When it comes to booming cities in the US, the south is taking over – more specifically, Texas. In fact, three of the top 5 cities with the fastest population growth are located in the southern state.
While obvious central metropolises like New York City and San Francisco still continue to experience growth year after year, their numbers pale in comparison to what we’ve been seeing in Texas over the recent past.
Texas continues to be a hub for employment in the tech, education and health care industries, and offers residents plenty of affordable real estate, making the Lone Star State attractive to home buyer hopefuls.
The following are the top 5 fastest growing cities across the US.
The Salt Lake City suburb is located in the middle of the Oquirrh Mountains and the Wasatch Mountains, which gives residents phenomenal views. For years, South Jordan has been growing rapidly, with the current population now sitting at nearly 63,000 thanks to the annual growth rate of 5.7%. The city is famous for its plethora of parks (27 to be exact), which boast fishing finds, walking trails, and plenty of other natural features. Outdoorsy folks will certainly find South Jordan heaven on earth.
The population growth in Frisco has largely been driven by the economic and population growth in nearby Dallas. With a yearly growth rate of 5.8%, Frisco is actually having a tough time keeping up with such a rapid influx of new residents, which now tops 145,000. Over fours year, four new high schools were built in the city to accommodate the booming growth of the young student demographic. Both Forbes and CNN have named Frisco as one of the best US cities to live in.
Located just outside of Miami, Doral has been exploding in population over the past 15 years, with a total now over 54,000. With an annual growth rate of 7.0%, the city blew through Census Bureau estimates. Local developers are currently building mixed-used projects that will turn this city into a walkable and shop-heavy version of nearly Miami. The southern city has a large Latino presence, particularly of Venezuelan heritage, which is why the city is dubbed “Doralzuela” by the locals. In fact, the mayor of Doral is the first of Venezuelan heritage in Florida.
At an annual growth rate of 7.5%, Georgetown takes second spot on the list of fastest growing cities in the US. Much of the population growth is due to the overall increase of residents all throughout the Austin area, as Georgetown is only about 40 minutes north of the major metropolis. Since the year 2000, the population here has doubled. The 59,100 residents that call Georgetown home enjoy the historic Victorian-area architecture as well as the annual Red Poppy Festival that characterizes the unique town.
San Marcos is only about an hour away from Austin, which itself has seen a huge spike in population increase over the past few years. With an annual population growth of 7.9%, San Marcos easily takes top spot for the fastest growth rate of any city last year. It now has well over 58,000 residents calling the city home, which is largely contributed to the booming student population who attend Texas State University. The vibrant and bustling downtown area is also an attraction for those looking for more affordable housing while still being close to big city amenities. The city has also topped other lists as well, including “Most Exciting Small Cities in America” and ”Best Place to Raise Your Kids.”
What may be most surprising about this list is that these cities aren’t exactly massive. In fact, you’ve probably never even heard of some of them. Though these cities aren’t tiny by any means with populations over 50,000, the rate at which they are growing is much more prominent compared to growth in the 1 million+ group. The Texan cities on this list have most likely been riding the coattails of their neighboring large cities – Austin, Houston and Dallas – helping to spark the huge influx of new residents. Nevertheless, these cities may have started off small, but they’ve grown immensely over the past few years, and are showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
