Hometown Glory
Forbes names Austin the fastest-growing city in the nation, with Houston closebehind
Native Austinites might soon be as rare as snowfall on Christmas morning (you know, in Texas).
Forbes reports that Austin tops their list of the fastest-growing cities in the country, ranked No. 1 in the magazine's list, a ranking that takes into account projections of economic and population growth from Moody’s as well as median income, unemployment rates and employment growth to distinguish between real growth and a rebounding economy.
The Capital City has a projected population growth of 2.8 percent through 2016, more than triple the national rate. Austin's growth is helped by its status as a state capital and the home of the University of Texas, and for it's reputation as a fairly stable economy despite national trends — it drew an unbelievable 35 corporate relocations in 2011.
Dallas took second place, buoyed by a projected economic growth rate of almost five percent. San Antonio rounded out a quartet of Texas cities in the top 10 by snagging the No. 9 ranking.
And Houston is close behind at No. 4, having seen its population climb 65 percent since 1990 to a current 6.3 million residents. According to Moody’s, Houston will add another 484,000 to the population by 2016, with expected economic growth of 4.6 percent in the same time period driven by energy and health care.
Guess everything really is bigger in Texas!