Austin Business Journal shares, "Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden isn't surprised that his largely rural county is among the fastest-growing in the nation.
"I told somebody the other day that doesn't come as shock to me because I've been living it for the last three years," Haden said.
Newly released U.S. Census Bureau data pegs Caldwell County — the smallest of the Austin metro's five counties — at No. 9 on the annual list of fastest-growing U.S. counties among those with populations of at least 20,000.
The population of Caldwell County grew to 52,430 in 2024 from 50,107 a year prior — a 4.6% increase that doubled the metro's overall 2.3% growth rate. Still, all four of the metro's other counties — Travis, Williamson, Hays and Bastrop — have well over 100,000 residents, with Travis topping 1.36 million.
Haden said people are choosing Caldwell County for three main reasons: First, it's nearby Austin and has accessibility to the rest of the metro because of State Highway 130; second, land is less expensive than other areas; and third, it's experiencing job growth that's enabling people to "live and work in the same place for the first time ever."
In terms of raw numbers — not percentages — Caldwell County's gain of 2,323 residents was small. But Haden views it as just the start. About 30,000 new homes are planned in the county, he said. In Texas, the average number of people per household is nearly three, meaning that if those houses get built and bought, the upshot could be 90,000 new residents.
"We're just trying to manage this growth so we can hopefully keep the personalities of our two (or) three major towns here," Haden said. "At the same time, provide places that are good and affordable for people to live."
He said two things that keep him up at night are water and power. The county is perpetually talking to utility providers and working on transportation upgrades to try to ensure enough of both.
"While we're kind of getting ahead of it, it won't take too long to fall behind if we don't stay on top of it," Haden said.
Another selling point of Caldwell County is its collaborative approach to business, according to La Tierra Realty LLC managing partner Brooks Willig. The company, which buys and sells land, has focused on the county for more than a decade, helping facilitate the sale of tracts that are being turned into cold storage development, housing subdivisions and data center projects.
"Between all of the pieces that you need to pull together to get something off the ground in the development world, I think Caldwell County has a unique collaboration amongst everyone who needs to be involved in that process," Willig said. "It's really the people that make it a good place to do business."
Willig said the biggest barriers are similar to what you'd find throughout the metro, like land demand and pricing. But that collaborative approach in Caldwell County is what developers are looking for to move projects along.
"The developer network down there is one that has a relative shared vision for the future of the county," he said.
One of those companies is Related Fund Management, a subsidiary of New York-based developer Related Cos. that's done projects like the Hudson Yards in Manhattan.
RFM is behind the 173-acre, shovel-ready Lone Star Logistics Park in Lockhart, which has millions of square feet of build-to-suit options available. It's all centered on a $65 million storage facility being built by RealCold, which is nearing completion and commitments from tenants, officials said.
Ivan Karpov, RFM vice president, said the group has been bullish on the Austin metro. The company initially did work on the Inf1nity Park complex in Del Valle but opted to bridge outside of Travis County after the experience. That led it to Lockhart and Caldwell County.
"We found ease of doing business, the willingness of new investment, frankly, staff that are able to turn things around on an appropriate timeline and actually work with you hand-in-hand to get things done, plus the availability of incentives was a huge driving force," Karpov said.
There are challenges, like power availability, but he said he's been encouraged by efforts from local and state officials to improve infrastructure and generation. Local staff has also worked with the company to get its project shovel-ready, which has made it a big draw for both manufacturing and warehouse users. Plus, transportation routes offer easy access throughout the Texas Triangle.
Karpov said the company now is looking for more opportunities in Caldwell County.
"We continue to be big believers in the growth of not just industrial or manufacturing but residential and the workforce moving south in terms of affordability. I think we'll continue to see really strong growth in Caldwell County, and I think it will continue shifting further east from I-35," Karpov said."
Source: Austin Business Journal
Written by: Justin Sayers
Published: March 19, 2025
Posted by Grossman & Jones Group on
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