Two Houston suburbs among the fastest-growing places in the U.S.

HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that thegrowth of the Houston region continues to seem nearly inexorable, with two exurbs in the region appearing on a new list of the fastest-growing places in the United States. Atascocita, in northeast Harris County, was the fifth fastest-growing place in the country from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis from SmartAsset, the personal finance website. The community — technically a “census-designated place” rather than a city — added about 12,000 people during the span, the study found, for a year-over-year growth rate of 11%. Over the past five years, Atascocita’s population has ballooned by nearly 40%, second only to Buckeye, Ariz. Conroe, in Montgomery County, also made the top 10: It saw population growth of 6.73% from 2022 to 2023, the ninth-highest growth rate in the nation. Over the past five years, Conroe’s population has grown by almost 25%.