Get Out While You Can

Texas makes pitiful showing on list of America's best small towns

Plano and Denton were the only Texas towns to make the list of America's 100 best towns to live in — perhaps due to lack of corn.

City of Plano/Facebook

We Texans have grown rather accustomed to our best status in the world of lists (although sometimes it's nothing to brag about). But a recent survey detailing the best small and medium-sized cities to live in found that only two Texas towns made the top 100.

They are both in North Texas, so we suppose of that we can be proud — sort of. According to Livability.com, Denton is the 55th most livable small or medium-sized town in America. Plano ranked 86th.

The study narrowed the towns to those with populations between 20,000 and 350,000 and looked at the factors of economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and healthcare.

Plano scored well in healthcare and infrastructure while Denton was solid across the board. Palo Alto, California, earned the highest livability score thanks to a thriving tech economy, mild weather and the Stanford campus. Boulder, Colorado, and Berkeley, California, rounded out the top three.

In all, California carried 27 of the 100 spots. Meanwhile, Florida had eight cities on the list; Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Gainesville, Orlando and Tallahassee all placed above Denton, because apparently the survey didn't look into how much people do or do not enjoy being eaten by alligators or living in 100 percent humidity all the time.

Corn also appears to be an important factor in livability, as Iowa scored five spots, including the power duo of Des Moines and West Des Moines. Oh, and Montana and Utah both had three spots on the list because, well, sure.

To generate its list, Livability.com and its partners, the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto and Ipsos Public Affairs, looked at data from public resources, including the U.S. Census Bureau as well as private sources such as Ersi and Walk Score.

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Fight This Fly

Wildlife officials warn Texans to keep eye out for new invasive worm

U.S. Department of Agriculture/aphis.usda.gov

The the New World Screwworm (NWS) is a parasite that turns into a fly.

An invasive species is crawling towards Texas and wildlife officials are warning Texans to keep an eye out: It's called the New World Screwworm, and it's been detected in Mexico, with a trajectory headed north.

According to a release from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, a worm was found in a cow at an inspection checkpoint in the southern Mexico State of Chiapas, close to the border with Guatemala — following its progressively northward movement through both South and Central Americas.

As a protective measure, officials are asking those along the southern Texas border to monitor wildlife, livestock, and pets for clinical signs of the New World Screwworm (NWS) and report potential cases immediately.

Clinical signs may include:

Irritated or depressed behavior
Loss of appetite
Head shaking
Smell of decaying flesh
Presence of fly larvae (maggots) in wounds
Isolation from other animals or people

They are called screwworms because they screw into the flesh, worsening injuries and causing a painful condition called NWS myiasis. Flies lay eggs in open wounds or orifices such as nostrils, eyes, or mouth. These eggs hatch into parasitic larvae. The maggots burrow or screw into flesh with sharp mouth hooks. Wounds can become larger, and an infestation can often cause serious damage or death.

After feeding, larvae drop to the ground, burrow into the soil and emerge as adult NWS flies. Adult NWS flies can fly long distances and the movement of infested livestock or wildlife can increase the rate of spread.

NWS primarily infests livestock but can also affect humans and wildlife including deer and birds.

This is not the screwworm's first rodeo. The parasite was last eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, with costly efforts by federal and state animal health officials, livestock producers, and veterinary practitioners. Eradication efforts have continued in Central America, but the pest is widespread in Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and South American countries.

Travelers to those areas should clean and cover all wounds and use insect repellent on outdoor clothing.

Anyone who suspects signs in wildlife of NWS should report their findings immediately to a local wildlife biologist. Reports about livestock should be directed to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Brianna Caleri contributed to this story.

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