Texas Border Business
McAllen is once again being recognized as a great place; this time, as one of the top seven great places to live in Texas, according to an article on Kiplinger.com, a personal finance website. The author of the article, Brittany Leitner, a Texas native, pointed out the great features of Texas which made the Lone Star State, the fourth-fastest growing state and one of two states in the nation with over 30 million residents, attractive to new residents, including the state’s lack of personal income tax, the affordable housing market, and affordable rent prices. She then listed seven cities, which included Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston, McAllen, San Antonio and Waco, and highlighted the unique characteristics for each city as reasons why it is a great place to live in Texas.
Leitner writes that for anyone looking for affordable, more simple living, they should try McAllen. A previous article on Kiplinger.com listed McAllen as number three on the list of cheap cities of over 50,000 in population to live, citing its cost of living at only 79.3 compared to the national average and a median single-family home price of $161,690. Other affordable housing options include a median condo/townhome price at $155,333 and median rent cost at $878.
“McAllen definitely has a slower pace of life, absolutely defined by Mexican culture, since it’s a small border town located in South Texas. McAllen routinely makes the top of rental lists that tout it as the most bang for your buck per square feet.”
A previous Kiplinger article cited McAllen as the number two smaller U.S. cities that offer the most space for the cheapest rent. Residents can get 1,471 square feet of space for $1,500. In fact, housing costs are 55% lower than the national average, healthcare expenses are 23% cheaper and grocery items are around 17% less than what the typical American pays. One of the few things residents pay a little extra for is utilities (+5.4%), which isn’t surprising given that temperatures routinely soar into the high 90s during the summer months.
One stat that the author did not include in her ranking for McAllen, or any of the other cities, was security. McAllen continues to rank as one of the safest cities in Texas and the
United States, recently being ranked as number three safest city in the nation by SmartAsset.com earlier this year.
“This article highlights only one of the many great features of our great city of McAllen, which make it not only a great place to live in Texas, but also, anywhere in the world,” said McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos.
The rest of her ranking for Texas cities includes: San Antonio as a culture hub; Waco for
space for land, suburban life, and slow, family-oriented living; Austin for affordable urban living with country perks; Amarillo for classic Texas vibes, try Amarillo; Corpus Christi as a beach town oasis; and Houston for anyone looking to meet people.
