• In 2023, Houdini Abtahi moved to Celina, Texas, the fastest growing city in America.
• Celina attracts newcomers due to its relatively low cost of living and close-knit community atmosphere.

This essay is based on a conversation with Houdini Abtah, a 49-year-old IT consultant who moved to Celina, Texas from the larger city of Frisco in 2023. Celina’s population increased by 26.6% from July 2022 to July 2023, making it the fastest growing city in the USAaccording to recent census data. The population was 43,317 in 2023. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I am a native Texan.

In 2010, I moved to Frisco, a suburb of Dallas. At the time, the city had only 100,000 people. By 2023, the population had grown to nearly 250,000 – it was crazy.

Frisco is home to the Dallas Cowboys training facility, so it offers plenty of entertainment and attractions for the whole family. The Dallas Stars hockey team’s training facility, as well as baseball and soccer teams, are also located there.

The city was once voted the second best place in America to raise a family, but its population has simply grown so large.

The infrastructure hasn’t really kept up with the growth of the city, which has made traffic even worse. A trip from one side of Frisco to the other takes about 30 to 40 minutes, which becomes tiresome after a while.

With the Universal theme park moving in soon, I expect even more traffic.

Another problem is that most homes in the area cost at least $2 million – you can’t buy anything in Frisco because everything is so expensive.

In 2023, I have decided to move north to Celina. The city is about 15 minutes from Frisco and 45 minutes to an hour from Dallas.

I had initially considered the town of Prosper, which is also about 15 minutes from Frisco, but it is already full and somewhat congested.

Celina has a laid-back, family-friendly vibe. The town has only one high school, a big Friday night football scene, and a quaint downtown. The cost of living is also more affordable – it’s just totally different than Frisco or Dallas.

I have a much nicer home at a fraction of the cost

I think people misunderstand this because in Texas, of course, we don’t have an income tax, but our property taxes are insane.

In 2015, I bought a 5,000-square-foot house with a pool in Frisco for $775,000. When I sold it in 2021, the value had doubled. The property taxes were also insane. I went from paying about $900 a month to paying almost $1,800.

Real estate prices in Celina are much cheaper and the houses are newer.

The house I bought in Celina was built in 2018. It is 3,600 square feet and cost $700,000.

It has a built-in pool, a patio at the back door, a grill, and everything I need for my kids. There are little amenities like USB ports already built in – it has a lot of things that older homes don’t have. It’s also within walking distance of an elementary school, although my kids go to a private Christian school.

My house in Frisco would probably cost $1.2 or $1.3 million.

Buying a home in Celina hasn’t been as competitive as Frisco, mostly because interest rates were so high a year ago. But now that interest rates are coming down, I imagine more people are trying to buy a home in Celina.

Even though more people are moving here, I don’t see any difference in traffic or congestion. However, I do see a lot of new people moving here, new neighborhoods being built, and new elementary schools being built.

The neighbors on both sides of my house in Celina are from New York, which I find abnormal.

Many of the older neighborhoods in Frisco have alleyways for parking, which makes socializing difficult because you often just walk into the garage and close it. In Celina, most people park in front of their houses, so people wave at you and say, “Hey, how are you?” It makes you feel much more welcoming.

I save more money in Celina

Everything is more affordable in Celina than in the larger neighboring cities, including restaurants.

Eating out in downtown Celina is definitely cheaper than in downtown Dallas – probably about a third of the price.

In Frisco, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have a significant impact on the area’s cost of living, including restaurant prices. A single drink there can cost $18. Such prices are common in Frisco, but not in Celina, which is a significant advantage.

For example, a local restaurant in Celina offers three tacos, rice and beans for $7.99 on Taco Tuesday. Even a meal at McDonald’s costs about $12.

The most noticeable change for me was my electricity costs. In Frisco, my electric bill was between $600 and $700, but now I’m surprised when it’s over $300. This could be because Celina’s newer homes are generally more energy efficient.

Celina is growing but still has room for improvement

Celina is attractive to many people who want to start a family. They don’t want to party, they just want to live on their land and have a good life.

I think one reason a lot of people are moving to the area is because the dynamics of working from home have changed. More people can now live where they want, whereas before you had to make sure you were close enough to the office.

Celina is the fastest growing city in the United States and is projected to have a population nearly double that of Prosper in 10 years, at around 330,000 people.

I’m not worried because the city just has so much land.

I think Celina needs more shopping options. Usually people have to order from Amazon or drive to Prosper.

A Costco store is opening soon in Celina. I think that’s a good thing because there still aren’t many options for food or grocery stores. Some people are upset about that because they think it takes away the small town feel. However, for someone like me who grew up in Richardson, a larger city, this is great.

Overall, I think Celina met my expectations.

My only complaint is the distance from other cities. If I need to visit friends and family or drive to Las Colinas for work, it can be a bit inconvenient.

But as long as you go at a time when there is no traffic and you have enough flexibility in your job, I think that’s fine.