Princeton mayor says growth is ‘wild' as city becomes one of the fastest-growing in the country

Leading one of the fastest-growing cities in the country is no small task.

It requires you to keep two fires burning – one for the concerns of today, and the other for the concerns of tomorrow.

As the Mayor of Princeton, Brianna Chacon knows those concerns all too well.

“Princeton is kind of a ‘unicorn city’ amongst Collin County,” Mayor Chacon said about the rapid growth her city has experienced in recent years, the amount of room it still has to grow, and its comparatively affordable homes.

Princeton’s population grew by 22% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which makes it the third-fastest growing city in America.

As recently as 2005, Princeton had a population of 4,229 people. As of last year, that population had grown to 28,027. And by the year 2039, the population of Princeton is projected to reach at least 110,000 people.

Growth like that needs to be managed purposefully and was not fully anticipated.

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“Our comprehensive plan that we are operating now was adopted in 2019, and it was supposed to have been built out to 2050. We have already eclipsed that,” Mayor Chacon said. “It really is wild. I think wild is an appropriate word for that.”

One of the concerns for a fast-growing city is how to handle emergency services – you cannot wait until the population is fully-built out to hire the appropriate number of police officers and firefighters, but you also cannot hire them all in anticipation of the projected growth because the tax base would not yet support it.

“Staffing is huge for us,” Mayor Chacon said. “How do we make for sure that we are budgeting out to accommodate that? And then a huge side of that, too, is making for sure that we actually have the facilities.”

Case in point, the City of Princeton will open its fourth fire station soon – something that would not have been needed even just a few years ago – and will look to hire seven additional firefighters to staff it.

The Princeton Police Department will also likely hire several new officers before the year is out, according to Mayor Chacon.

“So, if you’re looking for a great city to work for, this is my little plug to come work for Princeton,” Mayor Chacon said with a laugh.