East Texas Cities Fare Poorly in ‘Best Places to Live in Texas’ Study

According to the '2018 Best Cities in Texas for Families' study released by WalletHub, East Texas didn't fare too well.  Numbers were crunched for 117 of some of the larger cities in the Lone Star State, and based on the methodology used, the city of Frisco, just north of Dallas, was ranked as the #1 place for families to live in Texas.  In fact, the Dallas area produced all of the top 5 cities (Allen, Southlake, Colleyville, and Flower Mound).

According to WalletHub, 21 relevant metrics were included in the research, this includes measures such as crime rate, divorce rate, quality of school systems, and affordability. Not many East Texas cities were included in the study, so I took a closer look at the numbers for Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Tyler, Longview, and Beaumont.

Overall, Nacogdoches topped this fivesome with a ranking of 76.  Lufkin ranked at 82, followed by Tyler (87), Longview (97), and Beaumont (110).  Keep in mind, these numbers are based on a total of 117 cities, so none of our East Texas towns finished in the top 60%.  However, there were some categories in which Lufkin and Nacogdoches excelled.  For instance, Lufkin finished 1st in daily commute time, and Nacogdoches finished 1st in number of pediatricians for every 100,000 residents.

Here's a breakdown of some of the East Texas numbers

Metric                                      Lufkin      Nacogdoches   Tyler   Longview   Beaumont

Area Attractions                      73rd        19th                   20th    50th           21st

Pediatricians per 100,000       94th        1st                     33rd    55th           23rd

Quality of Schools                   79th        89th                   104th  62nd          110th

Average Commute Time         1st          5th                      30th    23rd           19th

Violent Crime Rate                  78th       73rd                    83rd    96th           115th

Housing Affordability               58th       102nd                 75th     72nd          42nd

Divorce Rate                           99th       71st                    103rd   109th         106th

% Below Poverty Level           90th       106th                  75th     84th           86th

Just because we are printing these numbers and findings certainly does not mean we agree with the overall outcome.  Speaking for myself, there are many reasons I like to visit areas around Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas, but East Texas is my home.  I chose and choose to live here because I love the environment for my family.  There is a wonderful spirit of love and willingness to do for others in this area.  We have problems and setbacks just like any other community in 'Anywhereville USA', but, I'm proud of the way we work through those issues.

One other note...I place high value on the fact that our area scored so high on the commute metric.  I've sat through traffic on I-35 in Austin, the Gulf Freeway in Houston, and Central Expressway in Dallas, and although I complain about the folks that poke along on Timberland Drive and North Street, by comparison, I'll take that any day.