America's Fastest-Growing City Has the Prettiest Square in Texas
5 Reasons to Visit® · United States
America's Fastest-Growing City Has the Prettiest Square in Texas
Thirty miles north of Austin, a former retirement town has become the fastest-growing city in America — without giving up the most beautiful square in Texas.
Advertisement
Georgetown, Texas, keeps setting a record that most cities never achieve even once: for several years running, the U.S. Census Bureau has named it the fastest-growing city in the entire country. Sitting about thirty miles north of Austin on I-35, this Williamson County seat has roughly doubled in size since 2000 and pushed past 100,000 residents, its population climbing nearly fifty percent in just the first half of the 2020s. What makes the story remarkable is that Georgetown has absorbed that explosive growth while holding onto the historic charm that earned it a very different kind of fame.
Advertisement
That charm centers on the square. Georgetown's courthouse square is officially recognized as the "Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas," a exceptionally well-preserved ring of Victorian storefronts around a stately 1911 courthouse, now filled with independent restaurants, wine bars, boutiques, and antique shops. Shaded, walkable, and alive with festivals — the city is also the "Red Poppy Capital of Texas," celebrated each spring — the square gives Georgetown a genuine sense of place that its explosive suburban growth has been built around rather than over.
The engine behind the boom is Austin's overflow. As Central Texas became one of the great tech and manufacturing magnets in the country, growth pushed relentlessly northward up I-35, and Georgetown caught much of it — much as the corridor south of Austin has fueled New Braunfels, Texas —. The city has shed its old reputation as a quiet retirement town — anchored historically by the massive Sun City development and Southwestern University, the oldest university in Texas — and added advanced manufacturers and technology employers, including a Fortune 500 AI-hardware manufacturer, broadening its economy well beyond its retiree roots.
The fastest-growing city in America, built around a courthouse square Texans call their prettiest.
Advertisement
Crucially, the growth has been balanced. Analysts note that Georgetown has added housing and jobs in near-perfect lockstep, and Williamson County has posted some of the highest economic growth of any county in the nation — a sign of sustainable expansion rather than a bubble. That balance shows up in daily life as an ever-expanding array of new master-planned neighborhoods, retail, and services rising around a stable, historic core.
The setting adds to the appeal. Georgetown sits at the edge of the Hill Country, with the San Gabriel River, parks, and trails running through town and the springs, wineries, and scenery of Central Texas just beyond. Combined with no state income tax, a location with easy access to Austin's airport and job market, and a cost of living below Austin proper, it delivers more house, more space, and more community per dollar than comparable addresses in the city to the south.
Being the fastest-growing city in America brings undeniable strain, and Georgetown's leaders speak candidly about the pressure on water, roads, and infrastructure that comes with it. But the underlying appeal is clearly powerful and durable. The most beautiful square in Texas, a balanced and booming economy, Hill Country scenery, and Central Texas value have made Georgetown a genuine phenomenon. For the visitor it makes a charming Hill Country day out. For the record-setting number who keep moving in, it makes the case for a fast-growing city that never stopped feeling like a town — which is exactly why they keep arriving.
Georgetown, Texas: FAQ
Is Georgetown, Texas worth visiting?
Yes. Georgetown is home to the officially recognized 'Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas' — a walkable ring of Victorian storefronts, restaurants, and shops around a historic 1911 courthouse — plus the San Gabriel River, parks and trails, and Hill Country scenery. About 30 miles north of Austin, it makes a charming day trip or weekend.
Why is Georgetown the fastest-growing city in America?
Georgetown has repeatedly been named the fastest-growing U.S. city by the Census Bureau because it has absorbed much of Austin's overflow growth up the I-35 corridor, adding housing and jobs in near lockstep. Advanced manufacturing and tech employers, no state income tax, Hill Country appeal, and a lower cost of living than Austin have driven a nearly 50% population jump in the early 2020s.
What is Georgetown, Texas known for?
Georgetown is known as the fastest-growing city in America, for the 'Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas,' as the 'Red Poppy Capital of Texas,' for Southwestern University (the oldest university in Texas), the Sun City retirement community, and its Hill Country setting on the San Gabriel River.
Is Georgetown a good place to live?
Georgetown offers a beautifully preserved historic square, a balanced and booming economy, Hill Country scenery, and easy access to Austin, all with no state income tax and a lower cost of living than Austin proper. Rapid growth has pressured infrastructure and pushed home prices up, but the city is known for strong community amenities and quality of life.
Advertisement
