I am Relocating to the city in America with the fastest growth. Although I can see why it’s so well-liked, I hope the small-town Texas charm is maintained

The interview with Michelle Clifford, a 33-year-old Californian sales manager who will be relocating to Celina, Texas, in July, served as the basis for this as-told-to piece. Celina is the US city with the greatest rate of population growth, having increased by 26.6% between July 2022 and July 2023. 43,317 people will be living there in 2023. The essay has been condensed and made clearer.

My home is in Orange County. My best friend from high school moved to Austin. I fell in love with Texas and began to see her frequently. I cherished the state’s lakes, the people, and their hospitality.

I only sent in applications to Texas institutions when I was a senior. I was accepted to Texas Christian University, or TCU, where I spent four years studying. I made a number of friends for life, some of whom I even asked to be my bridesmaids.

Because I was a devoted Texan at the time, everyone, including myself, assumed that I would stay after graduation.

However, I fell in love with my husband—who was a Bay Area college student—during my senior year of college. He is unquestionably a California boy. So I returned to Southern California after graduating.

We spent five years living in San Diego after graduating from college before relocating to San Francisco in 2018 and staying there till 2020. We were married, got engaged, and had our first daughter at that period. After that, we relocated to Oceanside, California, where I later gave birth to my second daughter.

Our priorities shifted with time. It wasn’t practical for us to settle down and buy a house in California, even though that was our desire.

Texas offered many qualities that I found appealing, and my employer maintained an office there as well.

“Why not give this a go?” my spouse and I thought.

Rent is less expensive and we may live in the country in Texas.

In February, we relocated to Prosper, a community located north of Dallas.
Prosper has experienced growth, drawing a large influx of Californians.

I’ve read that there are currently over 40,000 people living there, compared to about 10,000 in 2009.

We currently pay $2,650 a month to rent a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on a third of an acre of land.

For $3,300 a month, we were renting a 1960s-era cottage in Oceanside with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. I had to turn my workplace into a nursery for my infant daughter because I was working from home. Our living area seemed extremely cramped as a result.

We’re moving into a 2,400-square-foot house in Celina in July, situated on an acre of land we paid about $600,000 for.

Celina is a pretty rural place, about an hour’s drive from Dallas, with longhorn cattle wherever you look.

We were lured to Celina because we have college buddies who are local and friends from California who moved here. It seemed like the perfect location for a home and roots.

Above all, it was about taking a totally new approach. After living in the city, we desired to go to the country and own some land.

Our house is on a little street at the end of a cul-de-sac, close to Celina’s downtown square and the town’s only post office. It’s funny since our next-door neighbors have eight cows that are always right next to our fence. We recently built a chicken coop as well.

Purchasing a property in Texas wasn’t as challenging as it would have been in California.

I didn’t have big hopes for myself when it comes to purchasing a property because I’ve heard strange tales regarding home purchases.

My friends in California frequently lost bidding wars for properties to purchasers who were prepared to pay up to $150,000 more than the asking price, frequently in cash.

The simplest procedure, though, was locating a house in Celina. Like everything was in perfect alignment.

After locating our dream house, we got in touch with our Prosper landlord—a fellow Californian who had turned real estate agent—for assistance in putting in an offer.

The same day we submitted our offer, the sellers accepted it, and within 15 days, escrow was opened and we closed.

We understood that in order to own a home in California, we would probably have to relocate far east to be close to the seaside, or else we would have to make do with renting or living in a tiny townhouse without a backyard for the rest of our lives. Since we enjoy being outside, it would feel like a robbery.

Although I’m not generally sentimental, I swear that over the past month I have been crying nonstop; I just never imagined that it would happen.

Since I was eighteen, I had either been renting or relocating virtually every year. The most incredible sensation is having something that is truly mine at last.

The greatest blessing is knowing that I’ll have enough of room in Celina for my girls to run about. They seem to be playing at the end of a dead end, exactly like I used to when I was a kid.

I’m just very appreciative. Everything seems to have been intended to be.

In Texas, our money goes farther.

Our current home in a Dallas neighborhood, or even back in California, is simply too expensive for us to buy.

The Preston Hollow community in Dallas is home to several pretty good friends of mine, and the prices of homes there are comparable to those in San Diego.

In the Bay Area, it was impossible to purchase a home, especially for what we planned to pay within our $700,000 budget.

I did have a nice income, but I was having trouble saving for a down payment because I was paying so much for rent. Along with having many of friends, we were also quite busy with bachelorette parties, travel, and weddings.

I have a feeling that many locals will scoff at me for calling Celina inexpensive. Prices are rising due to the influx of Californians, which presents a dual challenge.

But being able to purchase a house fulfilled our desire, in my opinion.

Though Celina is developing quickly, it feels comfortable.

Despite having a large town radius, Celina feels intimate and small.

I feel like we all know each other, and everyone says hello to everyone. It’s difficult to put into words, but it nearly seems like you’re traveling through time.

I feel privileged to call Celina home, and I appreciate the warm welcome I’ve received.

With plenty of independent shops and a dearth of fast-food restaurants, Celina’s residents and city have done a fantastic job of maintaining their way of life.

It is, however, one of the American communities with the fastest rate of growth.

We know Celina is a growing town since my husband and I are very close friends with a land broker there.

Numerous residential dwellings and apartment buildings are under construction, in addition to numerous commercial establishments.

It’s kind of bittersweet, even though I may be acting hypocritically by saying that, given that I moved here to aid in its progress.

Its growth excites and fascinates me, but I also feel a bit protective of it.

I hope Celina maintains the charming atmosphere that initially pulled me in (Source)