Boomtown

This Dallas suburb is the fastest-growing city in the U.S.

Folks are drawn to Frisco because of its top-notch schools, pretty parks, and retail, sports, and entertainment destinations.

Photo courtesy of Frisco Square

In May, Frisco was named the country’s second fastest-growing large city in terms of population. Now, the Dallas suburb ranks as the fastest-growing city in the U.S. based on population and 14 other economic measures.

Personal finance website WalletHub just released its list of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., with Frisco sitting at No. 1. It’s among four Texas cities in WalletHub’s top 10; the others are Midland (No. 5), McKinney (No. 6), and Austin (No. 9).

The City of Frisco’s economic development arm says residents and businesses are drawn to the suburb because of its top-notch schools, “pristine” parks, and retail, sports, and entertainment destinations.

The July 2016 population of Frisco was around 164,000, up more than 6 percent from the previous year. By 2035, the headcount is projected to be 375,000.

That growth is being spurred, in large part, by development along what’s known as the $5 Billion Mile. In Frisco, four mixed-use developments with a collective price tag exceeding $5 billion are planned or under way along a one-mile stretch between the Dallas North Tollway from Warren Parkway to Lebanon Road.

Notably, many of the highest-ranking cities on the WalletHub list, including Frisco, are suburbs, not urban centers.

“We’ve seen millennials flock to cities over the last decade, generating a lot of optimism about the future of urban areas, but as the oldest ones have school-aged children, we are also seeing a retreat to the suburbs,” Melanie Bowers, assistant professor of political science and public policy and administration at Rutgers University-Camden, tells WalletHub. “It is very hard for prime, working-aged people to stay in cities that don’t have good schools.”

To determine where the most rapid local economic growth occurred over a seven-year period, WalletHub analysts compared 515 U.S. cities across 15 key metrics. The data ranges from population growth to college-educated population growth to unemployment rate decrease.

Across the board, DFW boasts more fast-growing cities on the list than the Austin, Houston and San Antonio metro areas do. Here are the other major metro cities in Texas that show up in the top 200:

14. Round Rock

25. Allen

26. Pearland

31. League City

57. Irving

58. Denton

64. Richardson

82. Grand Prairie

83. Fort Worth

110. San Antonio

112. Dallas

185. Houston

Other highlights include:

Austin ranks first for overall growth among large cities.
Frisco ranks first for overall growth among midsize cities.
Frisco ties for first in job growth.
Frisco ranks second for population growth.
McKinney ranks fourth for population growth.
Pearland ranks fifth for population growth.

wallethub rankings

beyond the stacks

Texas public libraries deliver billions in economic impact, study says

dallaslibrary.org/

Dallas shines a lot brighter with its public library system.

A new statewide study examining the economic impacts of public libraries has revealed they have generated over $3.8 billion in value to local communities — a return of $4.74 for every $1 invested.

The report, "Beyond the Stacks: Measuring the Economic and Community Value of Texas Public Libraries" was conducted by third-party consultancy JBK Economics Group in partnership with the Texas Library Association. About 300 of the total 513 public libraries in Texas participated in a survey for the report.

A major finding from the survey revealed that public libraries create billions in economic value for the communities they serve at a fraction of what it costs to pay employee wages and benefits, operating expenditures, and capital expenditures. About 11,200 jobs were directly and indirectly supported by public libraries, the report found.

The report found its $4.74 to $1 ratio by adding up the total value of the services provided by these institutions (an estimated $2.48 billion), and comparing it to total expenditures ($808.6 million).

"Public libraries had about the same economic footprint as the Texas motion picture and sound recording industry ($2.9 billion in Gross Domestic Product in 2024) or the Texas paper manufacturing industry ($4.0 billion in Gross Domestic Product in 2024)," the report said.

Many Dallasites are already familiar with Dallas Public Library's expansive catalog and programming, but there are many more services the library provides that might fly under the radar. A few examples include access to subscription-based research databases and news outlets, free notary services, free admission to local arts and culture events through Culture Pass Dallas, seed libraries, and maker spaces for creative endeavors. Individual branches also provide free Wi-Fi, computer access, meeting spaces, tax assistance, and job help.

Residents outside Dallas also have access to services at several other local libraries, depending on their address. For instance, Plano Public Library offers free cards to residents and for residents in reciprocal cities like Allen, The Colony, Frisco, Garland, McKinney, Richardson, and Wylie.

These are additional services and partnerships that Texas public libraries commonly provide, per the survey results:

93 percent provide voter registration and/or serve as voting locations
84 percent provide partnerships with local social services agencies
82 percent provide job application assistance
68 percent facilitate applications for government benefits
38 percent provide on-site social services
30 percent provide telehealth rooms and/or resources

"Public libraries are practical, welcoming and rooted in the communities they serve — they are unmistakably Texan," said Texas Library Association executive director Shirley Robinson in a press release. "This study puts a dollar value on the opportunities libraries create every day. Whether someone visits a library to apply for a job, access the internet, learn a new skill or simply find a new favorite book, those services create real value for Texans and their communities."

libraries city life dallas dallas public library