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2 Dallas-Fort Worth counties raise the roof with biggest U.S. housing booms

Rockwall has experienced tremendous growth.

Facebook/Rockwall Texas Homes

If you have driven north of Fort Worth and Dallas, through Denton or Rockwall, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. You’ve seen thousands of new residential rooftops pop up in the past decade.

In fact, Rockwall County ranks as one of the primary U.S. metro counties with the most growth in new housing units (36.8 percent) from 2010 to 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released November 2. Among those housing units are single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and apartments.

The number of housing units in Rockwall County rose by 10,280 from 2010 to 2020, the Census Bureau says.

“The number of occupied housing units grows when new housing is built or previously vacant homes become occupied," the Census Bureau explains. "It decreases when housing units become vacant, are demolished, or are converted into other uses.”

The secret about Rockwall's many charms is out; in 2020, Money magazine named the North Texas to its list of the Best Places to Live in America. Rockwall was No. 4, making its Money list debut based on its “status as one of the fastest-growing cities in one of the nation’s fastest-growing states.” It earned that ranking based on factors such as safety, cost of living, and diversity. As of 2020, the city had experienced 19 percent job growth over in five years and was projected to grow another 17 percent in the next five.

The Money accolade came on the heels of another report by financial website SmartAsset that ranked Rockwall among the top Texas places with the highest median income ($93,269) relative to the cost of living ($44,539).

The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area also claims two spots on the Census Bureau's new list of the 10 “outlying” metro counties with the most growth in housing units from 2010 to 2020. The bureau defines outlying counties as those outside a region’s “urban center.”

No. 1-ranked Denton County saw the number of housing units go up 36 percent from 2010 to 2020 with the addition of 92,136 units. That statistic echoes a recent SmartAsset study declaring Denton among the nation’s top 50 boomtowns.

No. 3-ranked Kaufman County saw the number of housing units go up 33.7 percent from 2010 to 2020 with the addition of 12,906 units.

Elsewhere in Texas
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Austin area's Hays County was No. 1 in the nation on the list of primary U.S. metro counties with the most growth in new housing units, with a 57.4 percent increase (34,117 new housing units). Other Texas places on that list include:

Third-ranked Comal County, part of the San Antonio metro area — 48.5 percent (22,831 new housing units).
Fifth-ranked Williamson County, part of the Austin metro area — 46 percent (74,907 new housing units).
Seventh-ranked Fort Bend County, part of the Houston metro area — 41 percent (80,880 new housing units).

Other Texas places that appear on the list for “outlying” counties:

No. 2 Montgomery County, part of the Houston metro area — 34.2 percent (60,842 new housing units).
No. 5 Kendall County, part of the San Antonio metro area — 30.4 percent (4,275 new housing units).
No. 8 Bastrop County, part of the Austin metro area — 25.1 percent (7,367 new housing units).

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T-Shirt News

Fort Worth clothing brand Dickies to relocate HQ to California

Dickies

Dickies T-shirt

After more than a century, workwear clothing brand Dickies is leaving Fort Worth for new headquarters on the West Coast. It will be moving from its current space at 500 Taylor St., at the top floor of The Tower, to California, with an estimated completion date of late spring 2025.

The company is relocating to Costa Mesa, home of its parent VF Corp, the footwear and apparel firm that owns brands such as Vans, The North Face, Timberland, Jansport, and Eastpak; VF Corp acquired Dickies in 2017.

"By co-locating Dickies with our Vans team in Costa Mesa, we will create an even more vibrant campus where creativity and best practice sharing can thrive through greater collaboration and connections – creating a dynamic and innovative environment similar to our other VF co-branded offices," says a Dickies representative in a statement, according to NBC 5.

According to Dickies, about 120 employees at the headquarters will be affected, but not those working at the local distribution facility, warehouses, and stores.

"We are deeply grateful for our Dickies associates’ dedication and hard work and want to recognize the camaraderie and commitment they have shown to the brand," the Dickies representative said in a statement. "Our priority is to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and care throughout this process. We will provide resources and assistance to help them navigate the next steps in their careers."

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker chimed in on the relocation decision, stating that it's an example of a Fort Worth success story.

"While we understand companies are sometimes forced to make difficult budget decisions under new leadership, we think VFC will find – as others have – that Fort Worth, Texas is ultimately a more competitive place to do business,” Parker said in a statement.

Established in Fort Worth in 1922, Dickies brand impact, which was first founded by C.N. Williamson and E.E. "Colonel" Dickie, will still be felt, even after it leaves the city: In 2017, it gained naming rights to the 14,000 square-foot Dickies Arena next to the Will Rogers Memorial Center, and later opened in 2019.

According to the company, the California move will be managed over an "extended transition period." It's expected to be completed by May 2025.

"While this was a tough call, we are confident this change will help us revitalize Dickies so we can carry on the brand’s heritage for years to come," said the company representative.

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