Still Booming

Houston heats up new list of most popular places to move to in the U.S.

Houston aerial skyline with traffic on the highway

Where are all those new Newstonians coming from? Texas.

Art Wager/Getty Images

A new study shows Texas' major metros are some of the hottest places to move to in the U.S. — and Houston tops them all.

Real estate site CommercialCafe recently looked at "metro-to-metro" migration to see which areas are "winning" in terms of new residents, and a trio of Lone Star cities appears in the top five.

With an average net gain of 32,821 residents, Houston ranks third overall. Dallas-Fort Worth, with an average net gain of 30,639, follows at fourth. And Austin, with an average net gain of 26,733 people, is fifth. (The migration data was based on U.S. Census yearly average estimates for 2013-2017.)

"Among the three Texas metros on our list, Houston saw the largest population increase through metro-to-metro migration," says the report.

So where are these new residents coming from? Elsewhere in Texas. Houston gained the most new residents from DFW (16,306), followed by Austin (9,304) and San Antonio (7,443).

Those are also the most popular locations for Houston residents to move to. On average, more than 15,000 Houston residents relocated to DFW, followed closely by Austin (14,082) and San Antonio (8,692).

Houston's growth "is visible in Space City’s many business districts, which added almost 18 million square feet of office space between 2013 and 2017, according to Yardi Matrix data," says the report. "This amount surpasses that of any other metro in the top 10. The Houston housing market is also on the upswing. The number of housing units here increased by an average of 2.1 percent — or 52,841 units — each year."

Outside of Texas, the report shows that folks are flocking to Phoenix (No. 1) and California's Inland Empire (No. 2).

reports texas

to the batcave

Houston park takes flight with bat viewings, chats, and movie night

Photo by Ann Froschauer/USFWS/Flickr [https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq/8006844645/]

undefined

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership announced bat-themed summer programming for the 160-acre park near downtown. Houstonians with an interest in the flying mammals will have plenty of ways to appreciate them.

Every Friday evening at sunset through the end of August, Buffalo Bayou Partnership will host two events centered around Houston's most famous bat colony, the 300,000 Mexican free-tailed bats that nest under the Waugh Street Bridge. Visitors get to watch the massive swarm emerge as the sun goes down and the bats hunt insects in the area.

On land, the free Bat Chat event is hosted by the Houston Area Bat Team, including Dr. Cullen Geiselman Muse. She studies the local bat populations and advocates for them based on their helpfulness to Houston.

"Here in Houston, there are insect-eating bats that can consume nearly their body weight in crop pests each night," she said in a statement. "The effects of the bats’ nightly forays add up across space and time. They impact processes ranging from how rainforest regenerate after they are clearcut to how much insecticides farmers use on crops."

People who want a view from the water may take one of the Bat Cruises. These 90-minute trips up and down the bayou cost $30, but do offer one of the most incredible ways to see the emergence. Plus, visitors get to see the area around Buffalo Bayou light up at night. The cruise launches from 1019 Commerce Street, and reservations are required in advance.

Batman Returns

No, one of Houston's most famous urban legends hasn't reemerged. However, BBP is hosting the next best thing: a free screening of the 1992 superhero classic film Batman Returns. Directed by Tim Burton, this Christmas-themed adventure follows Batman (Michael Keaton) as he battles Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) and the Penguin (Danny Devito) as the latter tries to become mayor of Gotham. Houston is deeply tied to Batman Returns as Six Flags AstroWorld once housed the official tie-in rollercoaster, which included a replica of the Batcave, Penguin's duckmobile, and other memorabilia.

The outdoor screening takes place on Saturday, July 25 at The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park (105B Sabine Street). Attendees are encouraged to dress up in costumes from the Batman mythos, and the Houston Area Bat Team will give a talk before the movie begins. It starts at 6 pm, and prior registration is required.

Finally, the The Buffalo Bayou Boutique at The Water Works has added bat plushies, stickers, and bandanas (batdanas) to their store. A full list is available on the boutique website.