Planting roots

Fort Worth finds top spot among best Texas cities for the middle class

Few cities are better for middle-class families than Fort Worth.

Photo by leekris/Getty Images

Middle-class families looking for the perfect place to call home may find just what they're looking for in Fort Worth, according to a new study.

Personal finance website Simple Thrifty Living ranked the best cities for middle-class families in every state, declaring Fort Worth the 10th best out of 100 Texas cities. The study analyzed each city based on socioeconomic factors that are important to families, such as local median income and home value (compared to the state as a whole), real estate taxes, unemployment rate, college educated residents, schools, and job availability.

Fort Worth, with a median household income of $57,309 (right in line with the statewide median of $57,051), also stands out with its affordable homes (the local median of $155,200 is less than the state's median of $169,500). And while Cowtown offers fewer job opportunities (6,383 openings within a 10-mile radius) than Dallas (18,377), the Metroplex as a whole was recognized for record job growth over the last decade.

Along with Fort Worth, DFW dominates the list with four additional spots landing in the top 10, including Dallas at No. 2, with its median income of $47,285, median home value of $183,000, and impressive number of job openings. University Park, No. 3; Highland Park, No. 4; and Irving, No. 5, also land among the 10 best cities in Texas for the middle class.

No. 1 on the list is Houston, with a median income of $49,399, median home value of $169,600, and stellar 19,981 job openings. Two other Houston-area cities land in the top 10: West University Place, No. 7, and Richmond, No. 9.

Austin, No. 6, with a median income of $63,717, and the West Texas enclave of Canyon, No. 8, round out the top Texas cities for middle-class families.

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NEW CRUSH

Lauded Texas winemaker uplifts Hill Country town with new vineyard and tasting room

Photo by David Capote

Uplift Vineyard devotes 55 acres to growing grapes.

One of Texas’ most acclaimed winemakers is stomping on new grounds. William Chris Wine Company is opening of a new vineyard and tasting room on a gorgeous 78-acre property in Burnet, about 170 miles (or just over two-and-a-half hours) southwest of Fort Worth.

William Chris founders Chris Brundrett and Andrew Sides purchased the property, formerly named Hoover Valley, in 2021 from a private owner. The rebranded Uplift Vineyard hired the vineyard team and rehabbed the existing structures to offer elevated wine-tasting experiences and host future private events.

Uplift will be William Chris’ first estate wine brand. For those not up on wine-speak, the offerings will use grapes exclusively grown in the vineyard instead of those harvested by outside growers. Winemaker Claire Richardson will head the program, featuring a surfeit of single-varietal wines and proprietary blends.

Fall releases will zero in on hefty sippers like a single variety Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec, as well as a Bordeaux blend. Springtime will lighten up with Italian grapes such as Montepulciano, Aglianico, and Sangiovese.

Eventually, Uplift Vineyard will expand its wine offerings to a medium-body Rhône blend featuring Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre and explore white blends and rosés.

“Every bottle of Uplift wine will come from only the best grapes harvested from this spectacular site, situated in the Llano Uplift geological region,” says CEO Bundrett via a release. “We’re looking forward to bringing awareness to this unique location within the Texas Hill Country AVA because the fruit that’s being grown here is just outstanding.”

Guests can enjoy the vintages at the tasting room or via a limited-capacity wine club, the Uplift Viticultural Society. Uplift is in the final stages of filling the first 300 of 1,000 total spots for the ultra-exclusive Founders Club.

Looking forward, Uplift will host onsite cooking demonstrations and full-day experiences that take advantage of the bucolic setting. For now, the tasting room is open for reservations only, Thursdays through Sundays, 11 am-6 pm.

Last fall, William Chris Vineyards came in at No. 56 on the World’s Best Vineyards' list of top wine destinations for 2022. It was the only Texas vineyard on the list and one of only seven wineries from the U.S.

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