As previously covered by Local Profile, North Texas is becoming a hub for the tech industry. Today, the small town of Sherman is emerging as a center for semiconductor manufacturing thanks to investments from GlobalWafers, Texas Instruments and II-VI. In June, GlobiTech, a Taiwan-based subsidiary of GlobalWafers, chose the city to site a new $5 billion facility expansion, promising to create 1,500 new jobs in the area.
But Sherman isn’t the only city celebrating the good news and preparing for the impact this upcoming project will have on the US 75 corridor.
Anna, located about 20 miles south of Sherman and 40 miles north of Dallas, saw a flood of new residents arrive after the pandemic allowed people to work remotely. Sandwiched by two growth areas, the city’s population is expected to double over the next decade, from 20,000 last year to 45,000 by 2030, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Planning ahead for this big change, the city is investing in infrastructure such as roads and sewers to support more development and allow for new buildings to be erected on the west side. Plus, they’re making things easier for developers, reworking the authorization process so that it takes days instead of weeks.
“We’ve really created a culture of wanting to be the most developer-friendly city in all of North Texas,” said Anna Mayor Nate Pike. The Dallas Morning News. “That’s really what we’ve set ourselves the goal of.”
The newly gained attention is also affecting the real estate market. Anna was known to be one of the most affordable housing markets in Collin County, but that is changing fast. Pike said they are seeing homes being sold for half a million dollars and some estate-style developments have popped up.
City officials are preparing the city for future residents. Recently, the construction of a new town hall was completed and plans to build a new library are underway.