Best Places78759, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78759, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78759 ranks 1,048th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78759
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
78759's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78759 ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 96% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 160 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
Where 78759 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,044 a month, better than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78759
A household needs to earn about $199,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78759 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $117,882, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 78759's effective rate of 1.34%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78759
78759's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78759.
Who works in 78759, and how
Work in 78759 centers on professional & technical and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 60%
- Work from home 36%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 78759
78759 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 81% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 78759 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78759, month by month
78759 sees roughly 160 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 52° | 43° |
| April | 82° | 70° | 60° |
| July | 99° | 86° | 76° |
| October | 85° | 72° | 62° |
Flying in and out of 78759
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 15 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 10.7 million passengers in 2025, with 127 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 78759
Schools across 78759 average a B+, better than 83% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Laurel Mountain ElA+ · 76% proficient
- Hill ElA · 62% proficient
- Kathy Caraway ElA− · 56% proficient
Top middle schools
- Canyon Vista MiddleA+ · 74% proficient
- Murchison MiddleB+ · 47% proficient
- Westview MiddleD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Westwood H SA · 78% proficient
- Mcneil H SA− · 64% proficient
- Anderson H SA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78759 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78759 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 78759 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78759 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 96% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 36% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 92% of zip codes and health care access beats 60%.
Common questions about living in 78759
Is 78759 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78759 ranks 1,048th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on population health, an educated workforce, and what local pay buys, and lowest on summer heat and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78759 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $710,962. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $117,882 median income, cost of living beats 96% of zip codes.
Is 78759 safe?
78759 is safer than 40% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $425 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78759?
July highs average about 99 degrees, and January highs near 64 with lows near 43. That works out to about 160 pleasant days a year, more than 92% of zip codes.
Is 78759 good for families?
Schools beat 83% of zip codes, crime safety beats 40%, and childcare runs $1,044 a month.
Compare 78759 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78759. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78759 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
78759 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78759: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78759: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78759: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78759: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78759 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.