People living here like to remind the rest of the country that everyone wants to move to Texas. And a lot of these new residents flocking to the state from other parts of the country want to live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
But what about those transplants who want the convenience of the Dallas metropolitan area but would like to live away from some of the bustle of the big city? Many are choosing to move to Anna, Texas.
In fact, this city, about a 45-mile drive from Dallas, ranks as one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Texas.
What’s behind this growth? Why are both new residents and businesses flocking to this city that now boasts a population of about 32,000? We spoke with Bernie Parker, director of economic development with the city of Anna, Texas, about what’s fueling Anna’s business and population boom and the goals of the Anna Economic Development Corporation.
Here is what he had to say.
Bernie Parker, director of economic development with the city of Anna, Texas
What is attracting new businesses to Anna?
Bernie Parker: We are a community that focuses on retail and service-oriented businesses and a little bit of industrial. Businesses like that we have a skilled and diverse workforce here. We have universities all around us. And we have a growing population that attracts the big-box stores, the national retailers. The Route 75 corridor that passes through Anna has seen a lot of new businesses open. We expect a significant amount of future expansion here in retail.
You mentioned the growing population of Anna. Why are so many people moving to Anna?
Parker: Anna is one of the fastest-growing cities in the region. In 2019, we had a population a little over 19,000. In 2024, it was right at 32,000. Multiple factors are contributing to that. Texas Instruments opened a semiconductor plant in nearby Sherman that has been a major contributor to our population growth. A lot of people have moved here to work with Texas Instruments. We’ve also gotten migration from people coming from out of state looking for a place to live, play and work.
We always say that we are far enough from Dallas to be good and close enough to be great. Being so close to Dallas but far enough away from the activity of the city is a big thing for our residents.
Then there is the expansion taking place in Plano, Allen and McKinney. As everything is pushing northward, that benefits us. The expansion in McKinney is pushing toward the east, which also affects us.
People are looking for the opportunity to have a nice home. You get more home for your dollar in Anna than you do in McKinney or Melissa. We also have a great school district. So, families looking for homes in this area are looking at Anna.
How is the Anna Economic Development Corporation working to bring even more people and businesses to the city?
Parker: We have a strong social media presence. We also advertise the benefits of Anna throughout the country, in California, Chicago, Florida, all over.
We have a developer forum that we hold once a year. It’s coming up July 17. We bring a lot of people in for that, and we give developers that have already worked here the opportunity to brag on Anna and share the new development activity that is going on.
When we show people the slide deck on all the new projects that are happening here, it’s impressive. We think there’s a lot going on. But when we talk to developers, they always tell us that they can’t believe how many master-planned communities we have in the pipeline. A lot of the new developments and projects happening Anna are a result of us being proactive in advertising the benefits of doing business here.
Time is money and money is time. We don’t want to waste the time of anyone. We do our best to get everyone to “yes” as quickly as we can. That has paid off.
Once you start getting new development, it feeds off itself. Word-of-mouth is so important in the development community. Your reputation is gold. Developers talk to one another. If they say they had a great experience in Anna, that means something. That positive word-of-mouth has brought us additional business.
What are some of the more exciting new developments coming to Anna?
Parker: We have two master-planned communities that will break ground within the next 14 months.
There’s Sherley Farms being developed by Tellus Group. This will bring about 3,000 single-family homes. What’s unique about this is that it’s agriculture themed. There will be a 65-acre working farm within the development. A full-time farmer will live and work there. To the best of my knowledge, there won’t be anything else like it in the metroplex.
Liberty Hills is another big master-planned community that will bring in about 1,800 new homes and will surround Hurricane Creek Country Club. There will also be a commercial component to this development.
How does the number of single-family homes being built in Anna today compare to past years?
Parker: New single-family permits ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 a year. In 2019 and before, we did have housing growth. But there was nothing explosive going on. That has changed. That goes back to the expansion we are seeing north of us in Sherman and the metroplex to the south of us. Everyone wants to be in Texas and everyone wants to in the metroplex.
Anna checks a lot of boxes for people. We have a strong parks system. We have a strong public education system. We have a low crime rate. And then you have a diverse housing inventory. We have multifamily. We have starter homes. And we have the larger, more expensive properties as you go to the master-planned communities.
Do you have a wish list for Anna of new businesses that you’d like to see open in the community?
Parker: We would like to see more entertainment and recreation here. People are looking for things to do in the community, things like movies, bowling, pickleball and miniature golf. Along the 75 corridor we are looking to add more entertainment offerings.
We’d also like to see more medical providers, pediatricians, primary care physicians. It would be great to have a hospital in the general area, somewhere in our region or south of us. A hospital is a major need.
(Photo courtesy of Anna Economic Development Corporation.)
How important is an organization like the Anna Economic Development Corporation to the growth of a community?
Parker: It is very important. We have a city council that believes in the importance of the EDC. When you are competing with other cities, you need a strong EDC. Most of the other cities in our region are blessed just as much as we are blessed in Anna. You need an active EDC that is going to help your community compete for new businesses with these other cities.
When businesses are looking at adding new locations, they are looking for a community in which they can make a profit and get a return on their investment. If an EDC can step in and minimize the hurdles these businesses face, that is a gamechanger. When you bring in a new business, you are increasing the tax revenue for your community. You are increasing the sales tax that comes into your community. In my opinion, that is one of the most important aspects of recruiting businesses: You are helping the community.
It’s important to note, too, that while we are always recruiting new businesses, we also believe in supporting the businesses that we already have here. We support them and advocate for them. If there is anything they need, we are ready to help them. Other cities might try to entice the businesses you have to move to them. I believe in building relationships with our existing businesses and letting them know that we are here. That helps us in retaining the businesses that we already have in Anna. Your existing businesses have sustained you in the past. They are going to sustain you in the future. They are going to expand, too.
At the EDC, we are looking to expand the revenue stream coming into the city to help pay for police, firefighters and amenities, the needs that each city has. It is about improving the quality of life. We also want to take care of the businesses we already have at home.
