A recent list of the nation's "boomtowns" has Houston ranked 11th. Austin tops the list and five of the top eleven boomtowns are in Texas.
Over the past twelve months, Texas created a staggering 400,000 jobs and a quarter of those are here in Houston. Patrick Jankowski of the Greater Houston Partnership says Texas job creation is the main reason people move here, but nature is also a factor.
“A lot of people like being close to the coast and a lot of people like being close to the Piney Woods. So, if you're someone who's into nature you got a lot more opportunities here than you have maybe if you're in the central part of the state."
Jankowski says Houston tops the charts in a number of categories.
"We have sports teams in all of the professional sports; we have incredible performing arts -- we've got the visual arts. If you're a foodie this is a great town to live in; and it's a great place to raise a family, I've raised mine here."
Another big factor? Jankowski says for a big city, Houston home prices are very low.
"So, if you're someone who wants to be able to buy a house and raise a family in a house, or if you're just a single person who'd like to have a nice house somewhere in the suburbs or somewhere inside the Loop, it's still much more affordable here than in most of the major metropolitan areas."
The list has Austin number one, Dallas at seven, San Antonio at nine and McAllen number ten.