gig 'em

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.

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H-Town's Moo Deng

Houston Zoo welcomes Akobi, an adorable pygmy hippopotamus

Akobi is Houston Zoo's newest pygmy hippoptamus

Photo by Jackelin Reyna/Houston Zoo

Houston Zoo welcomes itOH MY THAT IS ADORABLE

The Houston Zoo welcomes Akobi, its newest pygmy hippopotamus right as the species is having a massive resurgence in popularity.

Thanks to Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo born Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Chonburi, Thailand this summer, pygmy hippopotami are more popular than ever. Moo Deng became a viral sensation thanks to cute videos of him playing and drinking from a spraying hose. He was even parodied on Saturday Night Live, where he was played by Bowen Yang.

Akobi is a four-and-a-half-year-old, 477-pound male pygmy hippopotamus who recently moved from San Francisco to Houston as part of an Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) Program. His name means “first born” in Yoruba. This is definitely one California transplant all Texans can agree on.

As their name suggests, pygmy hippos are quite a bit smaller than their more famous counterparts. Common hippos can weigh up to 4,000 pounds and are among the most dangerous megafauna in the world because of their fierce territoriality. By contrast, pygmy hippos rarely get above 500 pounds and are comparatively docile.

Unlike their larger cousins, pygmy hippos spend most of their time on dry land and live solitary lives rather than in large herds. Akobi is the first pygmy hippo in the Houston Zoo since the death of Silas, their previous pygmy hippo. Acquired in 2020, Silas quickly became a favorite of zoo visitors. He died in 2022 after a short illness.

Akobi comes at a time of massive expansion and progress for the Houston Zoo. The 55-acre zoological garden just opened its massive Birds of the World exhibit, featuring bird species across three continents. It also swept a series of industry awards for its innovative Galapagos Island area, which introduced penguins to the zoo among a host of other species. These were all part of the Houston Zoo’s centennial celebration.

Hopefully, Akobi will have an easier time than Moo Deng. Visitors to the viral star’s enclosure would sometimes spray water or throw items at the hippo, leading to the zoo having to build more security to protect Moo Deng. Houston Zoo visitors should remember that pygmy hippos (and all zoo animals) should not be disturbed or molested for their health and the visitor’s safety.

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