economic boomtown

Prosperous San Antonio bursts onto new list of top U.S. economic boomtowns

San Antonians can proudly say they live in an economic boomtown.

San Antonio'sbooming financial prosperity has earned the city an impressive ranking among the top 25 in a new list of best U.S. cities for economic growth.

The new study, "America's Boomtowns: Top Cities for Economic Growth," from flexible workspace listing provider CoworkingCafe, ranked America's boomtowns based on population growth, GDP, employment rates, and other economic factors. The top cities were divided into three categories: small cities (populations under 250,000); mid-sized cities (populations between 250,000 and 500,00); and large cities (populations over 500,000).

San Antonio earned a score of 42 points in the large city category to claim the No. 23 spot.

Mesa, Arizona, climbed through the ranks to become the No. 1 best economic boomtown in America, earning a score of 66 points, followed closely by Fort Worth (No. 2). Rounding out the top five were Phoenix, Arizona (No. 3); Sacramento, California (No. 4); and a two-way tie between Austin, Texas, and Fresno, California, for No. 5.

According to the report, San Antonio's economic successes can be attributed to a steady increase in housing and an attraction of major businesses and employers. CoworkingCafe says the city's GDP has grown by 28 percent from 2018 to 2022, and trade-exports have grown 13 percent within the same time period.

Population growth is another major factor that determined San Antonio's rank, and the report says the city's population actually shrank by 4 percent from 2018 to 2022, while the housing sector has grown 9 percent since 2018. Crime unfortunately also rose by 23 percent within the five-year period.

Here's how the study defined San Antonio's economic "evolution" from 2018 to 2022:

54 percent growth in business applications
22 percent growth in median earnings
5 percent growth in infrastructure
1 percent growth in employment rates

Other economic boomtowns in Texas
Fort Worth trailed just two points behind Mesa, Arizona, to claim the title as the second-best economic American boomtown. CoworkingCafe says the city's population grew 7 percent to 957,000 residents in 2022, and the housing sector has grown 11 percent since 2018, the second highest jump in housing across all major cities.

"The rise in housing has not only provided more living spaces but also spurred related economic activities, including construction and real estate development, further contributing to the city’s economic dynamism," the report said.

Austin ranked No. 5 with the greatest shifts in business applications, with a 41 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2022. Median earnings rose 32 percent within the five-year span, and infrastructure improved by 12 percent. The Texas Capital's battle to build more housing resulted in an 11 percent growth in housing units since 2018, the report found.

Dallas ranked just outside the top 10 as the No. 12 large city for economic growth. The report's findings show Dallas struggled to improve its housing sector from 2018 to 2022, only growing by 3 percent. The employment rates during the five-year period stagnated, as did the city's growth in educational attainment.

However, Dallas did have a higher growth in GDP than neighboring Fort Worth, at 33 percent, and the city's median earnings saw a 30 percent evolution during the same time period. Dallas matched Fort Worth's growth in trade-exports and infrastructure.

In the category for the best mid-size cities for economic growth, six Texas cities ranked outside the top 10: Laredo (No. 11), Irving (No. 14), Lubbock (No. 24), Arlington (No. 26), Corpus Christi (No. 31), and Plano (No. 35).

The Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Lewisville landed inside the top 10 in the nationwide category for cities with populations under 250,000, coming in at No. 9. Additional top small cities in the top 25 include Round Rock (No. 15), Abilene (No. 18), Denton (No. 19), Frisco (No. 23), Waco (No. 24), and McKinney (No. 25).

The top 10 best large cities for economic growth are:

No. 1 – Mesa, Arizona
No. 2 – Fort Worth, Texas
No. 3 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 4 – Sacramento, California
No. 5 – Austin, Texas and Fresno, California (tied)
No. 6 – Indianapolis, Indiana
No. 7 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 8 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. 9 – Kansas City, Missouri
No. 10 – Columbus, Ohio

The full report and its methodology can be found on coworkingcafe.com.

austin dallas economy fort worth population growth ranking rankings reports san antonio

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San Antonio City Council votes to end horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

Life for a horse in San Antonio is about to look a lot different. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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San Antonio City Council votes to end horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030