Homebuyers doing their own research in finding a choice play to live in North Texas have found a big help with picking out a neighborhood.
Plano and Richardson, two cities that straddle U.S. 75, got high marks in Niche’s 2022 Best Places to Live in America rankings.
Niche, the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based platform that connects students and families with college and schools, creates the annual Best Places to Live rankings by using data from the U.S. Census, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Centers for Disease Control, combined with millions of resident reviews.
In categorizing 228 cities and 18,515 towns and neighborhoods, Niche also considers factors such as affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, area public schools, walkability, and more.
Plano ranked ninth, Richardson 12th, and Irving 40th in the best cities to live in America. In the same category, Denton ranked 56th, Dallas 80th, Arlington 89th, and Fort Worth 135th.
Plano, Richardson, and Irving also ranked as three of the best cities to buy a house in.
Luke Skurman, CEO and founder of Niche, said the pandemic triggered a new set of possibilities for homebuyers.
“Suddenly, many individuals and families found themselves more mobile than ever before, and in the past two years they have continued to think hard about where they really want to live,” he said in the report.
“Families wondering about an area’s school district, a major part of many relocation decisions, can also use our comprehensive school profiles and rankings to get a sense of what their child’s future school might be like.”
Plano, which makes a habit of making best-of lists, scored high because of its “dense suburban feel” and high rate of homeownership mixed with an abundance of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. It ranked fifth as the best place to buy a house.
“Many families and young professionals live in Plano and residents tend to have moderate political views,” according to the study.
Richardson rated high because it has “an urban suburban mix feel” with most residents owning their homes. It also scores about the same in business, parks, schools, and political views.
Drilling down further, Richardson’s Cottonwood Creek South and Heights Park neighborhoods ranked 1-2 nationally in best city neighborhoods to live in Texas. Canyon Creek South ranked fifth. Coppell, the Timberbrook neighborhood in Plano, University Park, and Southlake all ranked in the top 15.
Cottonwood Creek South ranked second in best neighborhood to live in America.
Report review: Niche is a data trove. It’s not just best places to live. Other categories will have you browsing for hours. 
