Another reason why Texas rocks:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/23/real_estate/fastest_growing_states/index.htm

Don't mess with Texas: More Americans moving in

Texas was a big winner in the new Census Bureau estimates, with cities such as Houston drawing new residents. Check out the biggest losers.
By Les Christie, staff writerDecember 23, 2009: 5:58 PM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Americans, it seems, still have a love affair with the West. Texas and Wyoming were the big winners in the Census Bureau's annual population estimates, which were released on Wednesday.

In the year ended July 1, Texas added more people than any other state, and Wyoming had the highest growth rate in the nation.


Toldeo, Ohio, is one of the nation's 7 biggest losers, with more Americans fleeing the city than arriving.
The population of the United States has grown more than 9% to 307,006,550 since the 2000 census. The population grew 0.86% since last year's estimates.

Just three states shrank during the year. Michigan's population fell by 0.33%, Maine dropped 0.11%, and Rhode Island lost 0.03%.

(State population actually contracting is different than a net domestic migration loss, which just measures the number of people moving in versus the number of people moving out. Population is also impacted by the birth rate and foreign migration.)

The report is a kind of sneak preview of the next big 10-year census, which will be released in December 2010.

The 10-year census determines congressional representation and federal aid, among other things.

"The census counts will not only determine how many U.S. House seats each state will have but will also be used as the benchmark for future population estimates," said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves.

In Nevada, for example, the population has risen 32.27% since the 2000 Census, more than any other state in the past decade. Nevada currently has three seats in the House and will almost certainly pick up another as a result of its population growth.

See where your state ranks
On the other hand, large states that have grown slowly over the past nine years such as Ohio (1.67%), Pennsylvania (2.64%), New York (2.98%) and Michigan (3.13%) could lose at least one seat each.

The future of the so-called Sand States - California, Arizona, Nevada and Florida - is still in question, though. The rapid rise of many of these states through the early part of the decade has been curtailed by the housing crisis.

In Florida, which averaged about 2% a year in population growth from 2001 through 2005, residential numbers inched up only 0.62% during the 12 months ended July 1. In the previous 12 months, the state recorded only a 0.71% gain.

A similar dynamic played out in Nevada. Its average population increase was 3.6% per year in the five years through 2005, but the state grew only 1% this time. And the growth was due primarily to the birth rate, not people actually moving in.

Both Nevada and Florida actually had more people leave the states than arrive. "More people are moving out of Nevada than are moving in," said Greg Harper, a demographer with the Census Bureau. "That's a real change. For 18 years, it was the fastest growing state."

He added that Florida has had a net loss in domestic migration the past two years after posting the largest net gain in domestic migration for most of the 2000s. The state led the nation as recently as 2005 with nearly 266,000 more people moving into Florida from other states than moved out.

Many communities in these bubble states now have long lists of homes for sale. New construction has slowed, idling workers and hurting local economies.

Some of the once-booming cities in the Central Valley of California, such as Stockton, Modesto, Fresno, Merced, El Centro and Visalia, are now plagued by job losses. Seven out of the 10 metro areas with the highest unemployment rates are in California.

Other Sun Belt states have fared much better. Texas, for example, never went through the boom-and-bust housing cycle that devastated the Sand States. Home prices remained affordable, and the state's unemployment rate was 8% in October, a full two percentage points below the national average.

So, it's no surprise that Texas added more than 3.9 million residents during the 2000s. Its population also grew by the greatest number of people (478,000) during the 12 months ended July 1. California was second with 381,000 followed by North Carolina with 134,000.

Wyoming boasted the fastest growth rate for the 12-month period: 2.12% to a total of 544,270. The Cowboy State was followed by Utah (2.1%), Texas (1.97%) and Colorado (1.81%).

That's ok if you want to live with snakes and lizards.

I resemble that remark!

I been called a low down snake by an ex-wife or three and even been seen with a lot lizard a time or two. But, I'll never tell!

... Native here...

Texas has thrived throughout my entire life!

*Heavy Sigh* ... If it weren't for the humidity and hurricanes, daggnabbit!

Governor Rick Perry and Chuck Norris wanted to mess with Texas though. Remember the Secession talk?

Why is this a good thing?

More people who trash this lovely state, and don't care. Building up the wazoo, and skyrocketing land prices that really weren't worth it.

Perry?! Snorts! There was an article in the Dallas Morning News last week about the fact that because Perry refused to have the unemployment money from the bailout, business will have to pay 1.5 billion to make up for it this next year. If he'd taken it, it would have only been a half billion. Good job arse-hole.

And then there's still the ongoing, though somewhat lessened now, battle over the Trans-Texas Corridor. Eminent domain, AND a foreign country builds it all!! Yeah, thats a good governor!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
it hasn't grown really . there just counting all the illegals that are coming across there ..there not moving there so much as moveing across there .

Welcome to Texas

Now go home

Buh~bye ...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Mrez7ahZA

Nah, it's a very good thing Perry declined the money in the long run. This way, Texas won't be a debt slave to the Feds, and the recovery will come faster to Texas than places who took the money. (Texas would've had to pay back the money plus heavy interest-with a declining dollar due to inflation, you see, which would've stalled true recovery for much longer) I wish I was in Texas. It's a lot like here in AZ, but not so hot!

that stimulus money also mandated teachers raises

a good thing but only provided money for it for a year

there is a reason that the Texas economy has a surplus of a few billion dollars

i found this interesting

I always remember something. 2 things come from Texas Steers and something else......

George Bush put a lot of Fed funds and US military into Texas in 8 years.
Not to mention all those former residents of NO who were relocated to the Huston area. Probably never to return.

And what something else would that be?

I have been craving Mexican food all day. We have a large community of folks from Mexico here in Kentucky. Great resteraunts.......

Wyoming boasted the fastest growth rate for the 12-month period:

Is it a coincidence that Cheney is from Wyoming?
And that in helping Bush rack the worst environmental record of any President in history, promoted Wyoming's petroleum and coal businesses. Cutting off migratory routes for many large herds of wildlife.

He did this in all the border states as far as I know, sadly.

I read that Mexican food is very popular in Wyoming at this point. Coincidence I think not.... Bush is responsible for the infiltration of Mexican food into the fragile lands of Wyoming......In a few years there will be "W's Taco and Chip" stands all over Wyoming....