12. Pflugerville, Tex.
| AT A GLANCE | |
| Population | 59,201 |
| Median Home Price | $225,000 |
| Property Tax | $5,063 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% |
| Commute time | 26 minutes |
If you’re a Friday Night Lights fan, then Pflugerville High School’s football stadium will look familiar – it’s where the Dillon Panthers of “clear eyes, full hearts” fame played their home games. Pflugerville looks as small and sleepy as the imaginary town of Dillon, so it’s hard to believe it’s only 16 miles east of Austin. A new toll road leading into the state capital makes for an easy commute to high-tech, higher education and government jobs , giving Pflugerville excellent scores on our list for a strong economy and job growth. And as housing prices and traffic keep rising in Austin, Pflugerville’s new claim to fame is as an affordable, small-town option with easy access to big-town amenities.
Pflugerville fully embraces its roots as a 19th century German burg with annual “Pfests,” such as the Pfirecracker Pfestival on the 4th of July, Chili Pfest in the fall and the three-day Deutschen Pfest in May. A great 45-mile trail system leads bikers and walkers from the small downtown east to swimming and stand-up paddle boarding in the Lake Pflugerville reservoir. The lake is where Pflugerville’s future is headed -- there are plans for 2,300 homes and a 150-acre sports park to be built near there, but with narrow, pot-holed roads leading to these places, City Hall is playing catch-up with the growth.
Even the Dillon Panthers’ field is a victim of change -- a 10,000-seat behemoth of a football stadium is being built across the street.
More Austin-ites are moving to Pflugerville for good schools and less-expensive homes, but a low inventory and multiple offers makes for a hot housing market.
If you want a bargain and you love sleepy small towns, stake your claim now, because urban growth moving eastward means big changes ahead for Pflugerville.