Even though Killeen shares the benefit of having a public, regional, transfer-level university with the entire Central Texas region, the fact that the City of Killeen is home to A&M-Central Texas helped to earn it a 9th place ranking in a recent national survey conducted by WalletHub.
According to personal finance company WalletHub, the survey evaluated 415 cities of various sizes that had a college or university population of at least 7,500 students. Several factors, they said, were used to rank the cities, including housing costs, monthly fitness club fees, the average price of pizza, burgers, movies, and bowling, and the cost of higher education.
A&M-Central Texas Interim President Richard Rhodes applauded the ranking, and said – even as a newcomer to the Central Texas area – he feels right at home. The results of the survey, he said, is a testament to the ‘hometown’ feel of Killeen and many of its surrounding cities and communities.
“There are college and university towns all over Texas and in the U.S.,” he said. “And every single one of those cities knows that having a university in a community is a powerful economic driver,” he said.
“The people who fought to bring A&M-Central Texas into being and rejoiced 13 years ago when it opened its doors as one of the 11 regional universities of the Texas A&M University System knew that, too. We are grateful for our many partners and offer the City of Killeen congratulations for this big win.”
This comes on the heels of two other recent real estate surveys – one from financial advising group SmartAsset that ranked Killeen’s housing market as the best in the nation for first-time home builders, and one by Texas Real Estate Source that ranked Killeen second in the state for lowest cost of living.
“We have touted the affordable housing and cost of living in Killeen for years as one of many reasons to live here,” Kent Cagle, Killeen City Manager, said. “This ranking just helps solidify that, and sends a powerful message to future college students that Killeen should be among one of their first choices for a higher education.”
For more information about the city of Killeen visit www.KilleenTexas.gov. For information about Texas A&M Central Texas visit www.tamuct.edu.
