Hometown Glory

Where the jobs are: Two Houston suburbs rank in the Top 5 in the nation for jobgrowth

Fort Bend County, which took No. 2 on the list, counts Sugar Land (pictured) andMissouri City among its top towns.
Photo by Ed Schipul/Flickr
Montgomery County, home of The Woodlands (pictured), snagged No. 4 on the list.
Photo by Marlo Saucedo

Is this more fodder for Gov. Rick Perry's talk of a Texas Miracle? Five Texas counties are listed among CNN/Money Magazine's list of "Where the jobs are," receiving accolades for offering plentiful jobs and a great place to live.

Fort Bend County, home of Sugar Land and Missouri City, ranks No. 2 on that Top 25 list. Data shows a 78.1 percent job growth from 2000 to 2011, and the article cites "a favorable tax structure, strong school system and easy access to Houston," all which make the area attractive to business.

Among the companies that keep Fort Bend thriving are Schlumberger, CVR Energy and Fluor Enterprises, which is in the midst of an expansion that will add 2,000 jobs.

Topping the list is Loudoun County, Va., a hub for Verizon Business and AOL data centers that has seen 83.6 percent job growth between 2000 and 2011.

Among the companies that keep Fort Bend thriving are Schlumberger, CVR Energy and Fluor Enterprises, which is in the midst of an expansion that will add 2,000 jobs.

Williamson County, which includes the Texas towns of Cedar Park, Georgetown and Round Rock, ranks No. 3 with 73.8 percent job growth, thanks to companies like Dell Computer Corp and Thermo Fisher.

Montgomery County comes in at No. 4, with 63.5 percent job growth and more on the way with a forthcoming Exxon Mobil campus and a soon-to-be-completed Anadarko Petroleum tower.

But the jobs aren't just centered around Houston and Austin suburbs: Collin County (which includes Frisco, Allen, Plano and McKinney) is sixth on the list, with 55.9 percent job growth; and Denton County (which includes Flower Mound, Lewisville and Denton) snags the seventh spot, with 53.4 percent job growth.

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This Week's Hot Headlines

Austin restaurant chain bowls over River Oaks and more popular stories

Photo by Becca Wright

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including restaurant openings and a major acquisition for MFAH. Plus, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the best Christmas weekend events.

1. Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

2. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire. It didn’t take Sambrooks Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opened December 22.

3. 25 Houston restaurants celebrating New Year's Eve with caviar, bubbles, and more. Houston restaurants are ringing in the new year with indulgent menus featuring caviar, lobster, and steak, along with plenty of bubbly.

4. Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District.

Holland Lodge masonic building The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace. Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

5. Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025. As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. These are the City Life stories that captured Houston's attention.