NerdWallet just released its Best Small Cities for Families ranking. Four cities in the top 10 are either suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth or Austin. 

Analysts examined data from 944 U.S. cities with populations ranging from 25,000 to 75,000 residents to identify which cities offered the best combination of affordability, growth, and prosperity, and family-friendliness. 

The top 10 small cities didn’t just outrank the other 90 on the list, they share a plethora of stark similarities. For example, nine out of the 10 are suburbs located near big city opportunities. Some of the best small cities for families are in Texas. The median population growth rate was 24.5 percent from 2010 to 2015 compared to 5.9 percent for all cities analyzed. And the average income in the top 10 cities increased 11.7 percent while the median income growth in all other cities was only 2.7 percent. 

In Dallas-Fort Worth, Little Elm ranked No. 2, and Flower Mound came in at No. 7. In the Austin metro area, Leander ranked No. 3, and neighboring city Cedar Park is No. 8.

Little Elm is located on Lake Lewisville, which is about 35 miles north of Dallas. With a robust population growth of 47 percent from 2010 to 2015, it’s the fastest growing city in the top 10 and the second most affordable city.

Since 44 percent of the households in Flower Mound have kids, the city ranked high for family friendliness. And its median home value of about $280,000 is the most affordable.