Green Goes Big

Earth Day Dallas appoints new leader to prove everything is bigger in Texas

Earth Day Dallas recently announced some ambitious plans to expand its impact statewide. The environmental event now has a new name — Earth Day Texas — and a new executive director, Michael Cain.

Earth Day Texas hopes to attract 60,000 participants to Fair Park for the event, which takes place April 26-27, 2014. Organizers have already begun to solicit business and community leaders and vendors from Houston, San Antonio and Austin for what they hope will become one of the biggest green festivals in the nation.

Cain is a Dallas native with an impressive list of accomplishments in the film and nonprofit space. He was the founding artistic director, CEO and chairman of the board of the Dallas International Film Festival. He also founded the Deep Ellum Film Festival and Arts Fighting Cancer. Most recently, he was executive producer for Jobs and remains president of his M3 Films company.

Cain, who admits that film turned him onto environmentalism in the ’70s, sees his appointment as an opportunity to take his passions to the next level.

“I got into film to change the world,” he told Green Source DFW. “Earth Day Texas is the perfect medium to affect the way people live, the way they think and work.”

In addition to new leadership, for the first time the green festival will have a central theme: water. That decision came on the heels of the November 5 election in which Texans overwhelmingly approved Proposition 6, which will take $2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund to help fund water projects throughout Texas.

“By passing Proposition 6, voters across the state have taken a stand and declared that our future water supply is an incredibly important issue to them,” said Earth Day Dallas founder Trammell S. Crow in a statement.

“We believe now is the perfect time to do more, to reach more people, with our message that everyone from big business to everyday family can lead the environmentally conscious lifestyle — especially when it comes to water conservation.”

“Everyone understands this is an issue in Texas,” added Cain. “The support of Proposition 6 is proof that people are aware that something has got to change.”

Programming and activities for Earth Day Texas will revolve around this critical theme. Planning is currently underway for the event, which will showcase environmental initiatives of business, nonprofits, schools and colleges, and governmental agencies, as well as provide family-friendly activities and hands-on workshops.

Earth Day Dallas is now Earth Day Texas.

Earth Day Dallas Facebook

Earth Day Dallas is now Earth Day Texas.

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population explosion

7 booming Dallas neighbors see biggest population growth in U.S.

City of Denton, TX - City Hall/Facebook

Denton had the biggest population growth rate in Dallas-Fort Worth from 2022 to 2023.

Denton, Mansfield, McKinney, and more North Texas cities are among the fastest-growing places in the country, according to a new population growth study by SmartAsset.

The report, "These Cities Saw the Largest Growth in Population – 2024 Study," examined U.S. Census population estimates for 2023, 2022, and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for 610 U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000 residents in 2023 (where the most recent data was available).

Silver Spring, Maryland had the No. 1 biggest population boom nationwide from 2022 to 2023, SmartAsset found. The Washington, D.C. suburb grew 12.86 percent year-over-year, bringing the city's total population from 75,313 to 84,996 residents in 2023.

Denton took the lead over all other Dallas-Fort Worth cities with the 16th-largest one-year population growth rate in the U.S., at 5.32 percent. Denton gained over 8,000 residents from 2022 to 2023, bringing the city's total population to 158,361 in 2023.

This should come as no surprise to those who already live in Denton, who may know their hometown was ranked one of the safest suburbs in America.

Mansfield trailed close behind with a 4.16 percent increase in population during that same period, which landed it the No. 26 spot in the one-year population change analysis. The city gained 3,189 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 79,775 residents in 2023.

McKinney appeared farther down the list as No. 49 with just a 2.89 percent one-year growth rate from 2022 to 2023, and a total population of 213,504 residents.

Only four other Dallas-Fort Worth cities appeared in the top 100 fastest growing cities in the U.S. from 2022 to 2023:

No. 61 – Frisco (2.48 percent increase)
No. 72 – Rowlett (2.48 percent)
No. 73 – Lewisville (2.17 percent)
No. 99 – Flower Mound (1.73 percent)

The report suggested major population shifts in communities like Denton or Mansfield can result in "a variety of interwoven economic and social impacts."

"The magnitude of the population change can affect demand for businesses and services, which in turn may impact costs – or even the availability of such amenities," the report's author wrote. "Similarly, the relative age of the population can determine the strength or weakness of the local job market, as well as have an impact on local culture, economic trajectory, tax base and more."

Fast-growing cities elsewhere in Texas
Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023.

New Braunfels, a San Antonio suburb, ranked No. 2 nationally with an 12.49 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.68 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023. The city gained 12,318 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 110,961 residents in 2023.

Just two spots behind New Braunfels is the North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 4), which grew 11.34 percent to 96,317 residents in 2023. According to the report's five-year population change analysis, Georgetown ranked seventh with a 29.85 percent growth rate.

The Houston suburbs of Atascocita and Conroe ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. Atascocita's total population grew to 119,502 residents in 2023, which represented a 11.03 percent growth rate from 2022, and a whopping 38.56 percent population increase since 2018. Conroe's 6.73 percent one-year population increase paled in comparison, but the city grew 23.49 percent during the five-year period from 2018 to 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023 are:

No. 1 – Silver Spring, Maryland
No. 2 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
No. 4 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Atascocita, Texas
No. 6 – Pine Hills, Florida
No. 7 – Elgin, Illinois
No. 8 – Lehi, Utah
No. 9 – Conroe, Texas
No. 10 – Dale City, Virginia

population growth reports smartasset dallas fort worth denton suburbs mansfield