Plano Accolades | Plano Insider

Updated: 03/08/2021

Plano cherishes its quaint, historic beginnings yet embraces its modern, cutting-edge transformation, making it one of the best places to live in the United States, according to CNN Money Magazine and AreaVibes; America’s safest city, according to Forbes; and arguably one of the best places to visit and do business. View our list below of Plano’s recent accolades.

2021 Accolades

• Seventeenth Happiest City in America by WalletHub. 
• First Best City for Renters by Forbes Advisor. 
• Eleventh Hardest-Working City in America by WalletHub.
• Tenth Best City to Find a Job by WalletHub.

2020 Accolades

• #27 Safest City in America by MoneyGeek. 
• Ninth Best City for Christmas by WalletHub.
• Fifth Most Livable City in the U.S. by SmartAsset.
• Third Safest City in America by WalletHub.
• Visit Plano & Plano Event Center are 7x winners of the ConventionSouth Magazine Readers’ Choice Award.
• Ninth Best City for Working Remotely by Success.
• Seventeenth Most Bike Friendly City in America by SmartAsset.
• #34 Most Pet Friendly Cities in the U.S. by WalletHub.
• Fourth Best City in the U.S. for Feeling Young by Redbook.
• Sixth Best City to Drive In by WalletHub.
• Visit Plano has been honored with five first place “People’s Choice” Idea Fair awards by the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.
• Fifth Best City for Millennials to Work Remotely by WhistleOut.
• Nineteenth Most Recovered City in the U.S. from Unemployment due to COVID-19 by WalletHub.
• Twenty fifth Best City for Longevity by Men’sHealth.
• Fifth Best City to Live in America by Niche.com.
• First Best City in the U.S. for Staycations by WalletHub.
• The Trust for Public Land ranked Plano 17 out of 100 largest U.S. Cities.
• Second Happiest City in America by WalletHub.

2019 Accolades

• Fourteenth Most Caring City in America by WalletHub.
• Third Safest City in America by WalletHub.
• Twenty-Eighth Best City for Veteran Homebuyers in the U.S. by Veterans United.
• Sixteenth Most Handsome City by Grooming Lounge.
• Visit Plano received a Gold Adrian Award for their That’s Tempting campaign and a Silver Adrian Award for their Pooch Perfect PR pitch from the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International.
• Seventh Best City for Budget-Friendly Dating by SmartAsset.
• Second Best Untapped City for Startups in 2020.
• Twentieth Best Place for Halloween by WalletHub.
• 13th Best City to Drive in by WalletHub.
• Third Most Affordable City for an Early Retirement by SmartAsset.
• Visit Plano Executive Director, Mark Thompson, received the prestigious Marion Szurek Legacy Award from the Texas Association Convention & Visitor Bureaus.
• Visit Plano received first place in Tourism Promotion for its Plano Insiders blog, first place in Local Awareness for its Influencer Social Media Takeovers, and first place in National Travel & Tourism Week for its Happy in Plano campaign at the Texas Association Convention & Visitor Bureau’s Idea Fair. In addition, Visit Plano took home second place in Video for That’s Tempting, and a Judges’ Choice award for National Travel & Tourism Week.
• Visit Plano’s SMERF & Government Sales Manager, Blaire Zahn, received her Texas Destination Marketer from the Texas Association Convention & Visitor Bureaus.
• 28th Most Pet-Friendly City in the U.S. (3rd in Texas) by WalletHub.
• Second Hardest-Working City in the U.S. by Kempler.
• Fourth Best City to Raise a Family in the U.S. by WalletHub.
• Top 200 Least Stressed Cities in the U.S. by WalletHub.
• #46 Best City for Fourth of July Celebrations in the U.S. & #6 in Texas by WalletHub.
• Tenth Best City for Retirement in America by Niche.
• Visit Plano received a Bronze Telly Award for Social Video: Culture & Lifestyle and a Bronze Telly Award for Social Video: Food & Beverage.
• 36th of 100 Best City in the U.S. for Gamers by WalletHub.
• Tenth of Top 10 Historic Downtowns That Will Take You Back In Time by Expedia-AARP Travel Center.
• Ranked one of the best places in the USA for veterans seeking a high-quality education by College Factual.
• The Trust for Public Land ranked Plano 15 out of 100 largest U.S. Cities.
• Happiest City in America by WalletHub.
• Fourth Best City for Foodies by Yelp.
• Fifth Best City to Live in America by Niche.
• Fifth Hardest-Working City in the U.S. by WalletHub.
• Eighth Best City to Open a Restaurant by Bid-on-Equipment.
• Fifth Top Performing City in the U.S. along with Dallas and Irving by the Milken Institute.
• Seventh Best City to Find a Job in the U.S. by WalletHub.

2018 Accolades

• The Box Garden at Legacy Hall was named the Best New Music Venue by the Dallas Observer.
• Crayola Experience was named the Best Place to Take the Kids by the Dallas Observer.
• Visit Plano received the James Farrell Award of Excellence presented by USA Softball for hosting two of their highest rated championships, the 2018 USA Softball 16-U GOLD Nationals and the 2018 USA Softball 18-U GOLD Nationals in July 2018.
• Twelfth Most Caring City in the U.S. by WalletHub.
• Visit Plano & Plano Event Center were awarded the ConventionSouth magazine Readers’ Choice Award for the fifth consecutive year.
• Third Safest City in America by WalletHub.
• Fifth Best Place to Retire by Livability.
• 28th Best City for Veterans to Live by Veterans United.
• Top 20 Best Cities for Halloween by WalletHub.
• Best City in America for Halloween Treats by NextDoor.
• Courtyard Theater and McCall Plaza were voted Best Place to Hear Live Music and Best Event Venue in Plano by Plano Magazine.
• Sixth Best City to Raise a Family by WalletHub.
• Visit Plano won People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice for Best Tourism Promotion at the Texas Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (TACVB) Annual Conference for the #PlanoPup campaign. Visit Plano also won the People’s Choice award for Advertising, the People’s Choice award for Website Design, and the Judge’s Choice award for Website Design in their respective budget category.
• Healthiest City in Texas and twelfth in the U.S. by TheStreet.
• Least Stressed City in Texas by CultureMap Dallas.
• Fifth Best City to Drive In by WalletHub.
• 15th Street in the Downtown Plano Arts District was named one of the top streets in the Dallas-area by D Magazine.
• Best Place to Live 2018 by AreaVibes.
• Eighth Best Texas City for Families by WalletHub.
• The Trust for Public Land ranked Plano in the top 20 for Best Park System in America.
• Connect Meetings has named Plano, Texas as a Best-Value Destination for meetings & events.
• Fourth Greenest City City in the South by Insurify.
• Best City to Buy a House in America by Niche.
• Fifth Happiest City in America by WalletHub.

2017 Accolades

• Most Excited City for Christmas by LawnStarter.
• Eighteenth Most Caring City in America by WalletHub.
• Fourth Best Midsize College City in America by WalletHub; ranked twenty-second overall.
• Eighth Safest City in America by WalletHub.
• Safest Big City in the U.S. by RewardExpert.
• Third Most Livable City in the U.S. by SmartAsset.
• Fifth Best City for Veterans by WalletHub.
• Fourth Best Place to Retire by Livability.com.
• Second Most Prosperous City in the U.S. by CityLab.
• Third Best City to Raise a Family by WalletHub.
• Tenth Best Midsize Real-Estate Market by WalletHub.
• Second Least Stressed City in America by WalletHub.
• Eighth Best City to Drive In by WalletHub.
• Plano Parks & Recreation scored 17th nationwide in the Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore Index.
• The Dallas Morning News Hot List named Plano Hottest Suburb.
• Twentieth Best City for Summer Jobs by WalletHub.
• Fourth Best Suburb to Live in Dallas-Fort Worth Metro by Niche.
• Seventh Best City to Live by Niche.
• Fifth Best City for Veteran Homebuyers in 2017 by Veterans United.
• Nineteenth Happiest City in America by WalletHub.
• Second Hardest-Working City in America by WalletHub.
• Second Best City for Jobs by WalletHub.
• Fifth Best City to Start a Family by LendEDU.
• Fifth Best City for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions by WalletHub.

2016 Accolades

• Best City to Find a Job by WalletHub.
• Third Hardest Working City in America by WalletHub.
• Eighth Best Downtown in America by Livability.com.
• Eleventh Best City for Single Moms by WalletHub.
• The Trust for Public Land ranked Plano parks the best in Texas, according to its annual ParkScore index.
• Sixth Best City for Renters by WalletHub.
• Seventh Least Stressed City in America by WalletHub.
• Tenth Best Midsize City for First-Time Home Buyers by WalletHub.
• Twentieth Best Texas City for Families by WalletHub.
• Fifth Best City to Live in America by Niche.
• Twenty-third Best Cities for Young Families by ApartmentAdvisor.com.
• Safeco Insurance named Plano the western city with third lowest property crime rates.
• Fifteenth Most Pet-Friendly City by WalletHub.
• Ninth Best Real-Estate Market by WalletHub.
• Third Best City for Families by WalletHub.
• Best Place to Live in Texas and #3 Best Place to Live in America by Money.
• Fourth Hardest Working City in America by SmartAsset.
• Fourteenth Safest City in America by Niche.com.
• Zippia, the career expert, named Plano the #8 Most Successful City in America.
• Twelfth Best City for Hispanic Entrepreneurs by WalletHub.
• Second Best Place to Live if You Are Trying to Save Money by the Huffington Post.
• The Dallas Morning News ranked West Plano #1, East Plano #3, and North Central Plano #10 Best Neighborhoods in Dallas-Fort Worth.
• Fourth Best Place for Veterans to Live by WalletHub.
• Fourteenth Best City for WalletFitness™ by WalletHub.
• Top 20 Most Caring Cities in America by WalletHub.
• One of the Top Tech Savvy U.S. Cities by ATTInternetService.com.
• Seventh Best City of 2016 by SmartAsset.

2015 Accolades

• Ninth Best City to Find a Job by WalletHub.
• Top 10 Cities for Women in Tech by SmartAsset.
• Third Hardest Working City by WalletHub.
• Top 10 Best Cities to Live In as an Entrepreneur by NerdWallet.
• Second Best City for Families by Livability.com.
• Top 19 Best Cities to Start a Family by DatingAdvice.com.
• The Dallas Morning News named West Plano #1, North Central Plano #3, and East Plano #7 Best Neighborhoods in DFW.
• The Most Affordable Place in America by NerdWallet.
• The top Texas city for parks and #17 overall by the Trust for Public Land ParkScore.
• Second Best City to Raise a Family by The Fiscal Times.
• One of the Best Cities to Start a Career by WalletHub.
• Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com.
• National Recreation & Parks Association named the City of Plano Parks & Recreation Department as the 2015 NRPA Gold Medal winner for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.
• Downtown Plano was named one of four Great Neighborhoods on the American Planning Association’s list of Great Places in America.
• Seventh Safest City in America by Law Street Media.
• Second Best City for Families by WalletHub.
• Ninth Best Place in America to Settle Down by LeafFilter North, Inc.
• Third Best Place to Retire by Livability.com.
• Third Best Cities for Your Wallet by WalletHub.
• Twenty Fifth Most Caring City by WalletHub.

2014 Accolades

• Plano ranked #86 in the Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com.
• America’s Safest City by Forbes magazine.
• Fourth Safest Large City in America by Movoto.
• Fifth Best City for Kids by Livability.com.
• Top 10 Healthiest Cities in America in TIME Magazine’s “Healthiest Places to Live” book.
• Fourth Best City for Newlyweds by mylife.com.
• Seventh Healthiest City in America by The Huffington Post.
• Second Best City to Live in Texas by CreditDonkey.com.
• Second Best City for Working Parents by Business Insider.
• Ninth Best City to Retire by WalletHub.
• Twelfth Best City for Pet-Lovers by WalletHub.
• Top 10 Southern City for Meetings by ConventionSouth.
• Ninth Best City for Young Entrepreneurs by NerdWallet.
• Plano was voted Best City or Suburb for Raising Children by the readers of DallasChild magazine in their annual Best for Families Survey.
• Plano was named one of the Most Attractive Cities in the U.S. to Host a Sporting Event in the 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards by SportsEvents.
• Top 20 Best Suburbs in North Texas by D Magazine.
• Best City for Families by WalletHub.
• Third Best Run City by 24/7 Wall Street.

2013 Accolades

• Fourth Best City for Men by Men’s Health magazine.
• Best Run City in America by 24/7 Wall St.
• Best City for Cell Phone Technology by Men’s Health magazine.
• Third Safest City by Business Insider.
• Plano ranked #1 on the Top 10 Cities in America – Best Places to Live by AreaVibes.
• Top 25 Happiest, Healthiest Cities in America by Prevention magazine.
• Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com.

2012 Accolades

• Third Best City for Men by Men’s Health magazine.
• Tenth Best Run City in the U.S. by 24/7 Wall St.
• Sixth Healthiest City for Women by Women’s Health magazine.
• Plano ranked #1 on the Top 10 Cities in America – Best Places to Live by AreaVibes.
• Sixth Safest City to Drive In by WebMD.
• Second Soccer City in the U.S. by Livability.com.
• Plano is in the top 20 cities with the Happiest Young Professionals by Forbes.
• Best City to Raise a Child by DallasChild magazine.

2011 Accolades

• Second Most Educated city by Men’s Health magazine.
• The Happiest City by Men’s Health magazine.
• The Most Tech-Friendly City by Men’s Health magazine.
• Third Best City for Men by Men’s Health magazine.
• Fifteenth city with the Most Brain Power by the Business Journal.
• Tenth Most Inventive City by The Daily Beast.
• Eleventh Best Place to Live by Businessweek.
• Best Place to Live in America by AreaVibes.
• Top 20 Longest-Living Cities by The Daily Beast.
• Voted Most Family-Friendly City by the readers of DallasChild magazine.
• Forbes ranked Plano #20 in America’s 25-Best Performing Cities.
• Forbes ranked Plano the Safest City in America.

Cover photo credit: Visit Plano