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Home of the Aggies revels in top-10 spot on new fastest-growing U.S. college towns list

Kyle Field is a landmark in No. 8 College Station.

Populous Architects/Facebook

Houston might be one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., but there's one East Central Texas city that's outdoing it in a different category of population growth. A new study by university scholarship website BrokeScholar has deemed College Station the No. 8 fastest-growing college town in the country.

College Station's population in 2000 was 68,853; in 2023 the population has nearly doubled to 123,238. For scale, U.S. News and World Report says Texas A&M University alone had an undergraduate enrollment of 56,723 in the fall of 2021.

It's not just a university or its enrollment that attracts newcomers, the study says, but the "cultural oasis" that the college towns maintain.

"These collegiate strongholds benefit from an influx of new residents eager to enjoy a good football game and an existing mix of music, culture, and young energy," the report's author wrote.

College Station is a hub for cultural growth with its fun food scene that inspired an Aggieland favorite to expand into Houston, and a host of outdoor recreational activities. Even the city's hotels provide a resort-style experience enhanced with live music nights.

BrokeScholar estimates the College Station's population to expand to over 147,000 people by 2030, and about 244,000 people by 2050.

Also in the top 10 is San Marcos, in between Austin and San Antonio, ranking No. 4 with an overall population of 70,372 residents. Denton, north of Dallas-Fort Worth, earned No. 6 with an overall population of 160,564 residents.

The top 10 fastest-growing college towns in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – Bozeman, Montana
No. 2 – Oxford, Mississippi
No. 3 – Cedar City, Utah
No. 4 – San Marcos, Texas
No. 5 – Auburn, Alabama
No. 6 – Denton, Texas
No. 7 – Cullowhee, North Carolina
No. 8 – College Station, Texas
No. 9 – Fayetteville, Arkansas
No. 10 – Raleigh, North Carolina

BrokeScholar pulled data from the U.S. Census Bureau between 2000 and 2023 to determine annual growth rates and make population projections for 2030.

The full report and its methodology can be found on brokescholar.com.

BrokeScholar Study Fastest-Growing College Town colleges reports texas universities college station houston

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