la Frontera In the News
Austin American-Statesman
June 18, 2003
Round Rock gets a boost in status
San Marcos bumped out of official census name for Austin area
by Claudia Grisales, American-Statesman Staff
Round Rock officials say their city is where the action is at -- and now the U.S. Census Bureau agrees.
The federal agency that tracks population shifts has changed the 10-year-old label it uses for the five-county Central Texas region. The Austin-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area has become the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Austin-San Marcos name becomes another relic of past economic times when there was no Dell, dude, and when Round Rock didn't have thousands of jobs to attract commuters.
Now, about 7,500 people every day drive into Round Rock for jobs at Dell and other companies. The city's population soared from 31,559 in 1990 to 61,136 in 2000 -- a 93.7 percent increase. Round Rock now qualifies as a principal city, meaning it meets Census Bureau employment and size standards.
Round Rock Mayor Nyle Maxwell was giddy at the news of the name change. "Are you sure it wasn't Round Rock-Austin?" he joked. Now that Round Rock is considered a principal city by census officials, the city's name will be mentioned every time major agencies release data about the area, such as employment figures, to outlets around the country and the world. Businesses also collect market research information based on metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs.
The designation is a powerful marketing tool for Round Rock economic development officials.
"We're always having to tell people we are 15 miles north of Austin, and this gives them that clue before they talk to us," said Charlie Dromgoole, president of the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce. "Anytime you can get your name attached to an MSA designation, it's a tremendous marketing value to you."
A metropolitan statistical area represents a major city and the surrounding cities and towns that are socially and economically connected to it. The city with the largest population is designated as the first principal city, while the secondary city must meet several criteria. For example, the city must have at least as many people coming in to work within its boundaries as it does employed residents. In the 2000 Census, Round Rock had 31,712 working residents, while 39,180 people -- residents and non-residents alike -- worked within the city limits.
Ryan Robinson, demographer for the City of Austin, said officials have been pursuing the name change for years, seeking a designation that more accurately describes the region.
"Not to dis San Marcos, but they are not the presence of Round Rock," Robinson said.
The news was disappointing in San Marcos, about 30 miles south of Austin and best known as the home of Southwest Texas State University, the region's second-largest university. The city's population, now 34,733, grew 21 percent during the 1990s -- a good clip, but no match for Round Rock.
"I'm sure people here won't be too thrilled," said Melissa Millecam, a spokeswoman for the City of San Marcos. "Because people were proud when we were named a part of" the MSA.
Until now, the Census Bureau has updated MSA labels only every 10 years, when it collected new census data, which is why the name change took so long. The bureau now plans to update MSAs every five years.
In the last revision, some MSAs added counties. For example, San Antonio added four counties, making it an eight-county region. The Austin-Round Rock MSA remained a five-county region comprising Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.
Within another decade, Robinson, the Austin demographer, expects the Austin-Round Rock MSA will add some counties. To qualify as part of an MSA, a county has to have about a quarter of its working population commuting to the employment centers.
Two Central Texas counties came relatively close this past censusBurnet County reported that 21.8 percent of residents commuted, while Lee County reported 19.3 percent of its residents commute.
