Cedar Park / Leander / Liberty Hill

If you love outdoor recreation and indoor sports, Cedar Park might be the spot for you. This Austin suburb features 1,000 acres of parkland, 30 miles of trails, the minor-league Texas Stars hockey team, and the minor-league Austin Spurs basketball team. And if you’re in the mood for entertainment, the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park—the home arena of the Stars and Spurs—hosts an array of concerts, shows, and other events.

The increasing availability of parks, sports, and entertainment has happened in tandem with Cedar Park’s increasing population. Now one of Austin’s biggest suburbs, Cedar Park has experienced a healthy surge in population, growing 44% from 2010 to 2019. Ranked in 2019 as the 10th best small city in the U.S., primarily due to its affordability and economic health, Cedar Park is ascending as an employment base. Employers there include Dana Holding Corp., National Oilwell Varco, Firefly Aerospace, Fallbrook Technologies, and Corvalent Corp.