affluent 'burbs

2 affluent Dallas suburbs have some of America's richest residents

An idyllic home in University Park, complete with matching fluffy white dog on porch.

Photo by Par Bengtsson

America's wealthy, increasingly, are turning away from behemoth cities like Los Angeles or New York City in favor of smaller suburbs and enclaves like Dallas neighbors University Park and Southlake.

So says a new household income study by GoBankingRates, which lists the two Dallas-Fort Worth towns among the wealthiest American suburbs in 2024.

University Park (bordered on the south by Highland Park and on the north, east, and west by Dallas) came out on top as the No. 6 wealthiest suburb in the nation, the report found, boasting the sixth-highest average household income out of all 50 cities in the report.

A University Park household makes an average income of $381,235 a year, and the typical home in the suburb is valued at over $2.3 million.

The town is no stranger to these kinds of richest-lists. In GoBankingRates' 2023 report that examined the wealthiest small American towns, University Park ranked No. 4 nationally.

There's much to like about the area, which is home to idyllic neighborhoods like Idlewild, Preston Place, and Caruth Hills. Residents love to tout its architectural variety, excellent schools, ample parks and green spaces, and proximity to popular destinations like Highland Park Village and Southern Methodist University.

1982 E Highland St., Southlake, mansion Southlake is home to some of the area's biggest homes. Photo courtesy of Engel & Völkers Dallas Southlake via Estately.com

Southlake ranked a little farther down the list, at No. 13, with the the average household making $360,078 annually. The report says the typical home in the suburb is worth more than $1.24 million.

The affluent Tarrant County city has many great local eateries, like the new Prohibition-style restaurant Volstead and pastry shop D'Caramel Patisserie , as well as gaming attractions, med spas, shopping at Southlake Town Square and Central Market, and more. Southlake-based global technology company Sabre was declared one of the best companies to work for in 2024.

Southlake is also home to 26-year-old Annette Addo-Yobo, the recently crowned Miss Texas 2024, who'll go on to compete in Miss America.

Elsewhere in Texas
University Park wasn't the only Texas suburb to earn a spot in the top 10. West University Place in Houston ranked three spots higher than University Park to claim No. 3, and Bellaire (located just west of West U.) ranked outside the top 10 as No. 25.

The report found the average household in West U. makes $403,845 a year, and the typical home is worth more than $1.6 million. In Bellaire, the average household income amounts to more than $294,605 a year, and the average house is valued at nearly $1.08 million.

The top 10 wealthiest suburbs in America are:

No. 1 – Scarsdale, New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey
No. 2 – Rye, New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey
No. 3 – West University Place, Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
No. 4 – Los Altos, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
No. 5 – Paradise Valley, Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona
No. 6 – University Park, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 7 – Hinsdale, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Illinois
No. 8 – Great Falls, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Virginia-Maryland
No. 9 – Orinda, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California
No. 10 – Wellesley, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts

GoBankingRates examined all cities in the U.S. with a minimum of 5,000 households and ranked them based on the highest average household income. The report provided additional details like which metropolitan area the cities are in, plus each city's typical home value in 2024.

The full report and its methodology can be found on gobankingrates.com.

bellaire dallas fort worth houston miss texas reports southlake suburbs university place west-university-place

Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

dallas fort worth thanksgiving wallethub rankings