The ‘incredibly safe’ Texas city whose population has almost tripled making it the fastest growing in America

You may have to scour Google Maps to find America’s fastest growing city, a place that offers affordable housing with Friday night lights charm, yet only minutes away from the amenities of a large city.

Celina, Texas grew 53 times faster than the rest of the country, the US Census announced, earning it the title of fastest growing city.

The city, about an hour north of Dallas, grew 26.6%, while the national growth rate is 0.5%.

Celina, pronounced Sa-lina by locals, has almost tripled in size in the past three years.

In 2020, it was just a rural town of 17,800 people outside Dallas, but three years later its population had grown to 43,300.

According to the U.S. Census, Celina is not the only city in the Lone Star State that is on the list of fastest growing cities.

Eight of the ten fastest growing cities in the U.S. are in Texas, with most of them in the Dallas area. Newcomers are helping to turn suburbs like Princeton, Anna, Prosper and Forney into booming cities.

These data are consistent with predictions that Texas cities will overtake New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

By 2100, “everything will be bigger in Texas,” with the state expected to have a population of as many as 96 million.

Dallas will replace New York City as the nation’s largest city, while Houston will overtake Los Angeles and Austin will displace Chicago.

Although Celina is part of the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, the neighborhood scores high for safety, with 9 in 10 residents rating the neighborhood as excellent or good for safety.

It was also rated 64% safer than the rest of the country by Buurtscout.com.

Home builders are building breathtaking McMansions for a fraction of the price you would pay if you were to buy a similar home anywhere else in the country.

While Celina is also home to a number of mini-castles, the average home price here is around $340,000.

“It’s still a great price to get into a city in the (Dallas-Fort Worth) Metroplex,” said real estate agent Tiffany Caballero in an online tour of Celina.

‘And it’s the median strip, and underneath it there are also a lot of houses.’

Celina is considered a rural area, the seller of the house explained. Anyone moving there should take that into account, he added. The only high school in town, he said, is a top school.

Currently under contract and last listed for $3,795,000, this 6-bedroom, 7-bathroom home in Celina, Texas is 6,800 square feet. It was built this year and features a pool, spa, and five-car garage

Members of the Celina Police Department pose during a community event

‘Everyone supports the Bobcats and wears orange and black like it’s Friday night lights‘, Caballero said, referring to the film about football culture in a small Texas town.

“But that’s because there’s only one high school. Everyone is super community-oriented and involved.”

Celina’s population is expected to rise to 350,000, meaning more schools will definitely be built as more families move in.

Virtually every city in Texas has seen tremendous growth in recent years. This is largely due to the fact that the cost of living is relatively lower than in many other states. However, for many native and permanent residents, the cost of living has increased significantly. They feel left out of the prices in their own state.

Texans also pay no state income tax.

The job market is also incredibly healthy, as the state ranks third in the country in CNBC’s Top States for Business Rankings in 2024.