Fate tops list
of fastest-growing Texas cities
09:20 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 21,
2006
By PAULA LAVIGNE /
The Dallas Morning News
Fate continues to realize its
destiny as a booming 'burb, and this time it's a chart topper
statewide.
No other city in Texas surpassed
Fate's 63.4 percent growth, but plenty of other North Texas cities
posted high population percentage gains, according to estimates
released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Small towns on the fringes of the
metro area, such as Fairview, Celina, Melissa, Prosper, Murphy and
Royse City, all saw significant gains in their population between
2004 and 2005.
Frisco, the largest city among the
top 20 fastest-growing in Texas, grew by 13.5 percent.
Nationwide, Fort Worth stood out
among cities with more than 100,000 people by adding 21,000
residents from 2004 to 2005 – more than any other fast-growing city
in the nation's top 25.
Mayor Mike Moncrief said the
population boom in Fort Worth has been impressive, but city leaders
also need to remain cautious. The council should work to ensure that
the city is prepared for the influx, he said, and doesn't let it get
out of control.
"We want quality growth, not
sprawl," he said. "We have our hands full."
There was only one change among
rankings in the nation's 10 largest cities. San Antonio continued
its upward climb and is now the nation's seventh-largest city, with
about 1.3 million people. Dallas is still ninth, with 1.2 million.
Those counts are for the cities only, not the metropolitan areas.
Jeff Mosier contributed to this
report.
E-mail
plavigne@dallasnews.com