Mai Nguyen and her daughter Phoebe Khong eat gelato at Legacy West, a shopping and dining center in Plano, Texas, in 2021.
Shelby Tauber/Special Contributor
Plano was ranked the 16th happiest U.S. city this year, and many residents said they are not surprised.
Personal finance company WalletHub scored each city’s happiness based on three rankings: emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment.
The top three happiest U.S. cities were Fremont, California; Bismarck, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona. In the top 100, other Texas cities were Austin, ranked at 39, Irving at 70 and Garland at 92.
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At Legacy West on Wednesday, shoppers and workers pointed to Plano’s kind people, shopping experiences and dining amenities as reasons why the city’s residents are so joyous.
Mayor John Muns grew up in Plano, and felt especially proud of its status as one of the happiest cities. He said the Plano City Council prioritizes healthcare, accessibility, parks and overall quality of life for its residents.
Related: What makes Plano one of the best cities in the country to raise kids?
“I’ve lived here for such a long time that it’s really gratifying to see that people still want to be here,” Muns said “They want to work here. They want to live here. They want to go to school here. Those are things that really do make me proud to live in Plano.”
The WalletHub ranking is the latest in a collection of “best” rankings for the city. Plano has earned similar high rankings in the past for safety, parks and places to raise children.
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Others have differing opinions. With the recent announcement of the Dallas Stars arena set to take over Shops at Willow Bend, several residents took to social media with concerns over traffic and construction.
Alex Froyo has lived in Plano with his wife and family for 18 years. Spending quality time with them is what makes him most happy, he said, and Plano allows him to do that with its top-notch safety, schools and ability to control growth.
“If you are going to raise a good student or sportsman or something like that, this is the place to do it,” Froyo said.
Kanlyn Stone works at KĀI, a pan-Asian restaurant in Legacy West. After working there five months, she said she consistently watches people arrive and leave the restaurant and city with smiles, from what she believes is because of its serene environment.
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“When a place looks good, it makes other people feel good,” Stone said. “It’s like when you go to work and you dress up for it. It’s a good environment and it makes you feel good to walk around, and see happy faces.”
Others, like Zaina Sartaj and Dean Moore, said they travel to Plano from other Dallas suburbs to shop and eat at its wide range of boutiques and restaurants. Sartaj added that she has noticed that restaurants and businesses frequently choose to expand in Plano.
“I just think the environment, the people and the mixture of everything — it has a little bit of taste for everybody,” Moore said.
Maria Margarita Noriega enjoys Plano’s accessibility. She lives alone and uses a scooter to get around, so she said she loves how easily accessible shopping, dining and socializing is from her home.
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“Living here is great because I go to this place to come around, to see people, to relax, and also go to the facilities because I don’t go very far from here,” Noriega said. “This makes me happy to have the opportunity to see people. This area is so nice, going into the shops and the people are so nice.”
Related: This North Texas city ranks among the safest in America, report says