The Central Texas Explosion - Rapid Growth Ahead

by Brandon Cornett

From a population standpoint, Austin, Texas has had its ups and downs. During the tech boom of the 1990's, the population of Austin (previously a sleepy college town) swelled significantly. But when the tech boom went bust around 2000, many of those new jobs and people left the state capital once more.

Starting around 2004, however, things began to turn upward again in Austin, Texas. The tech sector rebounded, and many other industries began to open up shop in the city as well. Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look at the numbers:

In the past ten years, the population of Austin, Texas has increased by 40 percent. That's more than triple the average growth rate for cities across the United States.

Now, we are also seeing tremendous growth in the cities surrounding Austin. Excellent schools, great shopping opportunities and newly revitalized highways have spurred growth in such Central Texas cities as Round Rock, Cedar Park, Hutto and Leander.

So let's take a quick look at these up-and-coming neighbors of Austin, Texas:

Round Rock, Texas - Home to Dell Computers headquarters, Round Rock is a tech-friendly city just up the road from Austin. Massive road-improvement projects have recently relieved the traffic problems that used to plague the city, greatly improving quality of life for people who live and work in Round Rock.
Cedar Park, Texas - This city to the northwest of Austin has undergone a dramatic transformation over the last few years, growing from a mostly rural area to a medium-sized city with brand new healthcare and shopping options. Tremendous highway improvements, such as the 183 toll road, have made it a lot easier to commute from Cedar Park to Austin (and elsewhere). Related article
Hutto, Texas - As of this writing, Hutto is the fastest-growing city in Texas. Hutto is located about 25 miles to the northeast of Austin. It marks the eastern edge of what is considered Texas Hill Country. In 1990, Hutto had a population of around 630. Today, the city's population has grown beyond 17,000 and is expected to reach 30,000 or more within the next decade.
Leander, Texas - The city of 20,000+ boasts one of the best school districts in Central Texas, which is part of the reason for its rapid growth. A variety of new communities have sprung up to accommodate the growing population, and this includes some custom home communities in the Crystal Falls area of the city.

Central Texas is certainly growing by leaps and bounds. But when the media mentions this growth, they usually limit their coverage to Austin only. Austin is a great place to live and work, but there are also plenty of rapidly growing cities (with plenty of character) surrounding the state capital.

Brandon Cornett is the publisher of Cedar Park Today, an online directory of businesses in Cedar Park, Texas.

Also on the "Central" theme: Central Austin condo

Home | About | Business Directory | List Your Business | Contact Us