Here come the tourists

Travel + Leisure heralds Fort Worth among world's 11 best places to visit this January

Historic Fort Worth Stockyards appealed to Travel + Leisure.

Photo courtesy of Fort Worth CVB

A national magazine is proclaiming what Fort Worth residents already know - that the city is a pretty great place to be this month. A new report by Travel + Leisurehas named Fort Worth one of the 11 best places to travel in the United States and around the world in January 2023.

"If the post-holiday blahs typically set in after the busy end-of-the-year season, planning a vacation, even a weekend getaway, can be just what the doctor ordered," writes Patricia Doherty in the article. "Whether you stay close to home for a local staycation or head to a far-off locale, experiencing a new destination or returning to a familiar favorite is a great way to start the year."

The magazine rounded up suggestions for winter sports, sunny beaches, and fun places to explore, they said. The unranked list of 11 places ranges from chilly Park City, Utah and Minneapolis-St. Paul to warm-and-sunny Jamaica and The Bahamas.

Why was Fort Worth included? The Stockyards were a major draw.

Here's what they said:

"The Stockyards area in Fort Worth offers restaurants, bars, clubs, shops, a rodeo, and the history of the state’s famous livestock industry. Family entertainment includes the twice-daily longhorn cattle drive with drovers available for photo ops and questions. Walking tours, a petting zoo, horseback riding, and weekend rodeos at the Cowtown Coliseum are great fun. Shops offer western gear, art, and gifts, and at Flea Style, shoppers can design their own Stetsons. There’s nightlife at Billy Bob’s and the new Tannahill’s Tavern Music Venue, and through February 5, the 'Rodeo Rink' ice skating venue takes over the lawn of the Livestock Exchange Building with live music and a lights display. Stay steps away at Hotel Drover for great food and Texas hospitality."

In a head-scratching omission, the magazine did NOT cite the biggest event of the month in Fort Worth: The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo , taking place January 13-February 4 at Dickies Arena and across the Will Rogers Memorial complex.

It's a curious thing to leave out - not only because FWSSR is "legendary" - but because specific January festivals and events appear on a few other places in the list (i.e. the Lowcountry Oyster Festival on January 29 in Charleston, South Carolina; and the 10-day Great Northern Festival from January 25-February 5 in Minneapolis-St. Paul).

Nevertheless, Fort Worth was the only Texas city to make the list. The 10 other cities included are:

Park City, Utah
The Bahamas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Charleston, South Carolina
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
Jamaica
Mazatlán, Mexico
Queensland, Australia
Costa Rica
Vienna, Austria

preservation rankings

population explosion

7 Fort Worth neighbors saw biggest population booms in U.S. for 2023

City of Denton, TX - City Hall/Facebook

Denton had the biggest population growth rate in Dallas-Fort Worth from 2022 to 2023.

Several Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs are among the fastest-growing cities in the nation, according to a new population growth study by SmartAsset.

The report, "These Cities Saw the Largest Growth in Population – 2024 Study," examined U.S. Census population estimates for 2023, 2022, and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for 610 U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000 residents in 2023 (where the most recent data was available).

Denton took the lead over all other Dallas-Fort Worth cities with the 16th-largest one-year population growth rate in the U.S., at 5.32 percent. Denton gained over 8,000 residents from 2022 to 2023, bringing the city's total population to 158,361 in 2023.

This should come as no surprise to those who already live in Denton, who may know their hometown was ranked one of the safest suburbs in America.

Mansfield trailed close behind with a 4.16 percent increase in population during that same period, which landed it the No. 26 spot in the one-year population change analysis. The city gained 3,189 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 79,775 residents in 2023.

McKinney appeared farther down the list as No. 49 with just a 2.89 percent one-year growth rate from 2022 to 2023, and a total population of 213,504 residents.

Only four other Dallas-Fort Worth cities appeared in the top 100 fastest growing cities in the U.S. from 2022 to 2023:

No. 61 – Frisco (2.48 percent increase)
No. 72 – Rowlett (2.48 percent)
No. 73 – Lewisville (2.17 percent)
No. 99 – Flower Mound (1.73 percent)

The report suggested major population shifts in communities like Denton or Mansfield can result in "a variety of interwoven economic and social impacts."

"The magnitude of the population change can affect demand for businesses and services, which in turn may impact costs – or even the availability of such amenities," the report's author wrote. "Similarly, the relative age of the population can determine the strength or weakness of the local job market, as well as have an impact on local culture, economic trajectory, tax base and more."

Silver Spring, Maryland had the No. 1 biggest population boom nationwide from 2022 to 2023, SmartAsset found. The Washington, D.C. suburb grew 12.86 percent year-over-year, bringing the city's total population from 75,313 to 84,996 residents in 2023.

Fast-growing cities elsewhere in Texas
Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023.

New Braunfels, a San Antonio suburb, ranked No. 2 nationally with an 12.49 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.68 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023. The city gained 12,318 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 110,961 residents in 2023.

Just two spots behind New Braunfels is the North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 4), which grew 11.34 percent to 96,317 residents in 2023. According to the report's five-year population change analysis, Georgetown ranked seventh with a 29.85 percent growth rate.

The Houston suburbs of Atascocita and Conroe ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. Atascocita's total population grew to 119,502 residents in 2023, which represented a 11.03 percent growth rate from 2022, and a whopping 38.56 percent population increase since 2018. Conroe's 6.73 percent one-year population increase paled in comparison, but the city grew 23.49 percent during the five-year period from 2018 to 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023 are:

No. 1 – Silver Spring, Maryland
No. 2 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
No. 4 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Atascocita, Texas
No. 6 – Pine Hills, Florida
No. 7 – Elgin, Illinois
No. 8 – Lehi, Utah
No. 9 – Conroe, Texas
No. 10 – Dale City, Virginia

population growth reports smartasset dallas fort worth denton suburbs mansfield