In terms of travelers and new residents alike, Texas experienced a surge in popularity in 2020. It’s still a very popular place for new residents now that we’re in 2021.

Texas is a big, diverse state with a lot of attractions. It’s also thriving economically and attracting big-name businesses like Tesla.

With that in mind, the following are some of the best places to live in Texas right now, and you might even want to add these locations to your travel bucket list as well.

San Antonio

San Antonio has a lot of popular tourist attractions, like the Riverwalk and theme parks like SeaWorld San Antonio.

It can also be a great place to call home.

San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It’s a family-friendly location and it still maintains a relatively affordable housing market in most parts of the city, while prices in many Texas locations are very high right now.

San Antonio has some beautiful neighborhoods, including some in the city itself. For example, there’s Alamo Heights, which is just north of downtown San Antonio, and this is where some of the city’s most expensive and historic homes are located.

Stone Oak is a family-friendly neighborhood within San Antonio proper that has gated subdivisions and good schools.

College Station

College Station and nearby Bryan are home to Texas A&M University, the largest public university in Texas. There are more than 60,000 students, and it’s the second-largest university in the U.S.

College Station and Bryan are home to around 200,000 people. The area is known for having a good quality of life and a great school system.

College Station has a bit of a small-town feel, but it’s just over an hour from Houston, less than two hours from Austin and around three hours from Dallas and San Antonio.

There are outdoor activities, and the cost of living tends to be below the national average in College Station and Bryan.

The Woodlands

If you live in The Woodlands, you’ll enjoy perhaps one of the top-rated school systems in the country. The Woodlands is extremely family-friendly, but you have the big city proximity to Houston.

The Woodlands is a master-planned community with a lot of amenities.

The Woodlands has grown quickly, and there are homes in a variety of price ranges.

According to the Niche website, The Woodlands ranks number one as the best city in America to live in and number two as far as the best cities to buy a house in America. It also ranks number two on the list of the best cities to raise a family in America.

These rankings are based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and reviews from people who call The Woodlands home.

The median household income in The Woodlands is well over double the national median, and crime rates are relatively low in the community.

Beaumont

Beaumont is a small Texas town in the southeastern part of the state. It’s between Houston and the Louisiana border. It’s part of the Golden Triangle, which is made up of Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange counties.

The main industries in Beaumont are oil, gas and energy. Companies like ExxonMobil are the big employers in Beaumont.

Popular neighborhoods in the city include the Oak Historic District, Calder Place, and The Circuits. West of Beaumont are newer homes.

Austin

Austin has become one of the most desirable places to relocate in the country, and residents from higher-tax states like California are flocking to the funky and quirky city.

Austin is the 11th most populous city in the country, and the cost of living overall is lower than the national average, although housing is a bit higher.

The job market and economy are strong in Austin, with companies like Google, Facebook, and Intel having a presence there. Along with tech, other sectors that are thriving in Austin include business services, health services and education.

The weather is hot but mostly beautiful, and you’ll enjoy mild winters.

The food scene is among the most vibrant you’ll find in the world, and the city is also the live music capital of the world.

Outdoor activities abound. You can visit Barton Springs to visit a three-acre pool with water from underground springs, or you can boat on the Colorado River.

Dallas

Dallas is a massive, sprawling city that’s experienced enormous growth in the past decade.

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is actually made up of 10 cities and 13 counties, making it the largest metro in the southern U.S.

Dallas covers around 343 square miles, and if you don’t want to live directly in the city, there are great suburbs like Addison and Grapevine.

The largest employers in the Dallas area include the AMR Corporation, which is the parent company of American Airlines and U.S. Airways, as well as Bank of America and Texas Health Resources.

The Baylor Health Care System and the Dallas Independent School District are also big employers.

There’s never a shortage of things to do in and around Dallas. For example, you can head to Deep Ellum, which has a long history of blues and jazz music and venues like Adair’s Saloon and Prophet Bar. There’s also the Dallas Arts District, which is home to the Trammel Crow Asian Arts Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Center.

Houston

Houston is a diverse melting pot of cultures, and it gives you a big city lifestyle with a lower cost of living than most other urban areas.

Houston has more than 2.3 million residents and spans across 637 square miles.

The median age of Houston residents is under 35, making it a young city.

If you live inside the loop, you’re closer to the action of the city and many of the key employers. Popular neighborhoods in the Loop include Houston Heights, River Oaks, and West University.

Outside the Loop is where the suburbs are, of which The Woodlands is one. There’s also Clear Lake and Sugar Land, just to name a few.