Waco

Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making it the 24th-most populous city in the state. The Waco metropolitan statistical area consists of McLennan, Falls, and Bosque Counties, which had a 2020 population of 295,782. Bosque County was added to the Waco MSA in 2023.Wikipedia

Texas draws more domestic migrants than any other state, driven by no personal income tax, a rapidly diversifying economy, and housing that — outside Austin — remains relatively affordable by national standards. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the country's largest inland metro, anchored by corporate relocations and financial services. Houston's energy-tech hybrid and the Austin-San Antonio corridor's tech and university cluster give the state genuine economic breadth that goes well beyond oil and gas.

The climate is the sharpest tradeoff. Summers are long and frequently exceed 100°F across central and west Texas, with Gulf Coast cities like Houston blending the heat with intense humidity from May through October. Oklahoma and northern Texas sit squarely in Tornado Alley, with peak severe weather from March through May. Those who adapt to the heat find that the outdoor living culture — especially in the Texas Hill Country, coastal Louisiana, and the Ozarks — offers a richness that outsiders often underestimate.