Johnstown Growth Goes National, and the Panic Can Wait

BizWest reports that Johnstown has gone national as a boomtown, ranking No. 10 nationwide for population growth among cities and towns with 20,000 or more residents from July 2024 to July 2025. The article frames Johnstown’s rise as part Buc-ee’s, part Front Range growth, and part long-coming result of a town that planned, invested, and then watched the future show up with moving trucks.

The larger national pattern is hard to miss. The U.S. Census Bureau says the top five fastest-growing cities with populations over 20,000 were all in Texas, and the South dominated the country’s growth lists. Johnstown cracked the top 10 from Colorado, which is interesting because while Colorado is now a deep-blue policy laboratory in Denver, Johnstown itself remains a decidedly red community with a growth story that looks a lot more like Texas than Boulder.

I had the honor of serving the Town of Johnstown for 20 years as a planning commissioner, councilman, and mayor. I watched the place change. A lot. So when I see the town hit a national growth list, I feel two things at once: pride that the planning and investment are bearing fruit, and a little frustration at the new arrivals who move in, unpack the Subaru, hang the “Welcome” sign, and immediately start yelling, “Nobody else gets in.”

The Bullet Point Brief

• Johnstown ranked No. 10 nationwide for population growth among communities with 20,000 or more people. That is not a rounding error. That is a small town becoming a national case study with better parking.
• BizWest ties the growth story to Johnstown’s boomtown moment, with Buc-ee’s serving as the loud, beaver-branded symbol of a town that is no longer quietly sitting along I-25.
• Growth brings opportunity: jobs, sales tax, rooftops, businesses, amenities, and a stronger municipal tax base. It also brings traffic, orange cones, public meetings, and people discovering that “small-town charm” does not come with a force field.
• Some newcomers moved here for “open space,” which often means they moved next to someone else’s farm and then got upset when that farmer treated the land like a retirement plan instead of a museum exhibit.
• The Census pattern is revealing: Texas dominates the fastest-growing list, and the broader growth map leans heavily toward red-state, growth-friendly policy environments. Policies matter. Imagine that.

My Bottom Line

I love Johnstown. I directly served my community for two decades, continue to serve it today as a County Commissioner, and I am proud of the work we did. We planned for growth. We invested for growth. We made hard decisions before some of today’s critics knew where Parish Avenue was. So yes, when Johnstown gets national attention, part of me smiles.

But growth is never simple. It comes with pressure. Traffic congestion makes people crazy, and I get it. Nobody loves sitting through three light cycles wondering whether their steering wheel would make a good stress toy. That is why it is on the municipality to prioritize infrastructure and make sure growth pays its own way. Roads, water, sewer, public safety, parks, drainage, schools, and basic services cannot be treated like optional accessories after the rooftops arrive.

I also understand the frustration from people who say they moved here for the open space. But let’s be honest about what that “open space” often is. It is not public open space. It is not a scenic backdrop provided by the Chamber of Commerce. It is someone’s farm. Someone’s ground. Someone’s family asset. Someone’s retirement plan. If a farmer sells to a developer so he can retire and enjoy the life he worked for, that is not betrayal. That is property rights with dirt under the fingernails.

The town council’s job is balance. Not panic. Not door-slamming. Not pretending growth can be wished away by people who just got here. Balance. Good planning. Strong infrastructure. Responsible development. Respect for property rights. Respect for existing residents. Respect for the future families who would like the same chance to live in Johnstown that today’s residents already got.

And yes, I find the national growth list politically interesting. Six of the fastest-growing municipalities are in Texas. Most of the top 10 are in red states. The lone blue-state entry is Johnstown, and Johnstown is still pretty darn red. That tells you something. People follow opportunity, affordability, space, safety, and a chance to build a life. Policies are everything, aren’t they?

Source: BizWest