Best Place to Raise a Family: 3 Texas Hill Country Cities Made the List

The mortgage company SmartAsset.com looked at 87 cities in Texas with a population of 25,000 people or larger and ranked them for the best place to raise a family. The study looked at poverty rate, monthly housing cost, medium income, housing appreciation rates, graduation rates, students taking the Advanced Placement exams, (and percentage of those that got a 3 or above on those tests) percentage of the population younger than 20, unemployment rate, and crime rates. Of the ten cities chosen, three are located in the Texas Hill Country:

1. Leander, Texas

Photo: Facebook/Leander Chamber of Commerce

This Austin suburb offers some of the best education opportunities. The city has a graduation rate of 96 percent, which is the seventh-highest rate in the study. And kids here aren’t just graduating – they are excelling. About 33 percent of students take at least one AP exam, and over 73 percent of students who took an AP exam scored a three or greater. For both of those metrics, Leander ranks in the top 10.

2. Georgetown, Texas

Photo: Facebook/Georgetown Parks and Recreation

Georgetown is famous for being home to the oldest college in Texas, Southwestern University, and the website’s data shows that it is also one of the best cities in Texas to raise a family. This city has top 10 scores in five different metrics. Most notably, Georgetown residents have seen a 14 percent growth in the value of their homes from 2011 to 2015 – the largest growth in the top 10. One thing to be aware of if you’re buying in Georgetown is that the Lone Star State has some of the highest property taxes in the country.

3. Round Rock, Texas

Photo: Facebook/Round Rock Chamber

If you are looking to raise your family in the greater Austin area, it is hard to beat Round Rock. This city is known for having a strong education system and the data backs that up. Round Rock graduates 94 percent of its students and has top five scores in both percentages of students taking AP exams and percentages of students who score well on AP exams. Round Rock is also relatively affordable compared to other cities in the top 10. The median monthly housing cost is $1,250, which is the second-lowest in the top 10.

To see the complete list of cities chosen as the best places to raise a family in Texas, visit the website for SmartAsset.