Austin, TX
These Texas cities rank as top spring break destinations, and these as safest
Spring Break is a Crazy Time of Year for Airports
Spring has sprung in many parts of the country which means only one thing (if you’re below a certain age) and that’s – Spring Break! (Woo!). But it also means that airports will most likely be packed, seeing as the TSA screened a record number of passengers in 2023 and expect the trend to continue. Yair Ben-Dor has more.
One of the best times of the year for students is just around the corner! From the tradition’s inception in 1938, spring break has grown into a sort of right of passage for those seeking higher education.
While Visual Academy identifies Fort Lauderdale, Florida has the original spring break destination, travel has since expanded across the country — and beyond. Mexico and the Caribbean are now common in spring break. Rio de Janeiro, Curacao, Tokyo, Osaka and Istanbul are some of the fastest-growing destinations, according to Expedia.
Although many students highly anticipate spring break, the period is also known for encouraging risky behavior. Excessive drinking and unprotected sex are among the top concerns for law enforcement and medical personnel working near popular spring break spots.
Online retailer MattressNextDay has collected data on the best 24-hour cities in America to offer around-the-clock excitement for spring breakers. The first analysis ranked 30 cities across the following seven measures:
- City safety score
- Google search volume for “parties”
- Number of events
- Number of dance clubs
- Prices for one-way public transportation tickets
- Percentage of hotels with at least four stars
- Percentage of restaurants with at least four stars
MattressNextDay conducted another study to determine the safest 24-hour cities, based on factors like crime rates, public safety measures and late-night infrastructure.
One Texas city was among the top five 24-hour cities in the U.S., and several more Lone Star State cities ranked high for safety. Is yours one of them? Here’s what the data shows.
Austin among top 24-hour cities in US
When it comes to cities with the best nightlife and public transportation, it’s no surprise that New York City and Las Vegas topped MattressNextDay’s list of the best 24-hour U.S. cities.
You may not have guessed the Texas capital would also appear on the list. With tickets costing $1.50, Austin boasted some of the cheapest public transportation among the cities in the study. It also scored high on safety rankings and the availability of quality hotels.
- New York City, New York
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Austin, Texas
- San Diego, California
4 Texas cities among safest 24-hour cities in US
Even if other Texas cities aren’t as bustling with nightlife as Austin, several scored exceptionally high on MattressNextDay’s ranking of the safest 24-hour cities. El Paso topped the list as the safest among all others in the country. Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio joined the west Texas city in the top 10.
- El Paso, TX: 67.49
- San Diego, CA: 60.27
- Boston, MA: 60.13
- Austin, TX: 57.7
- Fort Worth, TX: 56.5
- Charlotte, NC: 53.2
- Denver, CO: 52.53
- San Jose, CA: 52.21
- San Antonio, TX: 52.19
- Nashville, TN: 51.46