College Station, Texas is a growing city due to Texas A&M University, but it’s more than a college town that only comes to life on Saturdays in the fall.
The city is attracting new businesses in different fields and young families due to its proximity to Texas’ larger metropolitan centers, good schools, housing options and more.
Here’s what those considering a move to College Station need to know:
Living in College Station
College Station was incorporated in 1938 and exists in large part due to Texas A&M University, which opened in 1876. A&M is now the second-largest university in the nation with a fall 2022 enrollment of 74,829.
One benefit of College Station’s location is residents can maintain access to the state’s largest cities while living in a small town.
The “Texas Triangle” is considered the region formed by the state’s four main urban centers – Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio – and College Station is right in the middle. College Station is only 90 miles from Houston, 100 miles to Austin, 175 miles to San Antonio and 180 miles to Dallas.
With a population of just over 120,000, according to July 2021 census estimates, College Station isn’t rural, but doesn’t quite have the overwhelming urban feel to it, either. It’s more suburban, but maintains its agricultural roots in the surrounding areas.
Although the town is centered around A&M, there is far more to offer than the university. However, the university is the reason for the city’s existence and brings vibrance and energy during the school year. Many former A&M students chose to return to town and raise their families there because of the good schools and neighborhoods and growing business opportunities.
College Station is attractive for a number of reasons, but its small-town feel with some larger city amenities reels in people from all walks of life.
Ranked Among the Nation’s Best
Not only does College Station rank high among college towns, but also places to live for young families.
Among 2022 rankings, Insurify rated College Station the #1 city in Texas and #5 in the nation for young families to live. Forbes named College Station the #4 place to live in Texas. Forbes also named College Station as one of the 25 best places to retire in America. SmartAsset ranked College Station the #15 safest city in America.
Southern Living ranked College Station the nation’s #11 college town. A&M was ranked #63 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings. A&M’s Kyle Field is the fourth-largest stadium in America with a capacity of 102,733, making it among college football’s top stadiums.
“When people are coming here, you’ve still got that not a big city or a small town, but a medium-type city flair,” said Glen Brewer, president of the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. “You’ve got good schools, you’ve got great arts, and parks and things available to you for your family. It is a relatively safe place compared to other areas because you’ve still got a little bit of that small town feel within a bigger city. And then you throw in the economic climate and yeah, I don’t know why anybody would go anywhere else. I would always want to stay here.”
“When people are coming here, you’ve still got that not a big city or a small town, but a medium-type city flair,” said Glen Brewer, president of the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. “You’ve got good schools, you’ve got great arts, and parks and things available to you for your family. It is a relatively safe place compared to other areas because you’ve still got a little bit of that small town feel within a bigger city. And then you throw in the economic climate and yeah, I don’t know why anybody would go anywhere else. I would always want to stay here.”
Strong in Academics
Public schools in College Station receive good ratings and offer a number of extracurriculars, too. In College Station, there are two comprehensive public high schools (grades 9-12), an alternative high school (grades 9-12), middle schools (grades 7-8) and intermediate schools (grades 5-6), and 10 elementary schools (grades K-4).
Niche.com rated College Station ISD an A+ and the #18 school district in the state of Texas
College Station ISD received a B rating, or an 89 out of 100, in the 2022 state accountability ratings. Pecan Trail Intermediate, Greens Prairie Elementary and Rock Prairie Elementary all received A ratings.
A&M Consolidated and College Station High School, the two comprehensive high schools, have done well in academic, athletic and fine arts competitions in recent years.
Home Prices Below National Average
According to BestPlaces.net, the average home price in College Station is $269,600, which is $22,100 below the national average. BestPlaces.net also lists Bryan-College Station’s cost of living (86.4) lower than state (94.2) and national (100) averages.
High-end neighborhoods include Indian Lakes, Pebble Creek, Nantucket, Saddle Creek and Williams Creek. Many young families live in Castlegate, Castlegate II, Castle Rock, Creek Meadows and Shenandoah.
More housing toward A&M’s campus is rental properties occupied by students. There are also a number of large apartment complexes near campus, which are mostly students.
Most of the newer development in College Station is on the south side of town. This includes neighborhoods like Greens Prairie Reserve and Southern Pointe, which offers new houses starting in the $300,000s. Mission Ranch is also a new masterplan community with homes starting in the $400,000s.
Although College Station’s average home price is higher than Dallas and Houston, prices of those cities’ major suburbs are higher than College Station.
“The prices will continue to go up, which means it’s a good investment,” said Megan Bock of the Bock Realty Group. “Market-wise, you want to buy into a market that you think is going to appreciate and Bryan-College Station is bringing in businesses, the schools are wonderful. You can have new construction, you can have resale, we have golf courses, we have everything MSC OPAS, of course Texas A&M sports. Whether you’re retiring or have a young family, what Bryan-College Station offers, they have something for everyone.”
Newer development areas are seeking to create more of a lifestyle and a number of Aggies look to retire in College Station, Bock said. She noted how people are looking for community and that College Station has seen much growth in her 20 years living in town.
“The facts are this is a desirable place to live,” Bock said. “The inventory is still low compared to buyer demand. We are at 91 days on market, which is only three months and a normal seller’s market is within six months. … That’s a really healthy market where your home can turnover, if needed.”
Jobs Abound
As of September, College Station had just a 3.1% unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Texas A&M University is the largest employer in Brazos County, employing almost 13,000 people at its main College Station campus, according to the Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation, but Bryan-College Station has numerous other opportunities outside of education.
Bryan’s bio corridor employs hundreds of employees between FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies and G-CON Manufacturing. iBio employs several dozen employees.
Sanderson Farms in Bryan employs several thousand employees, making it the county’s largest employer behind A&M and the Bryan and College Station school districts.
College Station have done well in tourism and hospitality since A&M’s athletic teams moved to the Southeastern Conference in 2012, Brewer noted.
Beyond that, Brewer said the way A&M bridges into the business community helps the local economy. He noted that Bryan-College Station is starting to retain industries and businesses incubated at A&M that in the past would have been moved to larger metros in the state.
“We’ve built enough infrastructure that now if you come up with a new business, especially in the biotech field, you can actually stay right here in town and grow your business,” Brewer said. “We’re keeping more of these engineers and these scientists we’re training at A&M. They’re flowing right into our local businesses and doing start-ups or helping existing businesses, so we’re not losing that talent or those businesses to other areas like we used to.”
What Locals Know
There are notable attractions in College Station, such as Santa’s Wonderland and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, but there’s also ins and outs of the town locals run to.
Summer and winter breaks mean fewer students and calmer days for year-round residents.
The Dixie Chicken is a well-known staple in the Northgate Entertainment District, but there are several other burger joints in town locals frequent, including Koppe Bridge, Joe’s Place and Top of the Hill. Downtown Bryan has been revitalized since the turn of the century and is a center for nightlife. Century Square is a retail and restaurant area built in the last five years that has become a hub on the north side of A&M’s campus.
“When you have a 70,000-student university in your town and all of the accoutrements of that, our community has available to us things you would never find in a town our size as far as the symphonies and the arts and the international speakers that come around,” Brewer said.
College Station is a welcoming community for not just students, but families and retirees. There are a number of ways to get plugged into the community from nonprofit organizations, to recreational sports, churches and more. The best thing to do is seek out your interests and there’s likely a local group willing to let you join.
