AUSTIN, Texas — (CultureMap Austin) Start spreading the news: Austin will eclipse New York City as the 3rd biggest metro area by the year 2100, a new report predicts.
An analysis by moving services site moveBuddha published June 22 says Austin's population could swell to 22.29 million people in the next 77 years.
Based on current population and migration trends, in fact, America’s three biggest metropolitan areas by 2100 will be Dallas-Fort Worth (No. 1), Houston (No. 2), and Austin (No. 3), replacing New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago as the country’s most populous metros, the report predicts.
Dallas-Fort Worth's population is estimated to grow to 33.91 million, and Houston's is projected to jump to 31.38 million.
"The future of America may lie in Texas," the report's author says.
The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau says Austin is currently the No. 10 biggest city in the country, and the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro area has a population of nearly 2.3 million and a 10-year growth rate of about 33 percent.
There are some risks to continued population booms, including the effects of climate change, moveBuddha points out. While heat will be a major issue, there are much more dangerous possibilities.
"Like the rest of Texas, Austin will be much hotter by 2100," the report's author says. "Along with sweltering temperatures, water scarcity could be an issue."
Thankfully for Austin and other Texas cities, a plan is already in place to address looming water availability issues.
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