List News

Laid-back Dallas suburb named 5th best in U.S. by Travel + Leisure

Coppell is the No. 2 best suburb to live in Texas, and No. 5 nationwide.

City of Coppell, TX Municipal Government / Facebook

The Dallas-Fort Worth city of Coppell has new bragging rights: It was declared the No. 5 best American suburb to live in by a recent Travel + Leisure report.

The report analyzed feedback from Realtors and data from "recent livability rankings" to determine the 10 best U.S. suburbs with the most "affordable housing, top-rated schools, and excellent job opportunities."

Johns Creek, Georgia (located 30 miles outside Atlanta) claimed the title as the No. 1 best American suburb to live in. The Houston suburb of Cinco Ranch came in at No. 2.

Coppell was described in the report as a quieter alternative to the hustle and bustle of Dallas-Fort Worth, with average value of a home at more than $643,000 in July. The suburb's hot housing market means available homes go from on sale to pending in just six days, according to the Zillow Home Values Index.

Coppell's status as a commuter city, and its residents' laid-back lifestyles, are two of the main reasons families flock to the city over any others in Dallas-Fort Worth, the report said.

"[Coppell is] conveniently located within a short distance to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and makes a wonderful location for those who travel for business and pleasure," said Deb Borrell, executive vice president of relocation at Allie Beth Allman & Associates, in the report.

Coppell Arts Center is a great place to take the kids during the weekend. Photo courtesy of Coppell Arts Center

Families can also take advantage of the many high-ranking schools in Coppell Independent School District, which are some of the best public high schools in Texas, according to Niche.

"Today, half of all Americans live in suburbs of different densities, driven by rising costs in cities plus a desire for more space and a laid-back lifestyle," the report said. "Because of that shift, suburbs are now more racially diverse than ever, offering a wide range of amenities like excellent restaurants, shops, and entertainment, but also top-rated public schools, medical centers, and recreational facilities."

The city has an active arts and entertainment scene, thanks to the always-busy Coppell Arts Center and nearby Sound at Cypress Waters. NBA star Monta Ellis recently opened a new elite basketball academy in Coppell. And its dining and shopping scene is newly buzzy, with a new kind of ramen restaurant choosing Coppell for its local debut, and a Trader Joe's grocery store and Tim Horton's coffee-and-doughnut shop on the way.

Dallas suburbs have been on a roll in national surveys lately: Flower Mound recently ranked the No. 29 most livable small U.S. city; University Park and Southlake were listed among the wealthiest American suburbs; and McKinney was just ranked the No. 4 best city in the nation for renters.

The top 10 best suburbs to live in, according to Travel + Leisure, are:

No. 1 – Johns Creek, Georgia
No. 2 – Cinco Ranch, Texas
No. 3 – Okemos, Michigan
No. 4 – North Bethesda, Maryland
No. 5 – Coppell, Texas
No. 6 – Brookline, Massachusetts
No. 7 – Brentwood, Mississippi
No. 8 – Carmel, Indiana
No. 9 – Short Pump, Virginia
No. 10 – Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania

The full report can be found on travelandleisure.com.

real estate suburbs rankings dallas fort worth coppell

homebuying news

Texas ranks among the top 20 markets for homebuyers under 35

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

In 2025, Texas had more mortgage applicants under 35 years old than any other state in the country, the report found.

The Lone Star State is emerging as a top destination for young adult homebuyers, a new report has confirmed, with nearly 23 percent of all mortgage applications submitted by individuals under 35 years old.

Texas ranked No. 18 in SmartAsset's new study, "Where Young Adults are House Hunting," making it one of the most sought-after U.S. states "where the next generation of homeowners may be gaining the strongest foothold."

To determine where younger Americans are most actively pursuing homeownership, SmartAsset's analysts examined mortgage application data in all 50 states in 2025, and calculated the share of applications filed by buyers younger than 35 relative to all applicants.

A total 259,737 Texas homebuyers under 35 submitted mortgage applications in the last year alone — making Texas the state with the highest number of young adult applications in the country.

California and Florida, respectively, had the second- and third-highest numerical rate of young adult homebuyers with 170,434 and 159,429 applications in each state. But they still ranked at the bottom of the national list with the lowest percentage of young adult applications relative to all applicants in 2025 — at 14.7 and 14.8 percent.

North Dakota leads the nation as the top state for young homeowners with over 28 percent of all mortgage applications in 2025 submitted by homebuyers under 35, making up 6,551 applications.

SmartAsset also revealed something many homeowners might already know: younger Americans are more likely to pursue homeownership in states with lower housing costs.

"In each of the four states with the highest share of mortgage applications from adults younger than 35, the typical home value is less than $300,000: North Dakota (No. 1), West Virginia (No. 2), Nebraska (No. 3) and Iowa (No. 4)," the report's author wrote.

In Texas, the typical home is worth $302,187, which is the 18th highest in the U.S. Meanwhile, West Virginia and Mississippi are the only two states with home values under $200,000, the lowest nationwide.

Young potential homebuyers looking for a home in Dallas need to make about $83,000 to afford a starter home. Many surrounding suburbs also have high appeal for first-time homebuyers, such as McKinney and Plano, which offer a high quality of life for homeowners that want to start a family.

High home prices aren't the only challenges keeping young Americans from becoming homeowners, the report said. Other challenges like high interest rates and limited supply are also plaguing would-be homebuyers.

"According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, nearly 9 in 10 younger Americans say it is harder for them to buy a home than it was for their parents," the report said. "Nonetheless, younger buyers continue to aspire to homeownership, navigating an uneven landscape of affordability and opportunity."

real estate homebuying housing market smartasset reports