“In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”
― Benjamin Franklin
Nothing, Mr. Franklin? Well, not to question one of history’s greatest minds, but I can say with absolute certainty that Ben was wrong.
Those of us who call Bryan-College Station home are confident of a few other sure things:
- Texas A&M rocks.
- It’s hot here in the summer. Really hot.
- Chupacabras are cool.
- The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band never loses.
- BCS is an awesome place to live.
Some things are just a given. You can’t really argue with the first four, and you don’t have to accept my word on No. 5. Apparently, the rest of the country has taken that one to heart.
On Thursday, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named Bryan-College Station No. 3 on its 2013 list of 10 Great Places to Live. The rankings appear in the September issue, which will be available on newsstands in a couple of weeks. Click here to read our joint press release with the City of Bryan.
The list focused on smaller metros whose residents enjoy an especially comfortable and convenient lifestyle based on affordable housing, outstanding schools, a strong job market and excellent health care access.
You may also notice that no other Texas cities appear on the list:
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Burlington, Vermont
- Bryan-College Station, Texas
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Billings, Montana
- Morgantown, West Virginia
- Ithaca, New York
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Dubuque, Iowa
This is not the first time that Kiplinger’s has recognized Bryan-College Station. In 2010, we made the magazine’s list of “10 Great Cities for Raising Families.”
If you’re starting to think these kinds of accolades have become commonplace for our city, you are correct. In the last three years, we’ve been cited by independent media and online outlets for everything from being an ideal place to retire to being one of the best cities for businesses and careers:
- No. 1 College Town in America (Livability.com)
- Finalist for America’s Friendliest Small Town (USA Today/Rand McNally)
- Top 10 U.S. Cities for Raising Families (Kiplinger’s)
- No. 4 Best-Performing Small Metro in U.S. (Milken Institute)
- No. 6 Small U.S. City for Business and Careers (Forbes)
- No. 4 U.S. City for Military Retirement (USAA)
- 5 U.S. Cities in Full Blown Economic Expansion (MSNBC)
- No. 7 Small U.S. City for Job Growth (Forbes)
- No. 21 Small U.S. City for Education (Forbes)
- 25 Best Places to Retire (Forbes)
- Top 25 U.S. Cities for Working Retirement (Forbes)
Looking back, maybe Ben Franklin wasn’t exactly wrong when he made his famous declaration about death and taxes. He just lived too soon to experience the Brazos Valley.
Interesting to see all of these accolades in one place! I’m not sure whether “A&M rocks” is much of an accolade but I guess in what passes for reasonable language today it makes a point. As an educator I am a little suspicious of a university that “rocks.”
Remember Ben Franklin also said when asked what kind of government had been created at the constitutional convention, “A Republic, if you can keep it!”
Sometimes it is harder to keep universities universities and Republics Republics than it is to make them “rock.”
Blanche Sent from my iPad