Austin, TX
Cities to watch in 2024: This Texas hub is attracting more homebuyers than Austin and Dallas with its affordability and jobs
Anna Lagos, 38, moved to Texas from California in 2014 with her husband and two children, joining her parents and most of her siblings who had already relocated to the state.
Lagos, a realtor, believed that Texas would offer her family a better chance at realizing the homeownership component of the often expensive American dream.
“The opportunities were much greater for us in Texas than they were in California,” Lagos told Business Insider. “We always wanted to own a home. It was pretty evident that we’d have to work for many years before we’d be able to purchase one in California.”
During the early years after their move, Lagos and her husband lived in San Antonio and Austin. However, in 2021, driven by a desire for greater affordability and to be even closer to her parents, who had already established themselves in New Braunfels, the couple moved to the small city in Central Texas.
Courtesy of Anna Lagos
Lagos, who bought a 2,700-square-foot home for $325,000 in New Braunfels, said she fell in love with its “small-town” charm.
“I wouldn’t say that it is a small town anymore, but somehow it still manages to retain the feeling of a small town,” she said, adding it’s one of those places ” you won’t find anywhere else.”
Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of people have moved to the Lone Star state, drawn by its affordable housing, political environment, and abundant job opportunities. According to Census Bureau data, Texas welcomed 670,000 new residents between 2021 and 2022, ranking second to Florida.
While big cities like Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio have traditionally been real estate hotspots, recent Census estimates from 2020 to mid-2022 show that smaller places, such as New Braunfels and Katy, have experienced significant population growth, while their larger counterparts have seen minimal growth — or in some cases, population declines. It’s a trend that may persist as Americans continue to reassess notions of affordability and community.
BI interviewed homebuyers and real estate agents to explore the factors contributing to New Braunfels’ rising popularity. Residents said its rich German heritage, tight-knit community, rapidly expanding business sector, and affordable real estate market have made it an ideal place to raise a family and settle down.
One of the fastest-growing cities in America
New Braunfels has emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities in the US. Census data shows that its population has surged by over 15% since 2020. As of July 2022, the city’s population has reached 104,707.
Its growth is as remarkable as its origin story: Evolving from a humble settlement founded by a German prince to a thriving and rapidly expanding city.
In 1844, Prince Carl of Soms–Braunfels, a German prince and military officer, was appointed the commissioner of the Adelsverein, a group of aristocrats united with the singular aim of creating a “new Germany” on Texan soil.
Although New Germany was never realized, the colony succeeded, and to this day, New Braunfels retains much of its German heritage.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images
The city, which is home to the famous Schlitterbahn Waterpark, hosts the annual Wurstfest celebration — a 10-day German cultural festival dedicated to sausages and Oktoberfest. Drawing hundreds of thousands of attendees from around the world, it has become an internationally famous event.
The city’s economy and job sector are booming
New Braunfels’ economy is growing rapidly alongside its population. A 2023 report from the New Braunfels Economic Development Foundation shows that the city’s gross regional product — a measure of an area’s economy — reached $2.8 billion in 2021, nearly double the amount from a decade earlier.
The EDC also reports that since 2003 the city has created 16,434 new jobs. In 2022, New Braunfels welcomed a $110 million automotive manufacturing plant by Continental, a tech company serving major car manufacturers like Volkswagen, Ford, Toyota, Porsche, which will create more than 500 new jobs. Additionally, business outsourcing company TaskUs increased its operations in the city, adding 750 new positions.
“When I was growing up here, you worked at the mill, or you worked for local government, and there were ancillary jobs to those, but there weren’t many opportunities for employment,” Mayor Neal Linnartz, told the San Antonio Express News in July. “Nowadays, there are so many opportunities that when kids get out of school, they don’t have to leave New Braunfels to find good employment. We have good jobs here.”
According to the Texas Economic Development Corporation, key industries in New Braunfels encompass financial services, information technology, aerospace, and aviation, as well as military and tourism.
The homes are attractive to homebuyers
According to software data company Payscale, the cost of living in New Braunfels is 15% below the national average. [is this for 2022?]
Easton Smith, the founder of the Emerald Haus Group with Keller Williams, moved from Oxnard, California, to New Braunfels in 2016. He told BI that the area’s affordability is really what’s winning people over.
“What I can speak of, on behalf of our clients and ourselves, is that the affordability here is greater,” he said. “What you’ll find is people want to come here and spend less and have more freedom.”
Regan Bender/Shutterstock
Take Janelle Crossan, a 44-year-old single mother who moved to New Braunfels in 2020 for a fresh start with her son.
Having faced financial challenges as a divorcée in Mesa, California, she sought an affordable place to buy a home and a stable environment for her family. After moving to the city, she purchased her first home for $240,000.
“I paid $1,750 for rent in a crappy little apartment in California,” Crossan told BI’sErin Snodgrass earlier this year. “Now, three years later, my whole payment, including mortgage and property taxes, is $1,800 a month for my three-bedroom house.”
The city is experiencing growing pains
Crossan told BI she’s been amazed by New Braunfels’ growth since moving there in 2020 but believes that the expansion has strained the local infrastructure.
“We have construction everywhere,” she said. “I really can’t complain because I’m one of the people who are helping the area grow bigger, but there’s so much traffic.”
Doney Cowey, a realtor with Keller Williams who moved to New Braunfels 32 years ago, told BI that the city’s growth is pushing some locals out.
“At the time I moved here, the town had a population of 19,000,” Cowey said. “The dynamics have changed now that we have at least 100,000 people in the surrounding area. We get people that are moving here because it’s a small town and we also have people moving away because it’s gotten too big.”
Lagos, who now runs a Facebook group for newcomers moving to New Braunfels said there has been some tension between locals and transplants.
“A lot of people, especially those that grew up here, feel like all the people coming in have ruined the small town that they were used to and have driven up prices,” she said. “A lot of them are priced out of their homes right now, unfortunately.”
Courtesy of Janelle Crossan
Despite the tension, Crossan remains optimistic about New Braunfels, emphasizing its safe and ideal place to live.
“It still has, I hate to say, but the American dream, in a timeframe when people feel like they can’t afford to buy houses and don’t have the same privileges of older generations,” she said. “This is an affordable, fun, cute, nice place to raise kids. I didn’t think that still existed anymore.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Severe thunderstorms are moving through Central Texas Thursday evening. Here is the latest forecast from the First Warning Weather team.
Here are the main headlines:
Thursday
9:04 p.m.: KXAN viewer Tiffany Morgan sent in this photo from Pflugerville.
8:29 p.m.: KXAN’s Andy Way is in Georgetown and sent in this photo of the orange sky.
8:14 p.m.: KXAN’s Madison Myers is in Marble Falls tracking the storms and sent in this video.
8:00 p.m.: See Austin area rainfall totals here.
7:30 p.m.: Low Water Crossing #6 7748 Spicewood Springs Rd in Austin is closed.
7:22 p.m.: Oncor is reporting a power outage in Taylor affecting almost 1,500 customers. The full Oncor outage map can be found here.
7:11 p.m.: Austin Energy is reporting one power outage affecting 1,500+ customers in west Austin, north of Emma Long Metro Park, in the Glenlake neighborhood.
7:06 p.m.: Multiple road closures are being reported in Marble Falls.
- 800 Blk Ave L Between Broadway St. & Ninth St.
- 1300 Blk Broadway St (Childress Park) Between Ave L & Ave N
- 800 Blk Main St. Between Broadway St. & Ninth St.
6:49 p.m.: A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for northwestern Blanco, southwestern Burnet and southeastern Llano until 9:45 p.m. Life threatening flash flooding is possible with this storm.
ASU softball to compete in NCAA Austin Super Regional
The Arizona State Sun Devils softball program will face the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Austin Super Regional beginning Friday, May 22, 2026.
Momentum is not tangible. It is not something that can be picked up and felt. It cannot literally be seen, but while hard to grasp and seize, momentum is certainly building in Tempe.
No. 19 Arizona State softball (44-16) is preparing to head to the Austin Super Regional in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament to take on No. 3 Texas (42-10), with a spot in the Women’s College World Series on the line. It’s a homecoming for coach Megan Bartlett, who coached at Texas before moving to ASU.
Ahead of last week’s Bryan-College Station Regional, after shocking everybody by winning the Big 12 tournament, Bartlett said to The Arizona Republic, “When you have momentum at your back in the postseason, you become real dangerous, real quick.”
Those words proved to be prescient.
ASU opened up the Bryan-College Station Regional with a run-rule win over McNeese. In the next game, ASU beat No. 15 Texas A&M, coached by former ASU coach Trisha Ford, 4-3, setting up a potentially decisive game in a rematch.
ASU softball shocked the field and won the Big 12 tournament
After an 11-13 regular season, Arizona State softball shocked the field and won the Big 12 tournament. Next up is the Bryan-College Station Regional.
Then came redshirt senior Brooklyn Ulrich.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Ulrich uncorked a titanic grand slam – ending the game right there, 9-1, and sending ASU to the next round.
Just like that, the Sun Devils have become real dangerous, real quick.
Sun Devils underdogs again — and that’s OK
“They just keep doing their thing,” Bartlett said May 20. “People keep asking, ‘What’d you do with these kids?’
“Nothing. It was the same message over and over again. We got healthy, they put the pieces together. At that point, it’s been a lot of confidence and belief. They’re certainly playing with some incredible momentum at their back right now.”
Since losing three straight to Texas Tech in the second-to-last series of the regular season late last month, ASU has won nine games in a row, including the takedown of Texas Tech to win the Big 12 tournament.
The temperature is quickly rising in Arizona, with the end of spring and the start of summer looming. But that’s not the only thing getting hot.
Arizona State softball thrives with Red Mountain alum Brooklyn Ulrich
Arizona native Brooklyn Ulrich talks about her time growing up at Red Mountain and her journey to playing at Arizona State.
“We feel really confident going into the weekend,” said junior infielder Katie Chester, who hit a two-run home run in the first game against Texas A&M. “We’ve been saying, ‘The Devils are getting hot.’ And we got hot at the right time in the season.”
Despite the confidence built over the past few weeks, ASU is still an underdog. Texas is the defending NCAA champion, coming off ending Oklahoma’s dynastic run of four consecutive NCAA titles.
ASU is trying to use the outsider tag to its advantage.
Brooklyn Ulrich exemplifies ASU’s personality
“We know we’re the underdog going in,” Chester said. “We have nothing to lose. We just go in and play how we play. That’s why we’ve been winning all the games we have.”
For Ulrich, a Mesa native who attended Mesa Westwood and then Red Mountain, this is a moment that she was told wasn’t possible.
As a kid, she hoped to attend ASU. There’s even a photo of a young Ulrich, sporting a Mesa Mountain View shirt, along the fence at an ASU game. But Ulrich was told by Ford’s Sun Devils coaching staff at the time that she wasn’t good enough to play at ASU.
Ulrich shifted her plans and decided to attend Marshall, where she played for the next four years. When she went into the transfer portal for her final season of eligibility, she was the first player Bartlett targeted.
A homegrown talent shining for the hometown team could have a far-reaching impact for Bartlett to retain in-state athletes.
“We would love all those Brooklyns to just stay home from the get-go,” Bartlett said. “BK is such a proud Sun Devil. This was the dream from when she was little. We were so thrilled to get her. She’s a super resilient kid. She’s been a tremendous asset. We want those superstar, Arizonian kids to stay home. Be the next BK.”
Ulrich, typically soft-spoken, is trying to soak it all in. She’s been thinking of this for years — helping lead ASU.
“When I entered the portal, I said I’m not playing anywhere but Arizona State. I’m going to go play there,” Ulrich said. “It has met every expectation, every dream. I used to come here as a little girl, watch softball. We had season tickets right in front of the press box. I just loved it. It’s everything that I could have ever dreamed of.”
This season isn’t over yet — there’s still a national championship in the balance.
But Bartlett was blunt when asked how people should remember this season.
“Arizona State’s back,” Bartlett said. “We’re going to continue to do nothing but get better.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
AUSTIN, Texas – We are in the middle of early voting for the runoff elections, and the battle for the Republican nomination for attorney general is heating up.
What they’re saying:
Congressman Chip Roy spent Wednesday morning with members of the Austin Police Association. He came to show support for those wearing the badge and to voice his support for legislative proposals that are focused on liberal district attorneys.
“This is not the same as federalism. Like some people talk about it and say, well, you know, you don’t like the federal government reaching into Texas. Yeah, true. Do I want Austin micromanaging the rest of the state? I do not. But do I think the state has the legal ability? And frankly, I think it’s a moral duty. To make sure that the entire state of Texas is safe for its people? Yes, I do,” said Roy.
Congressman Roy is in a runoff for the GOP Attorney General nomination with state senator Mayes Middleton. The Galveston Republican has also been busy making campaign stops and rallying his supporters.
“You got to go earn this. You got go fight for it. And I am never retreating from Washington DC because I’m never going to Washington DC. I have always known the fight is here. And the most important thing in this race and as attorney general, the number one thing is defeating the left,” said Middleton.
Both candidates are considered staunch conservatives, but neither was included in President Trump’s Tuesday endorsement of current AG Ken Paxton.
President Trump Wednesday morning defended his endorsement of Ken Paxton for the Texas GOP Senate nomination. He made the pick despite recent polls that show Paxton is trailing Democratic nominee James Talarico.
The Paxton endorsement is an example of how the GOP Senate runoff between Paxton and incumbent John Cornyn continues to suck the political air out of all the other runoff races.
FOX 7 asked Roy and Middleton if they were disappointed.
“Well, like I would be honored to have the president’s endorsement, his endorsement in this race here. And look, I’m the pro-Trump candidate,” said Middleton.
Roy also took the presidential pass in stride when asked if he was disappointed no official endorsement had been made in his race.
“We’ve had a lot of great conversations about this race. The president is an engaged guy across the country, but he’s been focusing predominantly on federal races,” said Roy.
Texas runoff elections are almost a month away
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: We are almost a month away from the start of early voting for the May runoff elections. That vote will finalize several big primary races and will kick off the push to the November general election.
Middleton’s campaign has accused Roy of not being a true Trump supporter, citing what the Congressman did and didn’t after Trump’s first-term House Impeachment vote. Roy responded by saying the President knows he is a great ally.
“I’ve delivered on the Big, Beautiful Bill. I’m leading his favorite piece of legislation in his words, the Save America Act. I’m the author of that,” said Roy.
“And we’re delivering a message that’s resonating that you ought to have a real lawyer as your attorney general. Somebody who’s been in court, prosecuted bad guys. Been, the first assistant attorney general run complex litigation not effectively manage your family royalties, never having been in court,” said Roy.
Middleton’s message is also how he is a different kind of conservative than Roy.
“And look, every vote’s going to count. We know turnout is lower in a runoff than it is in the March 3 primary. But the same things that I’m doing. They got me in first place on March 3. I’m going now. And I will make sure that I protect and defend our great state. And I say this as well, a lazy campaigner turns into a lazy elected official.”
The other side:
Texas Democrats are also having a contentious runoff for their AG nomination.
Joe Jaworski, the former mayor of Galveston, and state Senator Nathan Johnson, who is from the DFW Metroplex, have taken a few political and personal shots at each other.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski
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