Several Houston-area locales are among the Lone Star State’s best “under-the-radar” cities to live in, according to Orchard, a real estate brokerage that operates in several cities, including Houston and Austin.
The underrated Houston-area locales of distinction include … drumroll, please .. . Pearland (No.4), College Station (No.5), Conroe (No.6), Sugar Land (No.11), and League City (No.13) .
Orchard determined the rankings using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The quality of local schools and the median home prices and prices per square foot are among the key factors that Orchard considered.
Orchard described “under the radar” cities as “cities where the quality of life is high, the home prices are relatively low, and the market for home buying isn’t as competitive as in other parts of the state — giving homebuyers more options and leverage.”
Scroll below for a list of Orchard best “under-the-radar” Texas cities to live in.
Texas’ 15 best “under-the-radar” cities to live in, according to Orchard:
1. Edinburg, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 97.4
Price per sq. ft.: $117
Public school rating: 3.24
2. Mission, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 96.1
Price per sq. ft.: $115
Public school rating: 3.16
3. Laredo, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 94.1
Price per sq. ft.: $119
Public school rating: 3.25
4. Pearland, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 93.2
Price per sq. ft.: $120
Public school rating: 3.79
5. College Station, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 91.0
Price per sq. ft.: $149
Public school rating: 3.08
6. Conroe, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 90.8
Price per sq. ft.: $125
Public school rating: 3.16
7. New Braunfels, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 90.5
Price per sq. ft.: $153
Public school rating: 3.35
8. McAallen, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 87.7
Price per sq. ft.: $115
Public school rating: 3.44
9. Brownsville, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 86.3
Price per sq. ft.: $114
Public school rating: 3.25
10. El Paso, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 85.5
Price per sq. ft.: $120
Public school rating: 3.01
11. Sugar Land, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 83.6
Price per sq. ft.: $127
Public school rating: 3.85
12. Longview, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 82.2
Price per sq. ft.: $113
Public school rating: 2.81
13. League City, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 76.5
Price per sq. ft.: $129
Public school rating: 3.01
14. Wichita Falls, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 73.1
Price per sq. ft.: $95
Public school rating: 2.58
15. Corpus Christi, Texas
Under-the-radar score: 69.7
Price per sq. ft.: $141
Public school rating: 2.89
View the full study here.
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