For the second year in a row, two Houston-area communities landed in the top five of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Retire list. The Woodlands took fourth and Spring fifth on the 2027 rankings, which evaluated more than 850 cities and surveyed Americans 45 and older. Affordability carried the most weight this year, and Texas’ lack of a state income tax gave both towns an edge over coastal states.

The recognition isn’t just about dollars. Retiree Erika Pratt, who moved to The Woodlands in 1989, co-founded a nonprofit called Aging in Place that gives seniors rides to appointments and hosts social gatherings so neighbors aren’t isolated at home. Parks, trails and tree-lined streets help, but that kind of neighborly infrastructure might be the real secret to a retirement-friendly town.

Waxahachie has plenty of the raw ingredients: a walkable courthouse square, established neighborhoods and a community where people still know each other. As the metroplex keeps growing south, could our town build the same support systems for older residents? What would you want to see here? Let us know in the comments.