outer city livin'

New Braunfels is among best Texas cities to move to in 2024

Texans love New Braunfels.

Photo via areavibes.com

Move over, San Antonio: New Braunfels was just named the No. 3 best Texas city to move to in 2024.

The city came out on top in a new population analysis by USA Today Homefront, published February 19, that examined 52 Texas cities across 19 key indicators, including school quality, affordability, entertainment, and more.

The U.S. Census Bureau found the population of New Braunfels grew 56.4 percent from 2010 to 2019, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the state. It was the No. 13 fastest growing city in 2022.

Highlights of the city include a low crime rate, low unemployment rate (3 percent), and a high-ranking school district. USA Today also claims New Braunfels may be the "most entertaining city" in the top five, with nearly two activities per 1,000 city residents.

"[New Braunfels] offers tubing on the Guadalupe River and splashing at Schlitterbahn waterpark to beat the humid summers," the report said.

New Braunfels was also recently dubbed "Destination of the Year" in the 2024 Texas Travel Awards. The Gruene Historic District is another popular travel destination.

Residents have an average life expectancy of 77.9-years-old, according to the report, and a resident's median income is a little more than $79,000 a year. Rent in New Braunfels isn't as polarizing as it is in San Antonio or Austin, averaging about $1,683 per month, while the report says the average home is valued at about $362,487.

San Antonio came in at No. 40 on USA Today's list, likely falling behind due to a lower median income ($58,829) and lower average home value ($254,014). However, the city has a higher life expectancy than New Braunfels, at 78.1 years of age. The typical rent in San Antonio is also lower than New Braunfels – $1,412 per month – and the unemployment rate for the city is 3.2 percent.

The top 10 best cities to move to in 2024, according to USA Today, are:

No. 1 – Tyler
No. 2 – Laredo
No. 3 – New Braunfels
No. 4 – Cedar Park
No. 5 – Temple
No. 6 – McAllen
No. 7 – Longview
No. 8 – Abilene
No. 9 – El Paso
No. 10 – Victoria

The report gathered its data from multiple sources to determine the rankings, including data from Zillow, the U.S. Census Bureau, Tripadvisor, FEMA, the U.S. Centers Medicare and Medicaid Services, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more.

The full report can be found on usatoday.com.

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bang for your buck

San Antonio ZIP code is 4th most affordable place for renters in U.S.

Photo by Florian Schmid on Unsplash

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Trying to afford buying a home in San Antonio is difficult enough with current mortgage rates, and doubly so if you're already paying high rent on an apartment or a house. But there are six San Antonio ZIP codes where renters can get the most bang for their buck, according to a new study by financial services company CashNetUSA.

To find the most affordable ZIP codes for renters in the U.S., analysts compared median household incomes by ZIP code to the average annual rent costs in those areas using the Zillow Observed Rent Index. ZIP codes where the average annual rental constituted the lowest percentage of median household income were considered the "most affordable."

San Antonio's 78248 ZIP code specifically stood out as the No. 4 most affordable in the country, and the No. 1 most affordable in Texas. This area encompasses the north San Antonio neighborhoods of Inwood, Forests at Inwood, Oakwood, The Park at Deerfield, Canyon Creek Bluffs, Canyon Creek Village, Blanco Village, Deerfield, Cadillac Drive, and Churchill Estates.

According to the study's findings, the average monthly cost of a rental in 78248 comes out to $1,259.17, and the median annual income of a household in the area is $122,986. Analysts then calculated that the annual rent of a home in this ZIP code only takes up 12.29 percent of a household's median income, which is the fourth-lowest in the nation.

CashNetUSA found the No. 1 most affordable ZIP code for renters nationwide is 66224 in Leawood, Kansas, where annual rent only takes a 10.57 percent cut out of a household's median annual income.

Elsewhere in Texas, two Houston-area ZIP codes – 77401 and 77094 – ranked No. 9 and No. 12 nationally, while Allen's 75013 ZIP code fell two spots behind to claim the No. 14 spot.

The most affordable San Antonio-area ZIP codes for renters
CashNetUSA further unveiled the five most affordable ZIP codes across major U.S. cities, including in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston.

Following 78248 (which took the No. 1 spot citywide) is 78261 (No. 2), which spans east of Highway 281, across Smithson Valley Road. Rent costs in this ZIP code averaged out to $1,698 per month, the report found.

Landing in the No. 3 spot is 78258, which includes Rogers Ranch, The Vineyard, Stone Oak, Summit, Hidden Canyon, and Big Springs neighborhoods. The report said average rent in the area comes out to $1,507 per month, which takes up 17.54 percent of a household's median annual income.

The remaining top two most affordable ZIP codes for San Antonio renters are located in 78259 (Encino Park, Encino Ranch, Cavalo Creek Estates, Northwood Hills, Summit at Bulverde Creek, Roseheart, Redland Woods) and 78260 in Timberwood Park, which is about 25 miles north of downtown San Antonio.

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