Proudly holding its prestigious ranking, The Woodlands® has been named the #1 “Best City to Live in America” for the second consecutive year by Niche.com, achieving an overall A+ Niche grade in the national survey. The Woodlands is one of the most acclaimed master planned communities in the country and has consistently been included in the top ten rankings by Niche.com on its annual list of the best places to live, buy a home, raise a family, retire and best public education.
While ranked as the #1 Best City, The Woodlands is not a city as it operates under a unique governing structure as the only township in the state of Texas. As a township, The Woodlands has been able to provide a high quality life while maintaining a low tax rate for its residents and businesses.
“We are honored to be ranked as the #1 community in America for the second consecutive year. Achieving this #1 ranking illuminates the commitment we have as developer, achievements of the township, the attraction of companies who have relocated their headquarters to The Woodlands, the strong workforce, acclaimed public and private educational opportunities. and at the heart of the community, the residents,” said Jim Carman, President of the Houston Region for The Howard Hughes Corporation. “Howard Hughes continues to follow the vision of founder of The Woodlands, the late George Mitchell, and believes that together as a community, we have achieved the #1 ranking that is so deserving of The Woodlands.”
Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of various factors including community safety, quality public education, a favorable cost of living, job opportunities and local amenities.
The Woodlands achieved the following 2022 Niche rankings:
Best Cities to Live in America #1 of 228
Best Cities to Buy a House in America #2 of 228
Best Cities to Raise a Family in America #2 of 228
Cities with the Best Public Schools in America #6 of 228
Best Cities to Retire in America #6 of 228
The Woodlands is a 28,500-acre, forested master planned community with 120,000 residents. Nearly 2,400 businesses and corporations have found a home in The Woodlands, providing jobs for over 63,000 employees.
Top amenities in The Woodlands include 220 miles of hike and bike trails and 151 parks, surrounded by nature and forest. Highlights of The Woodlands include highly-rated public and private schools, world-class shopping, recreation and entertainment including The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, ranked as one of the top amphitheaters in the world by Pollstar magazine, superior quality healthcare as well as the thriving economic and urban environments of The Woodlands Town Center, Hughes Landing® and The Woodlands Waterway®.
The Woodlands leads the way among master planned communities that practice environmental preservation. The Woodlands devotes an unprecedented 28% of its community – nearly 8,000 acres – to trails, parks, golf courses and greenbelts which will remain undeveloped green space at full build-out.
“Howard Hughes embraces environmental preservation and social consciousness within our community. With health and wellness top of mind, we offer outdoor green spaces, parks and amenities within a walkable setting for an urban lifestyle, complementing our acclaimed master planned community,” added Carman.