THE WOODLANDS, Texas — For the second straight year, The Woodlands has been named the second-best city to live in America.
The small suburb north of Houston is one of only two Texas spots to make the top 10 on niche.com‘s rankings of 229 U.S. cities.
Plano, north of Dallas, landed in the sixth spot.
The Woodlands is known for its pretty scenery, parks, waterfront shops and restaurants and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, an outdoor concert venue.
With a population of just nearly 117,000, it has that small-city feel but offers easy access to the hustle and bustle of Houston.
Niche.com gave The Woodlands an overall grade of A+ based on its scores in the following categories.
- Public schools: A+
- Good for families: A+
- Jobs: A+
- Outdoor activities: A-
- Health and fitness: A-
- Diversity: A-
- Housing: B+
- Nightlife: B+
- Weather: B+
- Cost of living: B
- Commute: B
The Woodlands also ranked second-best city to raise a family, third-best city to buy a house, fourth-best city for public schools and seventh-best city to retire.
Top 10 best cities to live in America
- Naperville, IL
- The Woodlands, TX
- Cambridge, MA
- Arlington, VA
- Irvine, CA
- Plano, TX
- Columbia, MD
- Overland Park, KS
- Bellevue, WA
- Berkeley, CA
Top 10 best places to live in Houston
- Cinco Ranch
- The Woodlands
- Sugar Land
- Taylor Lake Village
- Museum Park
- Neartown-Montrose
- Midtown
- Washington Ave. Coalition / Memorial Park
- Memorial
- Bellaire