đ§ The Rise of the Rest: Princeton, Celina, Prosper & Aubrey Are North Texasâs New Power Suburbs
Why the real story of DFWâs growth is unfolding just beyond where most people stop looking.
For a decade, Frisco has dominated every national ranking â fastest growth, highest incomes, best master-planning, the Star, PGA Frisco, $10B Fields development. But while Frisco gets the headlines, something even more remarkable is happening in the cities just outside its borders.
Princeton. Celina. Prosper. Aubrey. Melissa. The northern arc of North Texas, once quiet farm towns, is now the most explosive, transformational growth corridor in the entire state. And if history is any guide, these suburbs arenât simply expanding; theyâre becoming the next generation of economic engines, retail hubs, and investment magnets.
Welcome to the Rise of the Rest.
đ The Numbers: These Arenât Suburbs â Theyâre Growth Machines
Celina
Americaâs fastest-growing city for multiple years, expanding at over 25% annually.
Projected to reach 350,000+ residents, which would make it larger than present-day Arlington.
Princeton
Recently crowned the fastest-growing city in Texas â doubling population in just six years.
New master-planned communities breaking ground every quarter.
Prosper
One of DFWâs highest-income cities with the highest-performing schools in the state.
Anchored by retail corridors that developers now compare to early-era Southlake.
Aubrey & Cross Roads
A quiet boom â rooftops everywhere, schools exploding, and retail demand outpacing supply dramatically.
The simple truth:
North Texas isnât growing outward â itâs erupting.
𧲠Why Is This Happening? The Frisco Gravity Effect
Economists talk about âgravity marketsâ â places where talent, capital, and corporate investment create a force so strong that surrounding cities get pulled into the orbit.
In North Texas, Frisco is the sun.
The anchors:
The Star (Dallas Cowboys HQ)
PGA Frisco
Fields West & The Link
$2B+ in new corporate campuses
Top schools, master-planned communities, and infrastructure spending
Friscoâs success didnât just build Frisco â it created a regional economic halo.
When a city reaches a certain threshold of quality + amenities + national attention, the spillover becomes inevitable.
That spillover is now forming the new NTX Gold Coast.
đ Retail Demand Is Outpacing Supply Everywhere
Every one of these northern cities has the same problem:
Too many rooftops, not enough retail.
Grocery chains are racing to secure sites
Healthcare groups are expanding urgent care & specialty clinics
Education centers are scaling
South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic grocers and restaurants are booming
Professional services (dentists, brokers, med spas, insurance) canât find enough space
In some corridors, retail demand is 2â3x existing square footage.
A 10,000-square-foot multi-tenant retail center in Celina?
Itâs leased before walls go up.
A pad site in Princeton?
Youâll have 6â10 operators asking for it.
This isnât a cycle â itâs a structural shift.
đ ď¸ Infrastructure Is the Quiet Giant Behind the Boom
The Dallas North Tollway Extension changed everything.
So did US-380, now being widened into a major regional arterial.
Then came the Outer Loop, which will reshape Denton and Collin Counties for multiple generations.
Infrastructure is destiny â and in North Texas, destiny is under construction.
The northward expansion is no different from the historic expansion of:
Chicago into Naperville
Phoenix into the East Valley
LA into the Inland Empire
When roads expand, populations follow.
When populations follow, retail and commercial assets explode in value.
đ§ Investors Are Asking: âWhere Should I Buy Next?â
Hereâs where the smart money is looking:
1. East Princeton (FM 982 + 380 Corridor)
Next major retail concentration.
Strong South Asian and young professional demographic growth.
2. Celina North (near Outer Loop + Preston Rd)
Land banking heaven.
Retail demand will exceed space for a decade.
3. Prosper Frontier Areas
High-income demographics + new schools = premium retail play.
4. Aubrey & Cross Roads
Underserved retail + explosive residential.
5. Melissa & Anna
Sherman manufacturing corridor spillover will reshape these markets.
The big lesson?
The next great deals in North Texas wonât feel obvious â theyâll feel early.
đ§ What This Means for Property Owners & Developers
For Developers:
Small-shop retail is a guaranteed absorption story
Medical & education users will drive pre-leasing
Anchor tenants are expanding selectively â timing matters
For Landlords:
Rent growth will outperform DFW averages
Tenant diversification will be stronger than in mature suburbs
Visibility sites will command premiums
For Investors:
Youâre no longer betting on land â youâre betting on people.
And people are planting roots north of 380 at historic levels.
đŽ Final Word: North Texas Is Becoming Its Own Economic Engine
The story isnât that Frisco became a boomtown.
Itâs that the boom didnât stop at the border.
The next decade of NTX commercial real estate will be written by the ârestâ â the cities rising quietly, confidently, and relentlessly into the national spotlight.
If you want to understand the future of North Texas, donât just watch Frisco.
Watch whoâs rising around it.