I live in America's fastest-growing city. I see why so many Californians and young families are moving to Texas.

• Lauren Barrett, 33, moved to Celina, Texas, America's fastest-growing city of under 20,000 people.
• The city, about an hour's drive from downtown Dallas, is booming with new homes and new residents.
• Barrett, a real-estate agent, said people are flocking to Celina for its schools and community.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lauren Barrett, a 33-year-old real-estate agent who moved to Celina, Texas, from the larger city of McKinney — a suburb of Dallas — in 2023.