America’s fastest growing city: Mother reveals why Celina, Texas, is so popular

A young mother who moved her family from California to America’s fastest-growing city shares what drew them to the small town.

Michelle Clifford, 33, says she’s always been fascinated by Texas culture and even went to college there.

When an opportunity arose to move to Celina, the Lone Star State, she and her husband decided to take it.

Clifford said they never looked back after finding a larger property at a lower price and having more space to enjoy outdoor activities with their children.

It was a goal she had wanted to accomplish for some time, but the couple had moved to Southern California after she graduated college, having fallen in love with the man of her dreams who went to school in the Bay Area.

The couple lived in San Diego for five years before moving to San Francisco, where they married and had their first daughter, Clifford writes in an essay for Business Insider.

During the pandemic, she and her husband moved to Oceanside, California, and she became pregnant with her second daughter. But by then, they wanted more out of life.

“Over time, our priorities changed,” Clifford wrote. “We wanted to slow down and buy a house, but that wasn’t realistic for us in California.”

Since she was working remotely at the time, she and her husband decided it was time to move to Texas.

First they moved to Prosper, a town north of Dallas that has also experienced a revival in recent years.

Census data shows that the population in 2009 was only 10,000 people. According to the Prosper Economic Development Corporation, the population now stands at about 40,000.

In Prosper, the couple rented a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on 2.5 acres for $2,650 a month. It was a significant upgrade from their cramped home in Oceanside, where they rented a two-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow built in the 1960s for $3,300.

But now they’re upgrading even further, moving into a 2,500-square-foot home in Celina, Texas, which sits on a half-acre lot.

Clifford and her husband were able to purchase the property for about $600,000. According to Clifford, the process of purchasing the home was a breeze compared to what they would have experienced in California, where they couldn’t find properties they liked within their $700,000 budget.

“I know friends who have lost bidding wars for houses in California to buyers who were willing to offer up to $150,000 above asking price, often in cash,” she said.

“But finding a house in Celina was the easiest process. It was like the stars aligned.”

Clifford said the sellers accepted their offer the same day and closed the deal in just 15 days.

“If we stayed in California, we knew we would probably have to move east, far away from the ocean, or settle for a lifetime of renting or living in a small townhouse with a backyard,” she wrote.

“We are real outdoors people, so it feels like we are being robbed.”

She added that they also fell in love with Celina’s culture, writing, “It felt like the perfect place to settle down and put down roots.

“More importantly, we wanted to do something completely different,” Clifford said.

‘We had experience with city life and wanted to embrace country life and own some land.’

Her new neighbors have eight cows, and Clifford and her husband recently bought their own chicken coop, she said.

She described the city as “small and cozy,” despite the country’s large size.

“Everyone says hello and I feel like we all know each other,” Clifford wrote.

“It’s hard to describe, but it feels like you’re going back in time,” she said, describing how the city and its residents have retained their culture with small businesses and “almost no fast food chains.”

“I feel honored to be a resident of Celina and grateful to have been welcomed here,” she said.

Clifford added that she is also grateful that her children will have a home of their own.

“I’m not normally an emotional person, but this past month I’ve been crying the whole time. I never thought it would happen,” she said of the possibility of buying a home.

“I’ve rented or moved almost every year since I was 18,” she continued.

“It’s a great feeling to finally have something of mine.

“Knowing that my daughters have the space to run around in Celina is the biggest blessing. I keep imagining them playing at the end of a cul-de-sac, just like I did growing up.

“I’m just so grateful,” Clifford concluded. “It feels like it was all meant to be.”

But, she noted, the charms that drew her to Celina are now also attracting more and more California residents, who are raising prices.

The average house price has also skyrocketed to approximately $680,00029 percent higher than the average home price in nearby Dallas.

Celina’s newest transplants are likely headed for the hour-long commute to Dallas, for its good schools and low crime rates.

Celina also has a fair amount of cultural offerings and is known for its festivals full of delicious food and attractions.

The downtown square hosted the annual Cajun Festival in May, billed as the ‘Largest crawfish slurry in North Texas.

The event was rounded out with live alligator shows, a family fun fair and a live performance by country star Aaron Watson.

And of course thousands of kilos of fresh crayfish for both residents and passers-by to enjoy.

Clifford hopes that ‘Celina doesn’t lose the cozy atmosphere that drew me here in the first place.’