community care

Plano shows its kind side as the 17th most caring city in America

Participating in toy drives in the local community is one way Plano shows its caring side.

Collin County Toys for Tots / Facebook

The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, in part, because it brings out a spirit of kindness toward others. But one North Texas city shows its heart all year long: Plano comes in at No. 17 in a new WalletHub study of the most caring cities in America.

Plano was ranked among 100 of the most populated U.S. cities across 38 metrics in three main categories: caring for the local community, caring for the vulnerable, and caring in the workforce. Factors that determined Plano's top-20 rank include the share of residents' income donated to charity; the number of volunteering hours per capita; the share of sheltered homeless people; the number of residents who work in community and social services per capita; and more.

Plano performed the best in the caring for the community (No. 7) and caring for the vulnerable (No. 11) categories, but has some work to do when it comes to caring in the workforce, where the city ranked No. 71.

The key to being a caring city, according to WalletHub analyst Cassandra Hype, is to develop a partnership between the city's government and its residents.

"The government can implement high-level measures like sheltering the homeless, reducing crime and protecting workers," Happe said. "Residents show that they care for their neighbors by donating time and money, being environmentally friendly and taking jobs that help others."

A few ways North Texans can show their kind side no matter the time of year include volunteering at food pantries, schools, or local libraries; donating to food pantries and charitable organizations; and doing favors for neighbors.

Participating in toy or clothing drives, such as the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program or Collin County's Toys for Tots, during the holidays is another way to show mindfulness to families and children in need in our own hometowns.

Plano was the highest ranked Texas city, with Austin (No. 46) and Irving (No. 48) barely skirting into the top 50. Other North Texas cities that earned spots in the report include Garland (No. 54), Fort Worth (No. 63), Arlington (No. 69), and Dallas (No. 83).

The top 10 most caring U.S. cities, according to WalletHub, are:

No. 1 – Madison, Wisconsin
No. 2 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 3 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
No. 4 – New York, New York
No. 5 – San Diego, California
No. 6 – Chesapeake, Virginia
No. 7 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 8 – Fremont, California
No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
No. 10 – Scottsdale, Arizona

The full report can be found on wallethub.com.

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A+ for Plano

Surprising Dallas suburb makes new list of best college towns in U.S.

Southern Methodist University students at a football game

Southern Methodist University/Facebook

Dallas knows how to show out.

Dallas' spirited neighbor Plano has entered the spotlight as the No. 16 best midsize college town in the U.S., while Dallas ranks among the best largest college towns, a new study by WalletHub has proclaimed.

While Plano might not be thought of as a "college town," it is home to primary campuses of Collin College (Spring Creek Campus and the Courtyard Center); Collin College has an annual enrollment of over 60,000 students. To qualify for the study, a city must have a university or college population of at least 7,500 students.

To determine the best college towns, WalletHub analyzed 415 cities based on their "wallet-friendliness," social environment, and academic and economic opportunities for college graduates. Cities are ranked overall and are sorted into one of three population categories: large, midsize, and small cities.

Several North Texas cities were represented across the three rankings by population, but none ranked higher than Plano. This Dallas suburb ranked as the 54th best college town in the nation overall, and ranks as the third-best college town in Texas.

Out of the three key dimensions, Plano ranked highest for its academic and economic opportunities – landing 25th nationally. This category analyzed Plano's quality of higher education, the earning potential for college graduates, unemployment rates, job growth rates, the share of part-time jobs and median income of part-time workers, and more.

In the remaining two categories for its "social environment" and "wallet friendliness," Plano respectively ranked 223rd and 271st nationwide. The social environment ranking compared the number of students per capita, the share of single people, crime rates, and the number of cafés, breweries, festivals, and shopping centers per capita, among others; the wallet-friendliness category examined local housing costs, student loan debt per person, the adjusted cost of living for young people, and other financial factors.

"As student living expenses can reach over $39,000 per year, it’s important to find the most bang for your buck," the report's author wrote. "Therefore, it’s best to live in a city with a reasonable cost of living, along with good academic and work opportunities. The ideal city should also provide a fun social environment to help students deal with the stress of college."

Dallas ranked as the 35th best large college town in the U.S., and it ranked 108th overall regardless of city size.

This is how the rest of North Texas fared in the report:

Denton – No. 77 overall, No. 23 among midsize cities
Fort Worth – No. 100 overall, No. 31 among large cities
McKinney – No. 110 overall, No. 31 among midsize cities
Richardson – No. 139 overall, No. 57 among small cities
Irving – No. 141 overall, No. 39 among midsize cities
Carrollton – No. 150 overall, No. 42 among midsize cities
Arlington – No. 189 overall, No. 53 among large cities
Grand Prairie – No. 230 overall, No. 71 among midsize cities
Garland – No. 265 overall, No. 83 among midsize cities
Mesquite – No. 317 overall, No. 111 among midsize cities

Other top college towns in Texas
Austin once again topped the list as the No. 1 best college town in America, boosted by the city's wealth of local colleges and universities and the local economy. The Capital City has outshone obvious contenders like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, for five years in a row, and it also tops the large cities list.

According to the report's findings, Austin has the 15th best academic and economic opportunities for college students and graduates, and the 16th best social environment. WalletHub commends Austin for having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and the "34th-best annual job growth rate," while also offering students ample ways to "de-stress after class."

"On top of that, Austin ranks 22nd in the nation for the quality of higher education among more than 400 cities in our study," the report said. "It also has the 112th-cheapest in-state tuition (including room and board), at $34,651 per year."

Four other cities in the Lone Star State appeared on the overall list of America's best college towns: College Station (No. 37), San Antonio (No. 72), Houston (No. 73), and Lubbock (No. 83).

In the rankings by city size, San Antonio ranked as the No. 2 best large college town in Texas and 23rd in the U.S., with Houston right behind as the third-best statewide and 24th nationwide.

San Marcos, a college town between Austin and San Antonio, ranked as the No. 2 best small college town in Texas, and 54th best among the small colleges nationally. In the overall list regardless of city size, San Marcos ranked 132nd nationally.

The top 10 best college towns in America for 2027 are:

No. 1 – Austin
No. 2 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 3 – Charlottesville, Virginia
No. 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 5 – Atlanta
No. 6 – Tampa, Florida
No. 7 – San Diego
No. 8 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 9 – Orlando
No. 10 – Charleston, South Carolina

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