'Small town' for how long? Georgetown leads nation in population growth

Take a bow, Georgetown.

The U.S. Census Bureau has named the city the fastest-growing in the country by percentage among those with populations of at least 50,000. Leander came in second on the same list.

The top ratings for the two Williamson County cities are not surprising, officials there said.

"Lots of people recognize that Georgetown is a wonderful place to live, and we welcome them," Mayor Josh Schroeder said at a news conference. "We welcome them. In fact, our new slogan is that they are more than welcome in Georgetown, Texas."

Leander Mayor Christine Delisle said the jobs coming into Central Texas have made the city an inviting place to live.

"We attract young families, for the most part," she said, "and they are coming to us with hopes of a better future."

Georgetown grew 10.5% from July 2020 to July 2021, a rate that would double the population in less than seven years, according to a Census Bureau news release. Its population was estimated at 75,420 in 2021, the release said. Georgetown also was listed by the Census Bureau as the country's fastest-growing city from July 2014 to July 2015.

Leander grew 10.1% from July 2020 to July 2021, the bureau said. Its population was estimated at 67,124 in 2021.

New Braunfels was fifth on the list with population growth of 8.3% from July 2020 to July 2021. The city's population in 2021 was estimated at 98,857.

All three Central Texas cities also were on the bureau's list of the 15 largest population increases from July 2020 to July 2021 in the country. New Braunfels added 7,538 people to rank ninth, Georgetown added 7,193 to place 10th, and Leander was 12th after adding 6,159.

A variety of housing options at various prices are "fueling the strong population and household growth in Georgetown and Leander and throughout Williamson County.” said Bryan Glasshagel, the senior vice president for housing research firm Zonda.

“Given available land, the ability to get new home developments approved and underway, and infrastructure improvements like the 183 toll road, Williamson County continues to be a key new home development area in the Austin MSA, accounting for 45% of total new home starts," he said.

Georgetown had 1,557 new home starts in 2020 and 1,803 in 2021, Glasshagel said. He said Leander had 1,016 new home starts in 2020 and 1,336 in 2021

Forty-nine percent of the new home starts in the first quarter of this year in Georgetown were priced between $350,000 and $500,000, he said. In Leander, 28% were priced between $400,000 and $500,000 during the first quarter.

READ: Tech supplier CelLink plans $130 million Georgetown facility could hire 2,000

The city of Georgetown issued 2,520 permits for single-family homes and condominiums in fiscal year 2021, said Keith Hutchinson, a city spokesman. During the current fiscal year, the city has issued 1,945 permits for condos and single-family homes, he said. The city also gained 958 apartments in fiscal year 2020 and 402 in fiscal year 2021.

Leander issued 2,426 single-family residential permits last year. As of June 1 this year, it had issued 929 single-family residential permits.

As part of Georgetown's approach to handle growth, the city is building a new water treatment plant on the south side of Lake Georgetown. It will double the treatment capacity of the city's water utility, with construction expected to be complete in two phases from 2025 to 2026, according to a city website.

In Leander, the city has taken a number of steps, including last year hiring an executive director of infrastructure, creating a master transportation plan and advancing projects such the Deep Water Intake project to pump greater amounts of water from Lake Travis, said Ty Meighan, a city spokesman.

READ: Northline project in Leander to start construction on town homes, entertainment area in 2022

Russ Phillips, a team leader at Keller Williams Realty, who has been selling real estate in Georgetown for more than 20 years, said the city has a sort of "small-town Americana" feel to it that's attractive to people.

"It's a town with an identity," he said. "The courthouse square plays a major factor in that because it's kind of an anchor point for a lot of festivals and farmers markets."

Georgetown was the first city in Texas to receive the Great American Main Street Award in 1997, the highest honor bestowed by the National Trust Main Street Center, according to a city website. The city has worked since 1982 to restore its downtown square, which features many buildings from the 1800s.

The city's other attractions include good health care, an extensive park system with a hike-and-bike trail and low taxes, Phillips said. He said his real estate clients come from all over the United States. including California, the East Coast and other parts of Texas.

The hottest property he sells, he said, is a 1-acre lot with a custom home and a pool.

Newcomers to Georgetown echoed what Phillips said about the city.

Barbara Hansen said she and her husband moved from Michigan to Georgetown in 2020.

"Georgetown still has that great small-town feel," she said. "The downtown is adorable, but the city still has a lot of outdoor activities and a lake, and it's easy to get to Austin or up to Dallas or over to Houston. These are the things that drew me to Georgetown."

Hansen is also the special events coordinator of the Georgetown Newcomers Club, which she said has more than 400 members.

Linda Pinkston, the former president of the club, said she and her husband moved to the city in 2020 from Maryland to be near relatives. She said she loves that Georgetown is small enough that it's only a five- to 10-minute drive to get to places she wants to go.

"Georgetown just seemed a lot more like Maryland," she said. "We lived on an acre in Maryland, and we live on an acre here. We have privacy but neighbors next door, too."

Don Hemingway, a real estate broker and owner of Crystal Falls Realty in Leander, said the availability of jobs in Central Texas is drawing people to the city.

"Companies like Apple and Tesla and Amazon are not only bringing their business, but they've got people they do business with that are moving to the greater Austin area, too," Hemingway said.

The two types of homebuyers in Leander are middle-income families and upper-income families, he said.

"Leander used to be a bedroom community that had people commuting into Austin, and they were typically middle-income families, but now we also have $1.5 million homes," he said. "Leander now has a home for just about anybody."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Small town' for how long? Georgetown leads nation in population growth