The best place to live in the US is this small town in Texas

Flower Mound, Texas, is named after an actual mound covered in wildflowers during the spring.Courtesy of the town of Flower MoundFlower Mound is a lesser-known town in North Texas with a population under 100,000.It's outshone many larger cities as one of the best places to call home in the US.Flower Mound residents told BI what makes life in this small town worth the hype.Back in 2001, Dave Coussirat found an impressive deal.With two children and a third on the way, he and his wife were looking for a home in North Texas that could grow with their family. They found it in a 3,500-square-foot house in Bridlewood, a well-to-do community built on a golf course in the town of Flower Mound, Texas. They purchased it for $280,000."We were amazed at the size of the house and the lot we were able to get for the price," Coussirat, now 55, told Business Insider. He also liked that the town had great hospitals, schools, and plenty of parks and trails for hiking and biking.Almost 25 years later, Coussirat has built a happy life in Flower Mound. He purchased a second home in the area, and has opened two restaurants: The Tavern, an upscale sports bar, and Tycoon, a fine-dining seafood and steakhouse; a third restaurant is in the works. Life in Flower Mound is so good it's hard to imagine ever leaving."In the last five to six years, my wife and I have been planning our retirement," he said. "We've considered places like Florida, San Diego, and even Mexico, but we always come back to the same conclusion: there's no point in moving anywhere else."A little country and a little rock 'n' rollLocal residents celebrate Independence Fest, Flower Mound's annual July 4th celebration.Brian MaschinoFlower Mound is a quieter, less widely known town within the Dallas—Fort Worth metroplex, a large region in North Texas with over 200 cities and suburbs. According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, 81,270 people call the small town home.But what the town lacks in population it makes up for in opportunities and amenities. In 2025, Flower Mound was named by US News & World Report as one of the best places to live in the US based on qualifiers like job opportunities, affordable housing, quality of life, and school ratings.It also earned top spots on similar lists from outlets like Livability and the financial website WalletHub, and has been recognized for having some of the best public schools in Texas according to the neighborhood ranking site Niche.In short, Flower Mound has something for everyone. As James Childers, who's been the town manager since 2022, puts it, it's "a little mix of country and rock 'n' roll."To the west, there's wide-open ranch land; in the center, upscale communities with multimillion-dollar homes in the protected Cross Timbers conservation area; and to the east, many older, well-established neighborhoods.Flower Mound is certainly well-to-do — according to its Economic Development team, the town's median household income was $159,636 and the average household income was $199,302 as of 2024 — but its residents aren't the type to retreat into their own luxury compounds.The community is a tight-knit place where residents know each other by name, Friday night high school football is a cherished tradition, and town events take place almost every weekend.Twin Coves Park and Campground is a favorite spot for residents to bike, camp, and swim.Judy Keown"We have the elements of what people expect in a suburb and a modern community," Childers said. "However, what makes us different is our plentiful amenities. You can drive through 15 minutes of open ranches. That, combined with our parks, trees, and proximity to Grapevine Lake, makes it a great place to be."Perhaps Flower Mound's greatest advantage is its convenience for working professionals: it's close to major office hubs in nearby cities, and the Dallas—Fort Worth International Airport is just a 14-minute drive away."We're a bedroom community," Childers said. But while Flower Mound is home to many C-suite executives who work in nearby cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, and Irving, he added that the town is also working to attract more companies and grow its own business presence.Growing smart, not fastFlower Mound is located in a part of Texas where affordable housing and strong job opportunities have drawn thousands of newcomers, many from California and Florida.In nearby Celina, about an hour northeast of Flower Mound, the population surged by 26.6% between July 2022 and July 2023, far outpacing the national growth rate of 0.5%.While the population boom has energized Celina's economy, it has also placed pressure on local infrastructure and municipalities — challenges that Flower Mound is keen to avoid.James Childers, Flower Mound's town manager.Alcynna Lloyd/ Business InsiderIn 1999, the town adopted the SMARTGrowth Program, a community-driven initiative designed to thoughtfully guide Flower Mound's development to prevent unchecked or poorly planned growth.The program sets zoning standards that developers must meet to obtain permitting approval, which include evaluating whether their projects align with the town's character, protect the environment, and minimize negative impacts on the community."Flower Mound had explosive growth in the 1990s, and the leaders of the town at that time basically said, 'time out,' Childers said. "They put in measures in our development codes to meter growth — call it 'smart growth' — to make sure it doesn't exceed the resources we're able to provide from an infrastructure and public safety standpoint."While this has kept Flower Mound free from the heavy real estate development seen in nearby cities, it also means residents often need to go elsewhere for retail shopping and other everyday services."I guess the town's probably grown at just the right pace," Coussirat said. "Still, it can be frustrating with the slow growth. You don't have a ton of amazing restaurants in Flower Mound."The upside: "There's not a lot of traffic, and crime is really low," he added.The town has caught the eye of out-of-state buyersFlower Mound might not be seeing the same influx of newcomers as some nearby towns, but people are still moving in.Kris Wise, team leader at the Wise Advantage Group with Keller Williams and a 12-year real estate veteran in Flower Mound, told BI the town has seen an influx of movers from California."A lot of these people are looking for safe places to live with good schools and great lifestyles," she said. "The affordability is still here in Flower Mound. We did have a large price increase during the COVID years because of all the people fleeing from other places, but I think we had been undervalued for so long, we're where we need to be price-wise."A neighborhood in Flower Mound and its local park.Alcynan Lloyd/ Business InsiderAccording to Flower Mound's economic development team, the town's median home value is $544,453 as of 2024.For buyers relocating from high-cost states like New York and California, Flower Mound is a relatively more affordable option — and it's easy to see why. In popular cities such as Los Angeles and New York City, the median home price in May was $1,055,000 and $878,000, respectively, according to real estate brokerage Redfin.Wise said that more homes will need to be built to keep prices in check as buyers with bigger budgets continue to move into Flower Mound."Flower Mound lacks newer construction, particularly in the $400,000 to $500,000 price range," she said.More homes are on the wayA villa home at Lakeside DFW.Alcynna Lloyd/ Business InsiderFlower Mound's housing market is steadily expanding, with several homebuilders, including Toll Brothers, David Weekly Homes, and Centurion American, developing communities across the town.Toll Brothers is working on three residential developments that are either under construction or have recently received conceptual approval and are now in the engineering phase.The builder is offering homes priced from $1,235,995 to $1,494,995 across three communities — Williams Ranch, Dixon Estates, and Oakbridge Crossing — with home sizes ranging from 4,024 to 5,944 square feet and options for larger lots, the company told BI. In total, Toll Brothers plans to deliver around 200 homes across these communities once development is complete.In the southern gateway to Flower Mound, construction is nearing completion at Lakeside DFW, a 160-acre mixed-use community. Led by North Texas-based Realty Capital, the project broke ground in 2012 and is expected to be completed by 2030.With a vibe that channels Miami Beach more than North Texas, the village features Mediterranean-style villa homes, several luxury high-rise apartments and condos, a scenic boardwalk, a dog park, and 30 businesses ranging from restaurants and cafés to offices and a movie theater.The Furst Ranch developments will be located in the brown area of the map.Alcynna Lloyd/ Business InsiderFlower Mound's largely underdeveloped western region is also undergoing transformation.Furst Ranch, a sprawling 1,700-acre property owned by investor Jack Furst, is being developed in partnership with three separate real estate development groups. The plan calls for up to 9,000 residential units, including 5,000 multifamily units, 1,000 senior-living homes, and 3,000 single-family residences.Once Furst Ranch and the town's other coming residential developments are completed, Flower Mound's population is projected to reach 118,364, according to the town. But they're dedicated to slow, deliberate expansion."Flower Mound is growing, but not at the pace of other communities, and that's by design," Childers said. "We're focused on achieving economic and real estate development while preserving the unique identity of our community."Read the original article on Business Insider

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