12 Best Places to Live in North Texas – 2023 Data and Reviews
Want to know where the best places to live in North Texas are? We found the best cities in North Texas based on their quality of life and desirability.
To determine our rankings, we looked through all the data and filtered our list based on several factors that make a place worth living in, including the things to do around the city, its affordability, and the overall experience that it provides.
We think that North Texas is one of the best parts of the Lone Star State, so finding great cities in this area was not so difficult.
Still, we narrowed down the list to truly find the best places to live in North Texas so that you know where you may want to move to next.
Texas is one of the fastest growing states in the nation and North Texas is one of the hottest markets there are.
So, let’s see what the best cities in North Texas are based on our in-depth evaluation and reviews of what the locals have to say.
Best Places to Live in North Texas – How We Determined Our Rankings
Which part of Texas is “North Texas”? If you talk to the locals, they would say that North Texas is the part of the state that surrounds the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and extends up to the border of Oklahoma to the north and down to right before Waco in the south.
There is another part of the state that is further north than this area, but that is usually considered its own region. Some refer to it as West Texas or the Texas Panhandle.
For this article, we will stick to the stricter definition of North Texas as the smaller area around the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Then, to build our list of the best places to live in North Texas, we reviewed datasets of numerous key indicators, including:
- Amenities and entertainment
- Cost of living index
- Housing market availability
- Quality of schools
- Crime rates
- Availability of arts and culture
- Desirability
We tallied up our scores for each city in North Texas and chose the top 12 scoring places to include on this list.
The 12 Best Places to Live in North Texas in 2023
12. Irving
Population: 239,798
Cost of Living Index: 8% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $307,000
Location: Check on Google Maps
Irving starts off our list of the best places to live in North Texas. This suburb of Dallas is located just 15 minutes from downtown Dallas and is one of the most diverse cities in the nation.
It is also well-known to be a great place for families to raise their kids.
Irving features Las Colinas, a master planned urban center with mixed-use residential buildings, Fortune 500 companies, restaurants, and retail stores all centered in one vibrant hub.
11. Grapevine
Population: 55,281
Cost of Living Index: 19% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $487,576
Location: Check on Google Maps
Grapevine, Texas is located right on Grapevine Lake and is about 25 minutes from downtown Dallas.
It is also very close to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which makes it an excellent location for frequent travelers.
Meanwhile, the city itself feels more like a small town than a large suburb. There is a vibrant Main Street in the downtown district of Grapevine that offers many things to do as well as numerous dining options to try.
There are also many hiking and biking trails around the lake for outdoor lovers to enjoy.
10. Southlake
Population: 32,376
Cost of Living Index: 61% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $1,047,548
Location: Check on Google Maps
Southlake is an exclusive neighborhood right next to Grapevine that also sits right on Grapevine Lake.
It is known for its safety, with crime rates that are over 70% below the state average, as well as its excellent school system, which earned an A+ rating from Areavibes.
Southlake also has a walkable town square, where you can find numerous restaurants, cafes, and boutiques.
9. University Park
Population: 24,985
Cost of Living Index: 133% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $1,792,211
Location: Check on Google Maps
University Park is one of the most expensive, but also one of the best places to live in North Texas. The average home here is valued at almost $2 million, but the residents here get to enjoy a great mix of community, exclusivity, and proximity to Dallas.
Downtown Dallas is just 15 minutes south of University Park, which gets its name as the home of Southern Methodist University.
Of course, there are also numerous parks around the city, including Curtis Park, which is located right in the heart of the city, and Williams Park.
8. Dallas
Population: 1,343,573
Cost of Living Index: 7% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $294,603
Location: Check on Google Maps
No list of the best cities in North Texas can be complete without Dallas. It represents the epicenter of great entertainment and diverse urban living within the region.
Dallas is packed with things to do, such as museums like the The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and Dallas Museum of Art, and sports teams to watch such as the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars right downtown.
There is also the beautiful Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens and Trammell Crow Park that are both nestled in the heart of the city.
Dallas is also quite affordable for a big city, with average homes here around $300,000 according to Zillow.
7. Arlington
Population: 398,854
Cost of Living Index: 1% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $300,723
Location: Check on Google Maps
Arlington is located right in between Dallas and Fort Worth and offers an affordable, yet amenity-filled city to live within North Texas.
The city is home to the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys as well as Six Flags over Texas.
Additionally, Arlington features a mix of quiet suburban neighborhoods and an energetic college town atmosphere as the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington is located here as well.
Best of all, it is a pretty affordable place to live, with a cost of living that is about the same as the state average, which itself is 8% lower than the rest of the US.
6. Plano
Population: 287,677
Cost of Living Index: 23% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $487,587
Location: Check on Google Maps
Many large companies have been relocating to Plano recently and it has become one of the best places to live in North Texas for those looking for a strong job market.
Major corporations like JP Morgan Chase, Toyota, Capital One, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company all have a large presence in the area.
As a result, Plano is also a very diverse city with restaurants that offer numerous types of cuisines and activities for all ages around the city.
It is also a great place for families, as the Plano school system is extremely well-rated and its crime rates are 33% lower than the Texas state average.
5. North Richland Hills
Population: 70,670
Cost of Living Index: 5% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $338,731
Location: Check on Google Maps
North Richland Hills is a suburb of Fort Worth that is about 15 minutes from downtown Fort Worth and 30 minutes from Dallas.
It is routinely mentioned as one of the best suburbs in North Texas to live in and offers an ideal blend of affordable housing, dining and shopping choices, and things to do around the city.
4. Fort Worth
Population: 909,585
Cost of Living Index: 1% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $292,552
Location: Check on Google Maps
Fort Worth is one of the best cities in North Texas and is also the most affordable place to live on this list. Its cost of living is right around the Texas state average, while its home prices here are still relatively cheap.
Additionally, Fort Worth offers an excellent mix of urban living with peaceful suburban neighborhoods so that you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
These factors have been driving Fort Worth’s steady expansion and it has become one of the fastest growing cities in the whole state.
3. Coppell
Population: 41,421
Cost of Living Index: 32% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $540,750
Location: Check on Google Maps
Coppell is a small city 30 minutes northwest of Dallas. It offers a tight-knit community that features amenities like farmers markets, large public parks, and a vibrant arts and entertainment scene.
It is also one of the safest cities on this list of the best places to live in North Texas. The crime rate in Coppell is about 40% lower than the rest of the state.
Meanwhile, its school system routinely receives high marks. For example, Coppell schools earned an A+ rating from Areavibes.
Coppell even made our most recent list of the best places to live in all of Texas.
2. Allen
Population: 105,623
Cost of Living Index: 22% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $488,998
Location: Check on Google Maps
Allen, Texas is a large suburb of Dallas that is located about 40 minutes north of downtown Dallas.
Many residents note how clean and beautiful Allen is. They also enjoy the numerous parks and walking trails that are located across the city.
There is also the Allen Event Center, a 6,000 seat arena that hosts hockey games, soccer games, concerts, and numerous regional events.
1. Frisco
Population: 200,490
Cost of Living Index: 30% Above Texas Average
Median Home Price: $620,921
Location: Check on Google Maps
Frisco tops our list as the best place to live in North Texas. It was even named the best city in the whole US by Money Magazine in 2018.
It can be found about 30 minutes north of Dallas and features a high quality of life and a well-rounded place to call home.
You can take a stroll around Downtown Frisco and visit one of the many locally-owned restaurants or shops on Main Street. Or, you can relax in one of the city’s numerous public parks.
Frisco is also one of the best cities in North Texas for families looking for a good school system. The quality of education here received an A+ grade from Areavibes.
Best Places to Live in North Texas – Summary
Overall, the best cities to live in North Texas are:
- Frisco
- Allen
- Coppell
- Fort Worth
- North Richland Hills
- Plano
- Arlington
- Dallas
- University Park
- Southlake
- Grapevine
- Irving
All of these places offer a high standard of living that will make you want to relocate to North Texas as soon as you can.
But don’t just take our word for it, go and visit some of these great cities and see which one fits your needs and lifestyle.