hot 'hoods

Dallas-area suburb ranks as 3rd best place to live in Texas in 2025

Coppell is the third best place to live in Texas, according to Niche.

City of Coppell, TX Municipal Government / Facebook

The Dallas-Fort Worth mid-city of Coppell has been ranked the third best place to live in Texas in 2025 by rankings and review website Niche.com.

The survey determined the best places to live in based on crime rates, public school rankings, the local cost of living, job opportunities, and more using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and others.

This isn't the first time Coppell has entered the limelight for its livability: Travel + Leisure ranked the city among its top five best American suburbs to live in for 2024.

In Niche's national rankings of the best places to live in the U.S., Coppell ranked 42nd overall.

The city is situated about 20 miles northwest of downtown Dallas, directly north of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

The suburb boasts a population of more than 42,000 residents, and Niche gave it an "A-plus" rating thanks to its family friendliness, its high-ranking public schools, job market, nightlife, and more.

"Living in Coppell offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents own their homes," Niche says. "In Coppell there are a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many families live in Coppell and residents tend to have moderate political views."

Coppell is also home to a shiny brand new Trader Joe's, which is the newest location from the national cult-favorite grocery chain to open in Dallas-Fort Worth since 2012.

Despite it's bustling population, many residents praise the city's close-knit community feel.

"Coppell is a beautiful, quiet and crime free suburb out of Dallas," one reviewer wrote. "Very close to all kinds of amenities and restaurants. University of North Texas, Dallas is close by and couple of other colleges which is wonderful for us since we are a family of 6. The rush hour traffic could be nuisance at times."

A Coppell home is worth a median $525,300, which is far higher than the national median home value of $303,400. Median rent prices land are just under $1,900 per month.

Coppell was the only Dallas-Fort Worth suburb to make it into the top 10 best places to live in Texas, with several others earning spots among the top 25: University Park (No. 12); Colleyville (No. 13); Frisco's Preston Highlands neighborhood (No. 13); Southlake (No. 15); Frisco proper (No. 18); Flower Mound (No. 19); Timberbrook in Plano (No. 20); and Richardson's Canyon Creek North (No. 24) and Sherrill Park North/Foxboro Addition (No. 25) neighborhoods.

The top 10 best neighborhoods to live in Texas in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Cinco Ranch in Houston
No. 2 – Triangle State in Austin
No. 3 – Coppell
No. 4 – Alamo Heights, San Antonio
No. 5 – The Woodlands
No. 6 – Sugar Land
No. 7 – Taylor Lake Village, Houston
No. 8 – Museum Park, Houston
No. 9 – Neartown - Montrose, Houston
No. 10 – Midtown Houston

neighborhoods rankings real estate suburbs dallas coppell

Shopping in the 'burbs

Retail boom in fast-growing Forney fueled by massive mixed-use development

Photo courtesy of The Village at Gateway

The Village at Gateway is a booming retail complex in Forney.

Frisco's not the only North Texas city experiencing a retail explosion right now. Forney's getting in on the action, too.

A Dick’s Sporting Goods store will join EVO Entertainment and other new tenants at The Village at Gateway mixed-use development in the booming Kaufman County city, according to a release.

Dick’s hasn’t announced an opening date for the 60,000-square-foot store. The retailer operates more than 10 locations in DFW.

The 82,000-square-foot EVO location will be an all-in-one entertainment venue. Think Dave & Buster’s meets Alamo Drafthouse. (Fun facts: Dave & Buster’s headquarters is in Coppell, while Alamo Drafthouse is based in Austin.)

The Forney venue will feature:

Nine movie theaters, including one IMAX auditorium and two EVX auditoriums
A full-service bar and restaurant
An upper-level lounge area
Event and conference spaces
22 bowling lanes
More than 125 arcade games
Rock-climbing walls
A multilevel ropes course
Bumper cars
Laser tag

An opening date for the EVO location hasn’t been set, although EVO previously said it would be ready this fall. It’ll be the first North Texas venue operated by Austin-based EVO after locations in Addison, Southlake, and Waxahachie rebranded as Hooky Entertainment under new ownership.

Construction of the EVO venue kicked off in January.

EVO Entertainment Group Kyle EVO construction is underway in Forney. EVO Entertainment Group Facebook

Developed by Dallas-based StreetLevel Investments, the Village at Gateway also will welcome other new tenants such as:

Luna Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant (October opening date).
Forney Nail Bar (October opening date).
Handel’s Ice Cream (future opening date).
Costa Vida, a Mexican restaurant (future opening date).

“The Village at Gateway is an exciting milestone for Forney, bringing new jobs, shopping, and dining opportunities while continuing to strengthen our local economy,” Forney Mayor Jason Roberson says in the release.

Tenants already open at the 152-acre development include:

Target
Home Depot
H-E-B
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Five Below
Burlington
Ross Dress for Less
James Avery
Bath & Body Works

“Forney is one of the fastest‑growing communities in the Dallas area, with exceptional schools, strong employment, and a rapidly expanding population — yet it has long been underserved when it comes to convenient, high‑quality retail and dining,” says Brian Murphy, managing principal at StreetLevel Investments.

From April 2020 to July 2025, Forney’s population soared by 79 percent to nearly 41,700, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in North Texas and the U.S.

A report released in January 2025 by OpenDoor revealed Forney’s 75126 ZIP code claimed the No. 6 ranking as the hottest U.S. housing market in 2024 for the second year in a row. It was the only North Texas ZIP code to make the top 10.

Forney failed to crack the top 10 in OpenDoor’s 2026 report, though. The only DFW ZIP code appearing in the latest top 10 is McKinney’s 75071, landing at No. 8.

forney retail shopping