Mar 27, 7:57 AM (ET)

By PAUL J. WEBER

DALLAS (AP) - Four Texas metropolitan areas were among the biggest population gainers as Americans continued their trend of moving to the Sun Belt in 2006 and 2007, according to Census Bureau estimates to be released Thursday.

Dallas-Fort Worth added more than 162,000 residents between July 2006 and July 2007, more than any other metro area. Three other Texas areas - Houston, Austin and San Antonio - also cracked the top 10.

Atlanta saw the second-largest population jump with just over 151,000 new residents. Phoenix was third with more than 132,000, and was followed by Houston, Riverside, Calif., Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Austin, Las Vegas and San Antonio. (more…)

February 2008 Sales

Sixth consecutive monthly decline is tempered by notable increases in average and median single-family home prices

HOUSTON — (March 18, 2008) — Property sales across greater Houston slid for the sixth consecutive month in February, but the decline was not as steep as January’s. While February sales of single-family homes dipped, the prices of those homes rose, according to statistics released by the Houston Association of REALTORSâ (HAR).

Total property sales for February 2008 registered 5,266, which represents a 13.1 percent drop compared to February 2007; it’s an improvement over last month’s 17.2 percent fall. Properties sold during the month totaled just over $1 billion compared to $1.1 billion in sales one year earlier, a 7.9 percent decline. The average price of a single-family home rose 5.6 percent last month from February 2007 to $206,140, representing the biggest increase since last August. The median price of a single-family home increased 3.1 percent to $151,430. (more…)

Monday March 24, 10:44 am ET
By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer
Home Sales Rise Unexpectedly but Prices Keep Tumbling

WASHINGTON (AP) — After falling for six straight months, sales of existing homes posted an unexpected increase in February which may have reflected more aggressive price cutting by sellers in some parts of the country, a real estate trade group reported.

The National Association of Realtors said that sales of existing homes rose by 2.9 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.03 million units. It was the biggest increase in a year and caught economists by surprise. They had been expecting a small decline.

The trade group reported that the median existing sales price in February fell to $195,900. That was the largest year-over-year drop on records that go back to 1999. (more…)

March 13, 2008, 12:50PM
Educators add buildings, upgrade programs, classes

By HELEN ERIKSEN
Chronicle Correspondent

Using Texas Education Agency data, the Katy Independent School District contrasts ethnic diversity in 2007-08 with 1997-98 in brackets.

• White : 50.8 percent, [77.5 percent]

• Hispanic : 29.7 percent, [13.3 percent]

• Black: 9.6 percent, [4.8 percent]

• Asian Pacific Islander: 9.7 percent, [4.3 percent]

For the past decade, an average of 3,000 new students has enrolled in the Katy Independent School District each year — making it one of the fastest-growing in Texas.

From 1998 to 2008, the district has transformed from a small, homogenous and predominantly white school system to one that is sprawling and increasingly cosmopolitan.

The 181-square-mile district has made advancements in sports, technology, fine arts and other areas to keep pace with demands.

The district will open four new schools in the fall to relieve crowding and to make room for new students. (more…)