents in the holiday spirit this year.

Fort Worth households also have bigger holiday budgets in 2024 than they did the year before. According to a separate WalletHub study, the average Fort Worth household is expected to spend about $1,082 on Christmas gifts this year, versus $1,013 in 2023.

"With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends."

Elsewhere in Texas, other festive cities that earned spots in the top 50 include Austin (No. 23), San Antonio (No. 30), Dallas (No. 31), and Houston (No. 41).

The top 10 best places to experience Christmas in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Orlando, Florida
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – New York, New York

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