Central Texas is a fine place to live if you ask me. It's affordable, there are plenty of jobs, and the people are (mostly) pretty great.

The folks at U.S. News an World Report obviously agree, because two Central Texas cities made their annual list of Best Places to Live: Killeen and Austin.

In a statement from the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce, Jennifer Hetzel said affordability, low unemployment, a diverse population, ample recreation, and easy access to major metro areas contributed to Killeen's ranking as the #5 place to live in Texas behind Austin, DFW, Houston, and San Antonio.

“Great things are happening in Killeen," Killeen Mayor Jose Segarra said after hearing the news. "We continue to experience population growth, new business openings and low cost of living. This study reinforces what we already know-that Killeen is one of the best places to live in the state and indeed, the country. I am proud to call this city home!”

Personally, I'd rank most towns around here far ahead of the big cities, especially Austin. I'm not hating on A-town, but as someone who isn't a fan of crowds or expensive living, I'll take a cozy place like Temple or Belton over it any day.

However, Austin has that "cool" factor that major publications love, which is why it ranked #1 not only in Texas but in the nation. Denver and Colorado Springs in Colorado ranked #2 and #3 respectively, with Fayetteville, Arkansas and Des Moines, Iowa rounding out the list at #4 and #5.

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