Being among the top 1% of suburban communities when it comes to diversity -- both in Texas and the nation -- is a key factor toward Garland's strong performance in other comparisons between cities.
For instance, the quality-of-life website livability.com ranks Garland as the eighth best place to live in Texas. And it's fourth-best for first-time homebuying among mid-sized cities. Forbes builds on that, factoring in housing affordability, robust job and population growth and listing Garland among the three best cities in Texas for rental property owners.
Garland is also among the top 50 places in the United States to find a job and among the 20 hardest working cities, according to personal finance website Wallet Hub. Financial advice provider SmartAsset considered earning power and affordability of living in ranking Garland 18th among the nation's top 100 cities in its Best Places to Become Wealthy study. It noted that he average income in Garland rose 19.1% from 2013-17.
Put it all together and you get one of America's happiest cities. But we already knew that!