Hot Headlines

Guy Fieri's Texas invasion tops this week's most popular stories

Editor's note: Fieri fever and Austin's booming population lead this round of top stories. Read on for more of the week's most popular headlines.

1. Guy Fieri films Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in Texas' biggest city. Celebrity chef, TV host, and author Guy Fieri has been in Houston since Monday filming at local restaurants for upcoming episodes of his popular Food Network show.

2. How much will Austin’s population grow by 2020? Brace yourselves. Think Austin is jam-packed now? Well, you’d better brace yourself. A new report from the City of Austin’s auditor predicts the city’s population will swell by 2020.

3. Austin's hottest neighborhood for 2017 will surprise you. Zillow has released its predictions for the hottest housing markets of 2017, and while Austin didn't make the top 10, the study did reveal some interesting info about the Capital City. Namely, which metro neighborhoods are on track to see the highest growth this year, and the winners may surprise you.

4. Southwest launches nonstop Austin flight to summer vacation hot spot. Now is the time to plan that Florida vacation. In addition to Allegiant Air's new service from Austin to Tampa Bay and Destin, Southwest Airlines has announced a new nonstop, seasonal route to Panama City.

5. The five best Texas state parks to visit in 2017. There’s no better time than the new year to contemplate the places you want to explore in the coming year. And, luckily, there are incredible state parks right in your backyard. Check out our picks for the top Texas state parks to visit in 2017.

Guy Fieri has been in Houston filming for his popular Food Network show.

Photo courtesy of Food Network

Guy Fieri has been in Houston filming for his popular Food Network show.

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growth news

Surprising Central Texas county is among fastest-growing in the U.S.

City of Lockhart - City Government/Facebook

Caldwell County was the ninth fastest-growing county by percentage in 2024.

Newly released U.S. Census Bureau data has revealed that Caldwell County was one of the top 10 fastest growing counties nationwide in 2024.

The new population report, published March 13, estimated year-over-year population data from 2023-2024 across all 3,144 U.S. counties and 387 metro areas.

Caldwell County – comprising Central Texas cities like Lockhart, Luling, Uhland, and Mustang Ridge – ranked No. 9 among the top 10 U.S. counties with the highest growth rates by percentage.

The county added 2,323 residents from July 2023 to July 2024, bringing its total population to 52,430. That's a growth rate of 4.6 percent.

Caldwell County cities have been gaining in popularity in recent years, likely due to their location between Austin and San Antonio. Jaded city dwellers may flee to these areas in search for a "small town" feel that's uninterrupted by skyscrapers and bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-35.

Three other Texas counties appeared among the top 10 fastest growing counties by percentage: Kaufman County (No. 2) southeast of Dallas, and the Houston-area counties Liberty (No. 6) and Montgomery (No. 7).

Most populated U.S. metro areas
The Austin metro didn't make any huge strides, but Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands nearly led the nation as the second-fastest growing metro area in 2024.

From July 2023 to July 2024, the Houston metro added 198,171 residents, bringing the total population to 7,796,182.

New York-Newark-Jersey City was the only metro area to outpace Houston's growth during the one-year period. The East Coast metro added 213,403 new residents, which brought the total population to more than 19.94 million last year.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington was right behind Houston as the third-fastest growing U.S. metro in 2024. The Metroplex gained 177,922 residents last year, and now has a total population of more than 8.34 million.

Kristie Wilder, a Census Bureau Population Division demographer, said in the report that the nation's population growth in its major metros was largely impacted by international migration, rather than changes in birth rates.

"While births continue to contribute to overall growth, rising net international migration is offsetting the ongoing net domestic outmigration we see in many of these areas," Wilder said.

The top 10 U.S. metros with the highest numeric growth from 2023 to 2024 are:

No. 1 – New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey
No. 2 – Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, Texas
No. 3 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 4 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida
No. 5 – Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia
No. 6 – Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
No. 7 – Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida
No. 8 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia
No. 9 – Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois-Indiana
No. 10 – Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington

census bureau population growth caldwell county