Best place to live in Texas with children?

My husband and I are thinking about relocating to Texas, we have a year old child and are looking for a place that has good jobs, a nice place to raise children, good schools, diversity, and a good college/university with a low crime rate. We are also looking for a place that isn't too expensive as far as housing and living costs.

I would say Plano or Mckinney. They hold one of the best scholl districts in the USA. Housing is very affordable and you access to different activities for the kids. Yes, it gets hot in the summer but You are thinking already about Texas, Right?

EDIT: For the lady above of me: The question is about an affordable place to live and California is wayyyyyyy to expensive for anyone.

If you want the lowest crime and best schools in Texas.
Here's a list from best to the rest....

1.Pearland Texas, fastest growing town in the USA.
2.Friendswood,Texas 77546.
3.El Lago,Texas 77586
4.Taylor Lake,Texas 77586.
5.Sugar Land,Texas
6.Katy,Texas, great schools.

yeah, Pearland Texas !

Cypress, Texas

El Paso, Texas a quite city next the border on Juarez, Mexico.El Paso has low crime not expensive and is growing fast. Alot of great jobs and has a ok university UTEP the schools are also great.Dont move here if you dont like mexicans. :)

SUGAR LAND
I have lived here for fifteen years and this is the best place to live
low crime good schools and good people if u live here to long than it will start to consume you and you will forget about the outside world for being so close to houston i would say it does not feel this way

To meet all your criteria, you might want to look in bigger college towns, like Austin (UT) or College Station (Texas A&M). Austin would be more diverse than College Station. The suburbs of Houston that have been mentioned are good as far as good schools and cost of living, but there are only smaller colleges in the area, with UH being the biggest. And anytime you get near a large city like Houston, you'll have to worry about the crime rate being a bit higher. Good luck, and I hope you find a nice place in Texas to live.

1. Sugarland
2. Pearland
3. Woodlands
4. Friendswood
5. Humble/Atascosita

Not sure why the first two were hating on Texas.....But anyway....I have lived in Houston for nearly 17 years and I would highly recommend the Houston area. Although you couldn't afford the city, the outlying suburbs of Pearland, Sugarland, Katy, Conroe and The Woodlands would allow you to live a very nice life. The school districts are great, they are building homes like crazy, the diversity is awesome and your family will be able to by a NEW 3-4 bedroom, 2 story home for less than $200K EASILY. If you live out in Katy, you are only about 1-1/2 hours away from Texas A&M, which one of the major universities here in Texas.

I just moved to Houston from N.CA for 2 months ago but I trying to know about here ... I reading alot ( of info ) and driving around everyday . I have 2 kids and one on 5 rate and he's very happy when go to new school on everyday too ( not like in CA - he did not ) . I rent an house now in Katy ( $1350/month/3 bedrooms) and trying to buy one . If you looking for good schools for your kids then I think is that will be Katy , Cypress or Sugar land . Good luck .

By far Cypress, Texas. Nobody really talks about it, even though it is awesome! The schools are great, almost all are exemplary. All the people here are friendly, and it is one of the most affluent places in the U.S.(last rank #50 in nation-2004)It is still cheap to live though. I love it here, and it is great for education, and shopping, and culture.

Irving, Plano, Richardson.

Live n houston.. better location in sugarland or richmond :)

In Texas ? Impossible

do not do texas.
california is better(:

I concurr with Bob & Astar

FYI to one user: There is no law saying Texans HAVE to be "Proud to be a Texan". We can hate Texas if we want. It's our human & constitutional right! Believe you me I am outta here when I have all my ducks in a row & NEVER have to come back if I don't want to.