Fort Worth has overtaken Austin to become the 11th most populous U.S. city, per Census Bureau figures released yesterday.

Why it matters: Fort Worth added 23,442 residents between 2023 and 2024 — fifth most in the country — and now is home to just over 1 million people, as North Texas continues to experience explosive growth, the data shows.

The big picture: Five of the 15 fastest growing U.S. cities with populations of at least 20,000 are in North Texas.

• Princeton, in Collin County, was the fastest-growing city. Celina was fourth fastest-growing and Anna was fifth.

State of play: Dallas remains the largest city in North Texas and the ninth largest in the country, with 1.3 million residents.

• But Fort Worth has more than doubled its population since 1990, when it had around 450,000 residents.

Between the lines: Fort Worth officials had long hoped to see the city surpass the 1 million mark.

• Fort Worth's growth rate was 9.7% between April 2020 and July 2024, while Dallas' was 1.7%.
• Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker teased Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson at an event earlier this month, saying the Dallas-Fort Worth region is "as we like to say, the Fort Worth-Dallas region."

What they're saying: "The 1 million mark reflects not just growth, but complexity," Fort Worth's chief transformation officer, Christianne Simmons, said in a news release.

• "As Fort Worth becomes a bigger city, the questions get tougher — about infrastructure, public services and how to make limited dollars go further."

More suburban growth

Legacy West in Plano now has money from Indiana and Singapore running through it.

• Indianapolis-based Kite Realty and Singaporean wealth fund GIC recently bought the massive development for $785 million.

Why it matters: Kite Realty now owns 24 properties in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, including Southlake Town Square, Coppell Town Center and Prestonwood Place.

Zoom in: Legacy West has the highest concentration of luxury tenants among the company's portfolio, per Kite's April earnings call. Tenants include Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Lucid, Tesla and Fogo de Chão.

• The roughly 35-acre development has also inspired other projects. Plano's Shops at Willow Bend is being converted into an open-air, Legacy-like mall for high-end tenants, more restaurants and outdoor events.

The latest: The Legacy West sale was one of the largest retail real estate deals in Dallas-Fort Worth so far this year, the DMN reports.

• Kite, which is publicly traded, owns 52% of Legacy West. GIC owns the remaining 48%.
• In a news release, Kite CEO John A. Kite described the development as an "iconic mixed-use asset with significant mark-to-market potential."

What's next: Ralph Lauren is working on a new location in Legacy West, next to Lucid and Darna.

Jake Oettinger, the Dallas Stars goaltender, thrives in the postseason.

Why it matters: The Stars need their goalie to be at his best as they face Winnipeg and hope to go further in the playoffs.

State of save: Oettinger has a .917 save percentage in 11 postseason games — a better percentage than during the regular season (.909).

• He has been better than Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck in the postseason. Hellebuyck has a .851 playoff save percentage, compared to his .925 save percentage in the regular season.

The intrigue: Oettinger was Hellebuyck's backup for Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off, a precursor to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

What they're saying: Oettinger should be the primary goaltender for Team USA in February, the Athletic's Mark Lazerus argues in a recent article.

• "Hellebuyck might be the best goalie in the world, but Oettinger's the one you can trust when it matters most," Lazerus says.

What we love: Stars fans have chanted "Otter's better" at Dallas games against the Jets. Oettinger seems unflappable. His teammates trust him.

• In the rare moments a puck gets past him, Otter straightens, grabs his water bottle, taps it on the goal, takes a sip and moves on as if it never happened.

What's next: The winner of the series will face the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals.

• The Stars lost to the Oilers in last year's finals. The Oilers ultimately lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers.

🤝 A bill that could end Fort Worth's sister city relationship with the Chinese city of Guaiyang advanced to the Texas Senate. (KERA)

🍦 Dairy Queen gifted a North Texas couple with the last name Blizzard free swag and blizzards for their wedding. (WFAA)

🅿️ The Dallas City Council approved parking reforms that will reduce the number of parking spaces required for projects. (DMN)

Pause your next shopping experience to grab a bite and a cocktail at an upscale Canadian restaurant that opened last year in Dallas' best mall.

What to expect: Start your visit to Joey with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine and choose between the plant-filled dining room or temperature controlled patio.

• The menu is heavy on sushi and seafood but also features steaks and burgers. Happy hour, 3-6pm on weekdays, offers some more budget-friendly dining options.

Vibe check: The restaurant does not feel like it's inside a mall. Soft lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows and tropical plants hide the lack of view at some of the restaurant's other locations, like in North Vancouver.

• The food and cocktails are consistently tasty, the service feels high-end, and the presentation is appealing.

What to order: Mango Mai Tai — Bacardi Superior rum, mango, orgeat and lime, topped with a Bacardi Ocho rum float.

• We also loved the Supersonic Gin & Tonic with lemon-lime slush.

Where: Joey Dallas in NorthPark Center on the Northwest Highway side.

Cost: $17

Six-word review: Right amount of sweetness, tropical flavor.

📭 Know a drink we should try? Hit reply and tell us.