on the rise

This wealthy Houston neighbor is the fastest-growing suburb in America

Fulshear's population has exploded as much as 237 percent over the last five years.

City of Fulshear/Facebook

The Houston-area city of Fulshear has been keeping a secret from the rest of Texas: It's now the No. 1 fastest growing affluent suburb in the country.

Fulshear's new affluent status was unveiled in a new GoBankingRates' study that ranked the "30 Fastest-Growing Wealthy Suburbs in America" for 2025. The report examined population changes from 2018 to 2023 among cities and towns in major U.S. metro areas with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 residents. Median household income, average home value, and a "livability score" were also calculated for each locale.

Fulshear – which is located 34 miles west of downtown Houston – experienced the most dramatic population increase nationally out of all 30 cities in the report. Though the suburb only has an estimated population of 42,616 residents, that number has skyrocketed 237 percent during the five-year period.

A Fulshear resident's median income is $178,398 annually, and the average value of a home in the city comes out to $521,157, the report additionally found.

Fulshear was the second fastest growing city in America in 2023, and the city's growth is further reflected by the number of new apartments that were built in the area in 2024. One of Houston's most beloved Tex-Mex restaurants has already made the move to the suburb.

Texas cities took the top three fastest growing U.S. suburbs for 2025, with Dallas-area cities of Celina (No. 2) and Prosper (No. 3) experiencing wildly different (yet still sky high) population changes. Celina's population ballooned 190 percent to 43,317 residents, while Prosper's grew 81 percent to an estimated 41,660 people.

Other Texas cities that earned spots in the report include Flower Mound (No. 19), Southlake (No. 27), University Park (No. 28) and Colleyville (No. 29).

"The old adage that everything is bigger in Texas is true, considering the number of Lone Star State suburbs that are quickly growing in population and overall wealth," the report's author wrote.

The top 10 fastest-growing wealthy suburbs in America are:

No. 1 – Fulshear, Texas
No. 2 – Celina, Texas
No. 3 – Prosper, Texas
No. 4 – Erie, Colorado
No. 5 – Clarksburg, Maryland
No. 6 – Zionsville, Indiana
No. 7 – Redmond, Washington
No. 8 – Dublin, California
No. 9 – Parkland, Florida
No. 10 – Eastvale, California

houston population population growth suburbs reports

going up

Twin tower retail and residential high-rises break ground in Upper Kirby

Tower of 2811 Kirby and The Lily River Oaks

Photo courtesy SLC

2811 Kirby and The Lily River Oaks is a multiuse space including offices, restaurants and retail, and luxury living.

Houston’s newest mixed-use development broke ground this week, as Nashville-based Southern Land Company (SLC) launched its latest project, a new luxury mixed-use destination in Houston's prestigious Upper Kirby district.

Fashioned as two buildings on one property, 2811 Kirby Drive and The Lily River Oaks sit between West Alabama Street and Westheimer Road. In press materials, Southern describes the project as "a design-forward, complementary development that will further enhance one of Houston's most distinguished areas."

Two towers anchor the project’s 953,000 square feet, rising from a shared parking podium that will feature approximately 15,000 square feet of ground-level restaurant space.

The Lily River Oaks is a 38-story apartment tower featuring 331 rental residences, including 18 penthouses. Future residents will enjoy amenities such as a rooftop indoor and outdoor spaces and a seventh-floor garden deck. The seventh floor will also include a residential spa, guest suites, and a fitness center available to both residents and office tenants.

Meanwhile, 2811 Kirby, the project’s 10-story tower, offers four stories of Class AA office space totaling approximately 107,000 square feet. Stream Realty Partners, the firm partnering with SLC on the project, is leading leasing efforts for the office space.

"After meticulous planning and preparation, we are excited to break ground on a one-of-a-kind mixed-use community," said Tim Downey, SLC founder and CEO, in a release. "Today marks an important milestone in our mission to deliver a landmark destination where locals and visitors can live, work, and gather, and that exemplifies SLC’s hallmark standard of extraordinary placemaking."

2811 Kirby and The Lily River Oaks mark the latest expansion of SLC's growing Texas portfolio, which includes Tucker Hill, a single-family community in McKinney; Lunaroya, a single-family community in Dripping Springs; and Deco, a 27-story luxury mixed-use community in downtown Fort Worth. They’ve also developed and sold mixed-use and multifamily properties in Plano, Dallas, Keller, and Allen.

Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) is the new development’s architect and interior designer; Kimley-Horn helms its civil engineering; and DeSimone Consulting Engineering leads the structural engineering. SLC is the leading landscape architecture and horticulture for the project.

Construction is slated for completion in 2028.

Photo courtesy SLC

2811 Kirby and The Lily River Oaks is a multiuse space including offices, restaurants and retail, and luxury living.

high-rises construction