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Compare towns

Ross vs Cool

91 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (14.7× in Cool) and property tax bill (2.1× in Cool).

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Ross, TXA small town of 202Texas · 202 people
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Cool, TXA small town of 159Texas · 159 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

RossA small town of 202
Quiet strengthsRoss doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Ross →
CoolA small town of 159
Quiet strengthsCool doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Cool →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker14.7×
Cool is more of a job hub
Cool 0.44Ross 0.03
Property tax bill2.1×
Tax bills are bigger in Cool
Cool $4,818Ross $2,278
Conserved land+50.4 pts
Ross has more conserved land
Ross 53.2%Cool 2.8%
Average commute18 min
Ross has the shorter commute
Cool 38 minRoss 20 min
Street grid+64%
Cool has the more walkable street grid
Cool 22.5Ross 13.7
Typical home built12 yrs
Ross’s homes are older
Cool 1997Ross 1985
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
RossCool
Snow a year0″—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)11th42nd
Outdoors & history
RossCool
Archive photos—2
Community
RossCool
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

91 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RossTXCoolTX
Ross ↔ Cool91 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

RossCool
People
Population 202Highest 159Lowest
Median age 53.5±18.3Highest 50% above TX 50.5±12Lowest 42% above TX
Ross and Cool are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.4%±18.3Highest TX: 25% 6.9%±19.3Lowest TX: 25%
Ross and Cool are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 34.7%±19.3Highest TX: 13.4% 17.6%±19.7Lowest TX: 13.4%
Ross and Cool are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.6%Lowest TX: 33.8% 16.8%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 9.4%±12.2Highest TX: 6.2% 3.8%±10.5Lowest TX: 6.2%
Ross and Cool are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $61,625±$19kLowest 21% below TX $87,614±$39kHighest 12% above TX
Cool and Ross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied — $428,000±$129k 51% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $2,150±$558 53% above TX
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,278Lowest 46% below TX $4,818Highest 14% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 20%±100Lowest TX: 51.7% 66.7%±100Highest TX: 51.7%
Cool and Ross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 19.8%Highest TX: 13.8% 8.8%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.9%Lowest TX: 62.6% 82.9%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1985Lowest 7 yrs older than TX 1997Highest 5 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 25% below TX 38 minHighest 42% above TX
Work from home 6.2%±6.8Lowest TX: 14.4% 25%±24.7Highest TX: 14.4%
Cool and Ross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miLowest 39.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.03Lowest 0.44Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Waco (34%)Fort Worth (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CoolFew work in Ross
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 53.2%Highest 2.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 13.7Lowest 22.5Highest
Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Ross neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ross’s Town Square.

Cool neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cool’s Town Square.

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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