TONIGHT... LOOKING AT THE GROWTH IN THE AREAS THAT SURROUND
AUSTIN.. AS PEOPLE FIND MORE
AFFORDABLE
OPTIONS OUTSIDE THE CITY. KVUE'S
CHRISTY MILLWEARD GIVES US A
LOOK AT THE IMPACT IN
LEANDER.
LEANDER.
LEANDER. IN THE LEANDER AREA --- ITS ALL
ABOUT FAMILIES THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS SEEN THE
MOST GROWTH OUT OF
ALL CENTRAL TEXAS SCHOOL
DISTRICTS IN RECENT
HISTORY.
HISTORY. THE POPULATION HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED IN THE LAST 8 YEARS ---
AND MORE DEVELOPMENT IS POPPING
UP EACH DAY.
IT'S AN AREA THAT IS CLEARLY
BOOMING.
NATS SOCCER COACH --
FOR RAY THOMPSON AND HIS 9 YEAR
OLD DAUGHTER -- SOCCER IS A WAY
OF LIFE
NATS CHEERING "LETS GO
TRINITY".. NICE SHOT HIS FAMILY
MOVED TO LEANDER WITH A GOAL IN
MIND...
MIND... "WE WANTED TO LIVE IN A TOWN THAT WAS GROWING, RISING
IN POPULATION BUT STILL FELT
LIKE A SMALL TOWN"
AND JUST BY THE SOCCER TEAM ---
IT'S CLEAR THIS
ONCE SMALL TOWN IS GROWING...
"THE GROWTH WAS JUST TOO BIG, WE
COULNDNT ACCOMMODATE
WITH JUST 1 TEAM"
IN 1 YEAR, THE TEAM GREW FROM 11
TO 18 PLAYERS,
FORCING THEM TO SPLIT INTO 2
TEAMS.
"WE'VE MORE THAN DOUBLED IN
SIZE"
THE LEAGUE HAS SEEN EVEN MORE
GROWTH ..
JAYNE SERNA IS THE PRESIDENT OF
LEANDER YOUTH SOCCER.
SHE STARTED THE LEAGUE IN THE
EARLY 90S WITH JUST 64
PLAYERS.
"WE KNEW EVERY SINGLE PLAYER"
IN LAST 3 YEARS THEYVE GROWN
FROM 220 TO 450 PLAYERS
"THE GROWTH IS JUST EXPONENTIAL
IN JUST THE TRUEST SENSE OF THE
WORD"
SERNA HAS ALSO TAUGHT IN THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR 26
YEARS - AND SEES THE GROWTH
THERE TOO.
THERE TOO.
"ITS
"ITS JUST
"ITS JUST GOING TO GET BIGGER AND BIGGER" IN THE PAST 8 YEARS....LEANDE R
ISD
ISD HAS
ISD HAS SEEN THE BIGGEST ENROLLMENT INCREASE OUT OF CENTRAL TEXAS
DISTRICTS.
THEY NOW HAVE ALMOST 40 THOUSAND
STUDENTS.
"THIS IS AN ATTRACTIVE AREA FOR
FAMILIES BECAUSE WE HAVE
STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS"
COREY RYAN IS A SPOKESMAN FOR
LEANDER ISD -- WHICH
COVERS AREAS OF OF AUSTIN, CEDAR
PARK, LEANDER,
LIBERTY HILL AND JONESTOWN
"WE ADD STUDENTS EVERY DAY OF
THE SCHOOL YEAR "
ACCORDING TO RYAN, THEY PREDICT
THAT THEY NEED TO
BUILD 1 NEW SCHOOL EVERY YEAR
FOR NEXT 10 YEARS TO
ACCOMMODATE GROWTH.
THIS YR THEY ADDED 11 HUNDRED
NEW HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS ---AND ABOUT 100
KINDERGARTENE
RS -- WHICH RYAN SAYS IS UNIQUE.
"GENERATIONALLY PEOPLE ARE
HAVING LESS KIDS . DECLINING
KINDERGARTEN CLASSES IS
SOMETHING PRETTY STANDARD
IN MOST DISTRICTS.BUT HERE IN
LEANDER WERE GROWING
FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH HIGH
SCHOOL"
"AUSTIN IS THE DRIVER BUT WHEN
THEY GET HERE THEYRE LOOKING
FOR A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE"
KENT CAGLE IS THE LEANDER CITY
MANAGER
"PEOPLE HAVE MOVED FROM ALL OVER
THE COUNTRY HERE
AND ALL AT ONCE,
IN THE PAST 8 YEARS --- THE
POPULATION HAS MORE THAN
DOUBLED TO ABOUT 56 THOUSAND
RESIDENTS.
"SO MANY NEW PEOPLE MOVING IN
AND THEY HAVE HIGH
EXPECTATIONS, AS THEY SHOULD,
THEY DON'T REALIZE JUST THE
OTHER DAY WE WERE A BABY IN A
CRIB" AND THAT CAN BRING SOME
CHALLENGES.
"THERES LOTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE
AND PROJECTS THAT TAKE YEARS
TO PLAN, DESIGN AND BUILD .AND
THE TOWN'S CHANGING FASTER
THAN THAT"
CAGLE SAYS THEY'RE ALSO LACKING
IN SOME AMENTIES
LIKE RETAIL STOPS AND
RESTAURANTS.
THAT'S WHY CREWS IN LEANDER JUST
OPENED A NEW
AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAMPUS,
ARE
WORKING ON A NEW HOSPITAL ---
AND PLAN TO BREAK GROUND
IN A FEW MONTHS ON A NEW
VERTICAL MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT
IN DOWNTOWN --CALLED NORTHLINE
--
CLOSE TO THE RAIL STATION
"AWHILE AGO IT SEEMED LIKE A LOT
OF PEOPLE THEIR ONLY HESITATION
WAS
WAS PROBABLY THE COMMUTE"
SHAVONNE
SHAVONNE MARTIN IS A REALTOR FOR KELLER WILLIAMS AND SAYS THE RAIL STOP
MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE
-- AND ADDS TO THE NEED FOR NEW
HOUSES.
"I THINK WHAT YOU GET IN SOME OF
THE SUBURBAN AREAS IS THAT YOU
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD
YOU A BRAND NEW HOME"
ACCORDING TO THE AUSTIN BOARD OF
REALTORS ---
MEDIAN HOME PRICES HAVE
INCREASED BY MORE THAN 135
THOUSAND DOLLARS IN LEANDER
SINCE 2011 -- ALMOST A
50 PERCENT INCREASE.
HOUSES THAT ARE BECOMING HOMES
-- FOR FAMILIES LIKE
THE THOMPSONS --- AND CREATING
ANOTHER
CENTRAL TEXAS BOOMTOWN.
AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE
GROWTH WILL STOP ANYTIME SOON.
GOING FORWARD -- ACCORDING CAGLE
--- THEY
EXPECT TO BECOME AN EMPLOYMENT
HUB.
HE PREDICTS THEIR POPULATION
WILL REACH
WELL OVER 100 THOUSAND PEOPLE IN
10 YEARS.
CHRISTY MILLWEARD
KVUE NEWS
KVUE NEWS
KVUE NEWS OUR BOOMTOWN SERIES LOOKING AT
GROWTH IN AUSTIN'S SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
CONTINUES
EVERY WEDNESDAY THROUGH NOVEMBER
ON
KVUE NEWS AT 10.
NEXT WEEK WE'LL VISIT KYLE AND