God's Country

San Antonio neighbor nabs No. 1 ranking among best Texas suburbs

The Medina County suburb of Hondo is the best suburb in Texas, according to SmartAsset.

Courtesy of the City of Hondo

A San Antonio suburb that touts its coveted presence in “God’s Country” lands at No. 1 in a recent ranking of the best suburbs near a large city in Texas. Nationally, the Medina County suburb of Hondo lands at No. 32 in SmartAsset’s study of the best suburbs near large cities, making it the top-rated suburb in Texas.

Hondo, about 40 miles west of San Antonio, earns a score of 90.48 (out of 100) in the affordability category, 72.02 in the jobs category, and 47.84 in the livability category. Brownsburg, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis, tops the national ranking.

The City of Hondo website says the city’s mission “is to assure a sense of community, safety, and neighborhood integrity by providing needed municipal services, fiscal responsibility, and a progressive, quality atmosphere in which to work and play with an emphasis on balanced, equitable growth.”

The website also notes the presence in Hondo of its well-known sign, which declares: "THIS IS GOD’S COUNTRY, PLEASE DON’T DRIVE THROUGH IT LIKE HELL."

Hondo, whose population exceeds 9,300, has used that trademarked phrase for more than 80 years “to preserve the city’s natural beauty” and to promote the city as a convention and tourism destination. Two other San Antonio suburbs earned spots in the SmartAsset ranking: New Braunfels at No. 106 and Boerne at No. 126.

Other Texas suburbs ranked in the SmartAsset study are:

Burnet (Austin), No. 53
Cedar Park (Austin), No. 62
Ennis (Dallas-Fort Worth), No. 102
Georgetown (Austin), No. 116
Taylor (Austin), No. 118
Rockport (Corpus Christi), No. 137
Sealy (Houston), No. 170

For the study, SmartAsset analyzed 13 metrics related to jobs, affordability, and livability for nearly 500 suburbs within a 15-minute to one-hour drive of a city with at least 250,000 residents.

“Large cities can be a great option for anyone looking for a walkable, fast-paced environment with easy access to shops and restaurants. However, the hustle and bustle of a large city isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition for everyone,” SmartAsset says. “Large cities are often expensive … and may have higher crime rates than their surrounding areas. Suburbs, in turn, can offer more affordable housing, lower crime rates, and a variety of entertainment options.”

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.

rent rent prices affordable housing