By Bill Hethcock
David Berzina has noticed a lot more out-of-state license plates in the Dallas-Fort Worth area lately an observation he considers a sign of the times. Fort Worth added 17400 people last year according to Dallas Business Journal research bringing its population to 720750. Dallas added 6000 people taking its population total to 1306350.
I think people are taking the opportunity to move here and start a new life in a more stable economy and I think the Metroplex is one of the most stable economies in the world" said Berzina executive vice president of economic development for the
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.
As a region 24 of the largest 25 cities in North Texas managed to grow last year adding a total of 54800 people. The 25 biggest cities have added 822098 people since the 2000 Census according to DBJ research.
Populations on the List ranged from the 1306350 in Dallas to 40100 in The Colony.
The cities of Fort Worth which added 185556 people since 2000 and Dallas with 117770 new folks accounted for more than a third of the population growth among the top 25.
Three of the fastest-growing cities Frisco McKinney and Allen are in Collin County. Since 2000 Frisco has added 67086 people McKinney has added 67481 and Allen has added 36846.
Rounding out the five fastest growing is Mansfield which straddles Tarrant and Johnson counties and The Colony which is in Denton County.
All but four cities in the top 25 have had double-digit growth since 2000 and none shrank. The slower growers included Dallas at 9.9; Richardson at 8.6; Garland at 5.8; and Bedford at 5.4. In year-over-year terms Garland was the only city to lose population during 2008 shrinking by about 100 people.
Growth in Fort Worth was likely driven by availability of land inexpensive housing costs and expansion related to the Barnett Shale natural gas field Berzina said although activity in the shale has slowed recently.
The land availability has allowed residential developers to build at a lower cost and pass savings on to buyers he said.
The Metroplex is one giant employment center with the Dallas/Fort Worth airport right in the center" Berzina said. I think a lot of people looked on the eastern side and found the housing opportunities were a little more pricey so I think the lower residential costs helped us grow a lot."
In McKinney the hilly tree-filled terrain and the citys history of supporting upscale residential development with communities such as Stonebridge Ranch El Dorado Craig Ranch and Adriatica have contributed to the citys population growth said David Pitstick McKinney Economic Development Corp.s president and CEO. The marketing of those subdivisions has built momentum for growth Pitstick said.
Population growth employment and commercial and new-home development are intertwined he said.
When you talk about retail development there are three factors they look at: population growth household income and daytime population" Pitstick said. You cant have any of those without residential growth. One feeds the other. You just cant get too far out of balance."
Craig Ranch has both contributed to and fed off the growth of McKinney and neighboring Plano Frisco and Allen said David Craig founder and developer of the 2500-acre master-planned mixed-use development thats home to the Cooper Sports Complex the Michael Johnson Performance Training Center and a Tournament Players Club golf course.
Construction of the Sam Rayburn Tollway which will add lanes to State Highway 121 from Coppell to McKinney coupled with other planned roadway improvements will take growth in the area to the next level Craig said.
Read more HERE
*This article is from the Dallas Busines Journal
By Bill Hethcock
David Berzina has noticed a lot more out-of-state license plates in the Dallas-Fort Worth area lately an observation he considers a sign of the times. Fort Worth added 17400 people last year according to Dallas Business Journal research bringing its population to 720750. Dallas added 6000 people taking its population total to 1306350.
I think people are taking the opportunity to move here and start a new life in a more stable economy and I think the Metroplex is one of the most stable economies in the world" said Berzina executive vice president of economic development for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.
As a region 24 of the largest 25 cities in North Texas managed to grow last year adding a total of 54800 people. The 25 biggest cities have added 822098 people since the 2000 Census according to DBJ research.
Populations on the List ranged from the 1306350 in Dallas to 40100 in The Colony.
The cities of Fort Worth which added 185556 people since 2000 and Dallas with 117770 new folks accounted for more than a third of the population growth among the top 25.
Three of the fastest-growing cities Frisco McKinney and Allen are in Collin County. Since 2000 Frisco has added 67086 people McKinney has added 67481 and Allen has added 36846.
Rounding out the five fastest growing is Mansfield which straddles Tarrant and Johnson counties and The Colony which is in Denton County.
All but four cities in the top 25 have had double-digit growth since 2000 and none shrank. The slower growers included Dallas at 9.9; Richardson at 8.6; Garland at 5.8; and Bedford at 5.4. In year-over-year terms Garland was the only city to lose population during 2008 shrinking by about 100 people.
Growth in Fort Worth was likely driven by availability of land inexpensive housing costs and expansion related to the Barnett Shale natural gas field Berzina said although activity in the shale has slowed recently.
The land availability has allowed residential developers to build at a lower cost and pass savings on to buyers he said.
The Metroplex is one giant employment center with the Dallas/Fort Worth airport right in the center" Berzina said. I think a lot of people looked on the eastern side and found the housing opportunities were a little more pricey so I think the lower residential costs helped us grow a lot."
In McKinney the hilly tree-filled terrain and the citys history of supporting upscale residential development with communities such as Stonebridge Ranch El Dorado Craig Ranch and Adriatica have contributed to the citys population growth said David Pitstick McKinney Economic Development Corp.s president and CEO. The marketing of those subdivisions has built momentum for growth Pitstick said.
Population growth employment and commercial and new-home development are intertwined he said.
When you talk about retail development there are three factors they look at: population growth household income and daytime population" Pitstick said. You cant have any of those without residential growth. One feeds the other. You just cant get too far out of balance."
Craig Ranch has both contributed to and fed off the growth of McKinney and neighboring Plano Frisco and Allen said David Craig founder and developer of the 2500-acre master-planned mixed-use development thats home to the Cooper Sports Complex the Michael Johnson Performance Training Center and a Tournament Players Club golf course.
Construction of the Sam Rayburn Tollway which will add lanes to State Highway 121 from Coppell to McKinney coupled with other planned roadway improvements will take growth in the area to the next level Craig said.
Read more HERE
*This article is from the Dallas Busines Journal
