Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,989, settled in 1888. 3.7 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Texas town.
Trash & recyclingFor most people who can afford it, yes. Alpine grades B+ overall, 92nd among Texas's 640 graded towns. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 95% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $236K, 4.2 years of the county’s $56K median household income. 49% of working residents work locally in Alpine, where Texas’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 51 of Texas’ 999 towns score higher on walkability. Alpine's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Where Alpine beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Alpine is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 931 in 1920, 6,035 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1887 and 3 maps from 1895 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alpine, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Alpine.
Alpine is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has home values still below their peak and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Texas.
7.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Alpine’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Kokernot Municipal Park, at 31 acres.
| Alpine | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kokernot Municipal Park | — | 31 |
| 2. Shipman Park | 0.2 mi | 16 |
| 3. American Legion Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Alpine ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 375 | C+ |
| Alpine H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 286 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Alpine is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Alpine | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Alpine.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,950 U.S. towns with household incomes like Alpine’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
9.7% of Alpine adults smoke cigarettes.
| Alpine | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Alpine | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 9.7% | 12.5% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 14.4% | 16.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Alpine weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 216 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 92% of Texas places with climate records. The Alpine weather station records that about 82 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 91% of Texas places with climate records.
Only 5 of the 642 Texas towns we compare have a lower July high than Alpine. Alpine has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $236K, is 9% below its August 2022 peak.
The typical Alpine home is worth about $236,000, down 1.8% in a year, 20% below the Texas typical home.
| Alpine | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $891 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 69% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 2,537 working residents takes 13.4 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
Jobs based in Alpine grew to 2,482 in 2023, 184 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Marfa (4%), Odessa (3%) and Midland (3%). Half commute less than 2 miles.
| Alpine | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.7% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alpine. Close and well known come first.
22 mi MuseumChinati Foundation
21 mi National Historic SiteFort Davis National Historic Site36K visitors a yearin town MuseumMuseum of the Big Bend
22 mi National Historic SiteBlackwell School National Historic Site
16 mi GardenChihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens17 mi GardenChihuahuan Desert Research InstituteChinati Foundation: Jgc3, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Davis National Historic Site: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain · Blackwell School National Historic Site: David Larson, Public domain · Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Alpine
College town 15 of every 100 Alpine residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
1.1% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
6 places in Alpine on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Alpine.
City in Texas, United States
Alpine ( AL-pyne) is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,035 at the 2020 census. The town has an elevation of 4,462 feet (1,360 m), and the surrounding mountain peaks are over 1 mile (1.6 km) above sea level. Sul Ross State University, a hospital, library, and retail make Alpine the center of the sprawling 12,000 square miles (3,108,000 ha) wide-open Big Bend area (combined population 12,500) including Brewster, Presidio, and Jeff Davis Counties.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Alpine grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #92 of 640 in Texas. It grades B+ for health, A+ for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
9 notable people were born here, including Fritz Kiersch and Pete Gallego.
