Five stories that have North Texas talking: Allen’s the second-best place to live; fossils from 95 million years ago found in Arlington; Granny Smith apples in guacamole; and more.
Cities in North Texas usually find their way near the top of Money magazine’s annual Best Places To Live list.
This year, Allen took the No. 2 spot, second to only Fishers, Indiana.
Allen was praised for its healthy economy, graduation rate and entertainment options. Money analyzed 100 cities — between 10,000 to 100,000 people — based on those factors, plus cost of living, housing, crime, convenience and an “overall sense of pleasantness.”
Here’s how Allen performed, based on Money’s calculations:
- Population: 96,045
- Median home price: $323,676
- Median household income: $104, 524
- Average commute time: 29 minutes
- Projected job growth: 17 percent
- Clear days per year: 232
- High school graduation rate: 96.9 percent
And here’s how Money determined the results of the study.
North Texas cities in the top 100 include Grapevine (No. 19), Wylie (No. 20) and Bedford (No. 23). Actually, those three plus Allen were the only Texas towns on Money’s list.
Last year, the highest-ranking city was Plano at No. 3. In 2015, Coppell was No. 8. And in 2014, McKinney was No. 1. [Money, KERA News]
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- Texans will soon have the option on their driver’s license applications to donate $1 or more for sexual assault kit testing. Introduced by State Rep. Victoria Neave of Dallas, the law hopes to reduce the state’s backlog of untested kits. [The Texas Tribune]
- Scientists have identified prehistoric crocodile fossils found in Arlington. The partial skull of the dinosaur-eating species, Deltasuchus motherali, which roamed North Texas 95 million years ago, was discovered at the Arlington Archosaur Site. [D Magazine]
- This chef suggests adding Granny Smith apples to guacamole. Bless his heart. [People]
- Here’s where you can sing karaoke every night of the week in North Texas. [GuideLive]
The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.
