How Texas' booming population is felt around Austin

The Lone Star State led the country in population growth last year, and Central Texas drove much of that increase.

The big picture: America's top 15 cities by percentage growth last year were clustered in Texas, Arizona and Florida, with a few in Idaho and one in Tennessee.

Why it matters: It's the latest sign that people in the U.S. are heading South and West to build new boomtowns, tech hubs and powerhouses.

• Yes, but: Those population spikes can lead to affordability issues, soaring rents and mortgage rates, environmental challenges and more.

Zoom in: Census Bureau data released last week showed Georgetown was the fastest growing city from July 2020 to July 2021 — increasing by 10.5%.

• If that rate continues, the population will double in less than seven years.
• Next was Leander (10.1%) ... and New Braunfels (8.3%) took fifth.

Between the lines: Once dependably conservative, these areas are now characterized by political crosscurrents as emigres from liberal Austin — and from around the world — head ever further out of town to buy their first homes.

• We love the strip malls here — where you can find martial arts studios cheek-and-jowl with Polish kielbasa joints; Mexican bakeries next door to vacuum cleaner repair shops.

Flashback: Census data showed that four of the top 10 metro areas for population growth last year were in Texas.

• The Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex, Houston and Austin metro areas took the top three spots.