Celina, located about an hour south of Sherman on Preston Road and Interstate 75, is the fastest-growing city in the United States for the second year in a row, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released May 14. The city grew 24.6 percent between July 2024 and July 2025, reaching 64,427 residents and adding 12,700 people in a single year (Lichtenberg, 2026). For Grayson County residents, the rapid expansion of the Collin County exurbs is moving the Dallas-Fort Worth economic frontier steadily closer to home.
Growth moves north
Celina added more residents in one year than Seattle or Houston, cities many times its size (CBS Texas, 2026). Three other Collin County cities, Princeton, Melissa, and Anna, also placed in the national top five for percentage growth. The cluster sits along the U.S. 75 and Preston Road corridors, the same corridors that carry traffic into Sherman from the south. Continued growth in Celina and its neighbors translates into more day-trip visitors, more commuters who pass through Grayson County, and a shorter effective commute between Sherman and the closest high-density employment centers.
From cotton-gin town to exurban anchor
John T. Mulkey established Celina in 1879 and named it after his hometown in Tennessee. By 1884 the community supported a cotton gin, gristmill, school, and Methodist church, with a population of 150. The St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway reached the area in 1902, and the town incorporated in 1907 (Texas State Historical Association, 2023). For most of the twentieth century Celina remained a farm community under 2,000 people, much like many small Grayson County towns today. The 2000 census counted 1,861 residents. The town did not cross 6,000 until 2010.
Housing, jobs, and the regional economy
Celina's median property value reached $509,600 in 2024, and homeownership stood at 92.7 percent (Data USA, 2024). The pace of new construction is heavy: Highland Homes builder Jason Walker told CBS Texas his company alone expects to finish 30 to 35 homes in Celina this year (CBS Texas, 2026). That construction pipeline ripples outward. Trades, suppliers, and service businesses across the North Texas region, including parts of Grayson County and Sherman, benefit from the demand. The average Celina commute of 33.3 minutes also reinforces a pattern that Texoma workers know well, where lower housing costs in cities like Sherman pair with employment access along the I-75 corridor.