A growing university, a prime location on a rapidly developing corridor and natural beauty are all reasons for San Marcos' continued growth.
“It’s hard to be surprised that people are wanting to come to Central Texas,” San Marcos Mayor Daniel Guerrero said. “We’re pleased. We’re certainly excited. Surprised? Absolutely not.”
Thursday, the Greater San Marcos Partnership, the area’s economic development organization, hosted its annual economic outlook presentation. Economists like Ray Perryman say unless something major changes, the town should continue to see this type of growth.
“There’s nothing out there to suggest that you won’t continue to have a high-growth, high-prosperity area; good quality of life; and continuing expansion in a lot of different areas,” Perryman said.
Perryman says like most of the region, San Marcos' growth is tied to a red hot Austin economy.
“It’s a very nice place for people to live – a more affordable place for people to live than Austin – and so a lot of people chose to live in this area that work in Austin," he said.
Guerrero says he's not surprised by his city's rank on the list. He says it's the result of years of planning.
“Over a number of decades, the city has done a tremendous job in planning for this level of growth,” Guerrero said. “It’s continued investment in infrastructure, both transportation and utility infrastructure. It’s ensuring that our educational system and workforce development is up to par.”
New homes are being built, and the Greater San Marcos Partnership is continuing its efforts to bring more high-paying jobs to the area.
“We have some great prospects in the pipeline, and we are really excited about what we see in the future,” the Greater San Marcos Partnership’s Adriana Cruz said.
Six of the 13 fastest-growing large cities were in Texas, including Georgetown and New Braunfels.