A recent report by WalletHub took a look at the 182 most fun cities in the U.S. and ranked them based on three key dimensions: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties and costs. Unsurprisingly, Las Vegas made it to the top of the list, but cities in Texas didn’t do too badly themselves.
Here are all Texas cities ranked:
- 7 - Austin
- 19 - Houston
- 25 - San Antonio
- 31 - Dallas
- 43 - Fort Worth
- 59 - El Paso
- 71 - Plano
- 75 - Arlington
- 92 - Corpus Christi
- 107 - Lubbock
- 118 - Amarillo
- 136 - Irving
- 156 - Garland
- 159 - Laredo
- 166 - Grand Prairie
- 171 - Brownsville
According to WalletHub, the study tried to cover as much as possible the variety of types of fun people enjoy, this included everything from nightclubs and trying new restaurants to traveling and playing outdoor sports. But whatever floats your particular boat, fun tends to be expensive. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average American spends over $3,400 on entertainment every year.
That’s why cost was taken into account for the report. It’s not only about variety but also about affordability and accessibility. And according to WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe, this could be a dealbreaker for people when deciding where to move.
“Finding a city that matches your own unique brand of fun is important,” said Happe. “All cities have a variety of activities, but some shine more than others when it comes to things like parks and beaches, live music and comedy, partying, sports culture, or fine dining. Picking a city to spend a weekend in is easy, but moving to a city where you’ll have fun on a regular basis requires more research.”
Taking a deeper look into the study, some Texas cities shined through a few categories. For example, San Antonio is the 5th city with most park playgrounds per capita, while Houston tied for the first place with Las Vegas and San Francisco for most dance clubs per capita. Additionally, for residents with a tight budget, beer enthusiasts in Brownville can toast to living in the 2nd city with the lowest beer price and cinemagoers will find the third lowest price in movie tickets in Corpus Christi.
