Living on the Cheap

Texas declared one of America's 10 cheapest places to live right now

Texas is one of the 10 cheapest places to live in the U.S.

Photo courtesy of Fort Worth CVB

Home prices may feel like they’re soaring in Texas, but a new ranking shows the overall cost of living in the Lone Star State is pretty reasonable.

In fact, Texas ranks ninth on CNBC’s new list of America’s 10 cheapest states to live in 2017.

“The rapid change in the Texas economy following the recent collapse of oil prices has been difficult for the Lone Star State, but the silver lining appears to be a substantial drop in the cost of living — merchants simply can’t charge as much these days,” CNBC says. Last year, Texas appeared at No. 21 on the list.

To illustrate the cost of living in each state, CNBC highlighted basic expenses for a state’s most expensive area. In Texas, CNBC identified the suburban area of Plano-Allen near Dallas as the most expensive.

Here are the costs for Plano-Allen:

Average home price: $337,651
Half gallon of milk: $1.63
T-bone steak: $10.26
Monthly energy bill: $160.65
Doctor’s office visit: $120.28

The average home price in Plano-Allen is the most expensive on the list, but the price of a doctor's visit and the cost of a juicy T-bone steak clock in lower than other some cities on the list.

Mississippi tops CNBC’s list of the cheapest states to live in 2017, followed by Indiana, Michigan, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Idaho, Tennessee, Kansas, Texas, and Kentucky.

“One of the most powerful ways to attract great workers is to provide them an affordable place to live. These 10 states certainly have that going for them,” CNBC says.

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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