Austin, TX

Austin is the best college town in America, study says. See where your Texas town ranks

Published

1 year ago

October 29, 2024

Austin is the best college town in America, study says. See where your Texas town ranks

Sorry, Lubbock, Dallas, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and everyone else — Austin has been named the best college town in the country. But don’t worry; several Texas cities scored high in other categories.

A great college experience depends on a variety of factors, such as students’ living expenses, academic and employment opportunities, and social environment. A WalletHub analysis considered these to determine the best college towns in America for 2025.

“Picking the right college is crucial, but it’s also important to make sure that the surrounding college town will be a place where you’ll truly love spending your college years,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo explained. “Towns with a low cost of living, plenty of activities and large student populations can make your college experience a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. In addition, cities with a great economic environment can make it easier to get a job during or immediately after college.”

WalletHub gathered data on more than 400 U.S. cities based on 31 academic, social and economic indicators.

How did Texas cities rank among others? Here’s a breakdown.

People are also reading: These 5 Texas universities rank among top 100 US News best colleges for 2025. See list

LIST: Top 5 college towns in America

Joining Austin among the top five college towns were two in Florida, one in Michigan and one in North Carolina:

Austin
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Orlando, Fla.
Tampa, Fla.
Raleigh, N.C.

Austin scores high in academic, economic opportunities and social environment

Overall, Austin scored 65.16 points out of 100 and ranked 14th for academic and economic opportunities. The Texas capital has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and claims the fifth-best annual job growth rate.

The capital of Texas also ranked high (17th) for its social environment. It has plenty of attractions, sports clubs and shopping centers to help students relax from the stress of a classroom. Did we mention Austin also has one of the lowest average prices for pizza? Students can also participate in or watch several top-level sports teams.

Austin ranks 17th for its quality of higher education. And with an annual average of $30,138, it has the 49th cheapest in-state tuition (including room and board).

However, like several high-ranking cities, Austin was somewhere in the middle in terms of wallet friendliness (191 out of 415).

Read more: UT-Austin ranks second in best Texas colleges, study shows. See which school ranks first

Brownsville has lowest cost of living for young people

Brownsville claimed the cheapest cost of living for college-age people, according to the WalletHub analysis. Its cost was three times lower than that of Stanford, the college town with the highest cost of living. Five California towns tied for the highest cost of living for this demographic: Stanford, Sunnyvale, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Santa Clara.

The college towns with the lowest cost of living for young people are as follows:

Brownsville
Springfield, Mo.
Lansing, Mich.
Jackson, Miss.
Cleveland

College Station is fourth-best small college town

The WalletHub analysis also categorized U.S. college towns by size. While Austin was named the best large college town, College Station ranked fourth among small college towns.

However, some other Texas cities ranked low among the roughly 200 small college towns, including Huntsville (157th), Beaumont (155th), San Angelo (149th) and Nacogdoches (144th).

LIST: Best and worst college towns in Texas

Here’s how Texas college towns ranked overall:

Austin (1st overall)
College Station (23rd overall)
Houston (54th overall)
San Antonio (81st overall)
Fort Worth (86th overall)
Dallas (98th overall)
San Marcos (100th overall)
Killeen (102nd overall)
Bryan (109th overall)
McAllen (122nd overall)
Carrollton (124th overall)
Corpus Christi (134th overall)
Pasadena (135th overall)
Lubbock (136th overall)
Laredo (156th overall)
McKinney (165th overall)
Brownsville (166th overall)
Denton (168th overall)
Amarillo (170th overall)
El Paso (176th overall)
Waco (177th overall)
Irving (182nd overall)
Arlington (209th overall)
Garland (218th overall)
Grand Prairie (226th overall)
Pearland (237th overall)
Richardson (248th overall)
Wichita Falls (250th overall)
Tyler (262nd overall)
Edinburg (292nd overall)
Abilene (317th overall)
Mesquite (325th overall)
Nacogdoches (327th overall)
San Angelo (339th overall)
Beaumont (355th overall)
Huntsville (359th overall)

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Austin, TX

Fire destroys abandoned E Austin auto shop

Published

2 hours ago

December 12, 2025

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Fire destroys abandoned E Austin auto shop

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin firefighters battled their second major fire Thursday afternoon, responding to an abandoned East Austin auto shop engulfed in flames.

Crews responded to 3100 Manor Road around 4 p.m., AFD said.

No injuries were reported and no one was inside the building.

ALSO | 40+ residents displaced in North Austin third-alarm apartment fire, no injuries reported

The incident was called in as a first alarm. The building is a total loss, according to officials.

CBS Austin has a crew on the way to the scene.

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Earlier in the afternoon, firefighters extinguished a three-alarm fire in north Austin.

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Austin, TX

Austin road rage suspect identified, charged with criminal mischief: affidavit

Published

14 hours ago

December 11, 2025

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Austin road rage suspect identified, charged with criminal mischief: affidavit

AUSTIN, Texas – The suspect in a violent road rage incident on the Capital of Texas Highway has been identified and charged, according to court paperwork.

The altercation was caught on camera.

What we know:

34-year-old Ian Kevin Brinkmeyer has been charged with criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor, in connection with the Dec. 5 incident.

At around 2 p.m. that day, officers responded to a call for service on Capital of Texas Highway, where they spoke with Brinkmeyer and another man.

The affidavit says Brinkmeyer “engaged in a road rage” with the other man while traveling north on Capital of Texas Highway. Brinkmeyer drove around the other man, changed lanes in front of him and cut him off before stopping his car.

Brinkmeyer then allegedly got out of his vehicle holding a “steel knife sharpening rod”, walked over to the other man’s car and struck the driver’s side door window with the rod, shattering the entire window.

The affidavit says Brinkmeyer then quickly walked back to his car and drove off.

The entire incident was caught on video by other drivers and posted on social media.

The affidavit says that the repairs to the shattered window cost about $480, making this a case of criminal mischief with a value between $100 and $750.

What’s next:

A warrant has been issued for Brinkmeyer’s arrest. As of 12 p.m. Dec. 11, he is not in custody.

The Source: Information in this report comes from court paperwork and previous reporting.

Crime and Public SafetyAustin

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Austin, TX

Day Trips: Gifts From All Over Texas • The Austin Chronicle

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Day Trips: Gifts From All Over Texas • The Austin Chronicle

Holiday gift giving means it’s time for a road trip.

Maceo’s Spice & Import Company (maceospice.com) in Galveston is the perfect destination for the chefs and eaters on your list. Not only is the island city decorated for the holidays, but the 81-year-old specialty shop has an expansive selection of spices and hard-to-find imported foods. The house-made tomato gravy and pesto sauce are highly recommended. While you’re there, treat yourself to a muffaletta sandwich and a bowl of gumbo.

If someone on your holiday gift list is a New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival fan, head to Santo at the intersection of I-20 and U.S. 281. Kennedy’s Sausage Hometown Market (kennedyssausagehtm.com) makes the original Crawfish Monica Sauce (minus the crawfish) from Jazz Fest. The market sells other frozen foods that can be found nowhere else except maybe their other store in Stephenville.

At Santo you’re 16 miles south of Mineral Wells, so drive to the Crazy Water Company for a case of Texas’ original mineral water.

Any NPR listener would be proud to proclaim their support by wearing this unique t-shirt designed by the late West Texas artist Boyd Elder Credit: MPR

If you can’t make a road trip during the hectic days leading up to the holiday, then shop online. One of the pleasures of traveling Texas is finding the friendly voice of National Public Radio. Small radio stations were hit hard after the elimination of federal funding for public media. For instance, Marfa Public Radio lost a third of its funding. Consider making a gift to one of the 44 public stations in Texas in someone’s name. Or purchase a very cool T-shirt from Marfa Public Radio (marfapublicradio.org) as a way of making a donation.

Want a gift with staying power? Give a personalized brick to support the renovation of the historic Bolivar Point Lighthouse (bolivarpointlighthouse.org). The red brick with their name on it will be used as a paving stone at the lighthouse across the channel from Galveston.

Purchasing a customized brick for the 1872 Bolivar Point Lighthouse not only supports the renovation, but is the gift that keeps giving for years to come Credit: Gerald McLeod

Feliz Navidad, y’all.

1,784th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

This article appears in December 12 • 2025.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

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