Long gone are the days when what was considered to be Dallas-Fort Worth were the towns that were adjoining the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth.
For example, Celina, north of Prosper in Collin and Denton counties, had a population of 1,861, according to the 2010 Census. By 2020, it had grown to more than 16,000. As of 2024, the estimated population for Celina was more than 50,000 people.
Another Collin County city that has seen major growth in recent years is Princeton, along US Highway 380 east of McKinney.
According to a recent report in The Dallas Morning News, Princeton ranked 2nd in Collin County in 2023 for new home starts, with 2,641. That was the second straight year that Princeton was second in Collin County in home starts, and the city ranked third in the county in 2021.
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“Our city offers something for everyone, making it the ideal destination to live, work, and thrive,” Princeton Mayor Brianna Chacon told The Dallas Morning News.
In Denton County, the City of Sanger is set to nearly double its population in the foreseeable future.
There are currently around 3,500 homes in Sanger, according to this report in the Denton Record-Chronicle, but that number is expected to rise to approximately 6,500, based on permits and plans already in place.
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“We know that is not all coming tomorrow, but it is on the books, and it will build out over some time for sure,” said Sanger Mayor Thomas Muir. “I’m sure that trend will continue.”
“[These historically small towns] are all at the edges of that growth. And really this area is the engine for Texas, and Texas, in many ways, is the engine for the United States. Many people are coming to our state, right?,” Mayor Muir said.