Suburb news

Dallas neighbor beckons movers as top U.S. suburb with small-town feel

Wylie's downtown district comes to life during the annual Bluegrass on Ballard car show.

Discover Wylie/Facebook

An unexpected Dallas-Fort Worth neighbor has emerged as a top destination for Americans searching for a suburb with a "small-town feel."

Wylie, a city less than 30 miles from downtown Dallas, ranked as the No. 7 most highly sought-after U.S. suburb of 2025 in MoveBuddha's new national survey.

MoveBuddha's experts analyzed Zillow Home Value Index data and mover search data from August 1, 2024 to September 11, 2025 for 100 of the largest U.S. metro areas. The study then determined the most desirable suburb for each metro by analyzing which had the highest inbound-to-outbound move ratio. Cities that qualified as "suburbs" were those located about 31 miles from their main metros.

In addition to being recognized as the 7th most desirable American suburb, Wylie also ranked as the second-most desirable suburb to move to in Texas. Boerne, a city outside San Antonio, ranked as the No.1 most sought after Texas suburb and the 4th most desirable suburb in the nation.

Wylie specifically stood out among four U.S. suburbs that offer residents a "small-town feel" despite being on the far edge of the Dallas metro.

"While not every top suburb is quaint or historic, in general, the most desirable suburbs nationwide are those with their own unique personalities and strong lifestyle appeal, regardless of their commute times," the report said.

Wylie isn't just being sought out by suburbanites that want to live in a small city with more space; No Demo Reno stars Mike and Jenn Todryk opened a coffee shop in this buzzy suburb earlier in 2025. And there's plenty of other local businesses all adding to "Wide Awake Wylie's" charm.

"Ballard Avenue, Wylie’s 'Main Street,' is home to vibrant shops, such as Shoemaker & Hardt, with its wide array of coffees and unique gifts; Rick’s Home Store, where hand-crafted wood and leather merchandise can be found; and family-owned Wylie Flower & Gifts, the oldest retail business in town, where the staff can handle everything from a small get-well bouquet to a full-scale wedding," the city's website says.

The average home in Wylie is valued at $434,593, landing somewhere in the middle in the national comparison of the most desirable suburbs with the cheapest home values.

Elsewhere in Texas, Georgetown was deemed the most desirable Austin suburb and ranked 27th nationally, while Houston neighbor The Woodlands ranked as No. 48 nationwide. Edinburg, a South Texas city outside McAllen, ranked as the No. 42 most desirable suburb in America.

"In the end, America’s most popular suburbs are proving that big moves don’t always mean big cities," the report said. "Sometimes they mean big charm, with moderate prices, with some proximity to mid-sized metros. And if trends continue, the popularity of these spots — and their housing prices — will only continue to climb in 2026."

The top 10 most sought-after suburbs in America are:

No. 1 – Wake Forest, North Carolina
No. 2 – Eagle, Idaho
No. 3 – Maryvile, Tennessee
No. 4 – Boerne, Texas
No. 5 – Greer, South Carolina
No. 6 – Camas, Washington
No. 7 – Wylie, Texas
No. 8 – Summerville, South Carolina
No. 9 – Alex, North Carolina
No. 10 – Florence, Kentucky

suburbs wylie dallas movebuddha reports

Royal Flip

Chip and Joanna Gaines find buyer for $2.7M Fixer Upper castle in Waco

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

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Texas' king and queen of home renovations, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are done lording over their 136-year-old castle in Waco. The stars of TV’s Fixer Upper have found a buyer for Cottonland Castle, Mansion Global reported. The sale is pending.

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot castle, in Waco's historic and affluent Castle Heights neighborhood, at nearly $2.7 million. They bought the property in 2019, when it carried a $425,000 price tag.

The castle, with a sandstone and limestone facade, is modeled after a German castle along the Rhine River.

Chip and Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines are preparing to hand over the keys to their castle. Facebook Magnolia Network

The duo spent several years restoring the castle to revive its original character. That work became the foundation for their six-part 2022 series Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle. They opened it to the public for guided tours and introduced Magnolia brand tie-ins, like a “Colors of the Castle” paint collection.

“People love things that are nostalgic. They love things that are antique-looking, and I want this place to feel like it did in 1915,” Joanna said during an episode of Fixer Upper. “Whether you walked into the space in 1915 or today, it has that same feeling of history and love and beauty and castle-ship.”

A year after the series aired, the castle failed to sell at auction, according to Mansion Global. It went on the market in June. Amanda Nesbitt of Magnolia Realty, the real estate brokerage founded by the Gaineses, has the listing.

The three-story castle offers “a seamless blend of historic grandeur and modern functionality,” according to the listing.

That grandeur includes millwork, antique tile floors, diamond-paned windows and seven ornate fireplaces. The four-bedroom property features three-and-a-half bathrooms, a formal dining room, a great room, a card room, a library and a conservatory.

All furnishings, accessories and decor “have been thoughtfully curated to complement the home’s design,” the listing says, and are included in the sale.

The castle has a rocky modern history.

Jack Schwan bought the property in 1969 for $50,000, according to the Waco Welcome Center.

Over the years, the Schwan family made many repairs and renovations. The family tried to sell the castle in 1982; they thought it was worth close to $1.25 million following the overhaul. In 1991, the property sold only after a drastic price cut.

“Over the next two decades, the home passed through various owners’ hands and fell into disrepair. Many owners found the castle too large and in need of too much maintenance to be a financially feasible home,” according to the Waco Welcome Center.

The castle sold again in 2014, and a group led by Oxford scholar Dirk Obbink tackled renovation work. The Gaineses bought it five years later, after it had been neglected and abandoned.

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