Do you live in one of the Lone Star State’s top 15 best ‘under-the-radar’ cities?

Texas state flag stock image. (Pixabay)

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) .

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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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About the Author:

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.