Growth spurt

Hardworking Houston suburb tops list of biggest boomtowns in Texas

Conroe is tops in Texas and No. 3 in the nation's list of boomtowns.

The Houston suburb of Conroe has come a long way since Civil War veteran Isaac Conroe planted roots there in October 1881 with the purchase of a tract of land and the establishment of a sawmill.

Fast forward 140 years, and Conroe now reigns as the leading boomtown in Texas. On November 2, personal finance website SmartAsset released a study ranking Conroe as the No. 1 boomtown in the state. Even more impressive: The city ties with Meridian, Idaho, for the No. 3 spot among the nation’s top boomtowns. The No. 1 city overall is Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.

Conroe did not show up among the country’s top 50 boomtowns in SmartAsset’s 2019 study.

SmartAsset evaluated data for 500 of the largest U.S. cities to come up with its list of the top boomtowns. It looked at growth factors for each city such as five-year population change, average yearly growth in economic output (GDP), five-year change in number of businesses, five-year growth in housing, and August 2021 unemployment rate.

Among the 500 cities, Conroe ranks fifth for the five-year population change (26.03 percent) and fourth for the five-year growth rate in housing (39.69 percent). On SmartAsset’s 100-point boomtown scale, Conroe earns a score of 97.59.

As of April 2020, Conroe was home to nearly 90,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Population growth in Conroe is not slowing. The increase continues to be steady. Conroe’s median age and educational attainment [are] ideal for businesses looking to locate here,” Danielle Scheiner, executive director of the Conroe Economic Development Council, said in April.

Conroe is the only city in the Houston area to make the top 50 on SmartAsset’s boomtown list. However, five other Texas cities did break into the top 50:

New Braunfels (San Antonio metro area), tied for No. 14 with Concord, North Carolina. Boomtown score: 89.83. New Braunfels appeared at No. 6 in SmartAsset’s 2019 boomtown study.
Austin, No. 17. Boomtown score: 89.52. Austin appeared at No. 12 in SmartAsset’s 2019 boomtown study.
Round Rock (Austin metro area), tied for No. 25 with Charleston, South Carolina. Boomtown score: 86.98. Round Rock appeared at No. 10 in SmartAsset’s 2019 study.
Denton (Dallas-Fort Worth metro area), No. 36. Boomtown score: 83.87. Denton appeared at No. 2 in SmartAsset’s 2019 boomtown study.
McKinney (Dallas-Fort Worth metro area), No. 39. Boomtown score: 83.59. McKinney appeared at No. 14 in SmartAsset’s 2019 boomtown study.

Four Texas cities dropped out of the boomtown ranking from 2019 to 2021: Frisco, which ranked 13th two years ago; College Station, ranked 16th; Flower Mound, ranked 24th; and Allen, ranked 37th.

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improving emancipation park

Historic Houston park's renovated cultural center completes $18.5M project

People at the Cultural Center at Emancipation Park opening.

Photo courtesy of Darryl Howard Photography.

Third Ward residents got to see the new Cultural Center as part of National Night Out.

Historic Third Ward now has an equally historic, newly-renovated third space in the form of the Cultural Center at Emancipation Park. The Emancipation Park Conservancy officially opened it for the public on Tuesday, October 6, as part of the National Night Out campaign, a community-building initiative designed to bring together neighborhoods and the law enforcement officers that serve them.

“Emancipation Park has always been a place where the Third Ward community comes together to celebrate, connect, and create memories,” said Corey Wilson, president and CEO of EPC. “The completion of the Cultural Center will create even more opportunities for people to learn, gather, and experience arts and culture. National Night Out is the perfect opportunity to invite the community back into this space and celebrate what’s next for Emancipation Park.”

The renovations to the Cultural Center are part of an $18.5 million investment plan that built on a the success of a $34 million campaign completed in 2017 that has fundamentally revamped the park as a modern neighborhood multi-purpose space and gathering spot. Among the upgrades are walls lined with historic photographs and infographics about the history of Third Ward that offer residents and visitors a chance to understand the rich heritage of the area while also providing venues for classes, workshops, and presentations. Other improvements include a new gift shop and enhanced audio-visual amenities.

Emancipation Park is actually the oldest public park in Houston. It was founded in 1872 by four formerly enslaved persons, including the Reverend Jack Yates. The park was built to host early Juneteenth celebrations and has been a cornerstone of Third Ward ever since.

“Emancipation Park was created by the community, for the community, and that legacy continues to guide its future,” said Ramon Manning, board chair of EPC. “We are excited to open the doors to the renovated Cultural Center and welcome our neighbors to enjoy this special place, make memories, and celebrate all that Emancipation Park means to the Third Ward.”

Funding for the Cultural Center's renovation comes from Houston Endowment; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; Wortham Foundation; Shell; O’Quinn Foundation; Claire and Joe Greenberg; Sarah and Doug Foshee; Melvyn and Cyvia Wolff Family Fun; Sara and Bill Morgan; and Carla Knobloch. The Jacqueline W. Bostic Stage was added to the park last year as a performance space thanks to support from the Kinder Foundation.

Photo courtesy of Darryl Howard Photography.

Third Ward residents got to see the new Cultural Center as part of National Night Out.

emancipation park parks openings