Texas appears to be bucking national economic trends capturing four of nine slots on 2009's most notable high-growth areas in the U.S. Locally, both Atascocita and Katy were recognized.
New research, conducted by Little Rock, Ark.-based Gadberry Group, found that Texas is No. 1 in the nation in terms of growth rate and household income.
Since 2000, households in Atascocita - which ranked second on the list - grew 108 percent, from 11,475 to 23,917, according to the new study. In addition, the study found that average household income grew from $79,054 to $99,272.
Gadberry's research also revealed that Hispanic households represented the largest growing segment of the population at 278 percent.
Katy was one of the Top 25 candidates in 2008 and occupies the No. 5 position on 2009's list. The area added 15,699 households since 2000, increasing from 6,585 households in 2000 to 22,284 households in 2008.
Katy tied with Mansfield for the highest percentage of children compared to total population at 42 percent. It is also the most ethnically diverse of this year's places, with no ethnic group having less than 6 percent of total households and all major ethnic groups growing more than 150 percent since 2000.
Mansfield, which is located south of Arlington, ranked seventh on the list while Wylie, which is located just outside of Abilene, ranked eighth on the list.