A community on the outskirts of Houston has become the most popular place in the U.S. for people relocating, but locals warn that making the big move comes with a catch.
Cypress, Texas was ranked number one in the most popular ZIP codes for movers in 2025, according to a report by Moving Place.
Cypress is home to more than 200,000 people and is about 30 minutes away from Houston. It welcomed 3,636 movers from May to January this year.
However, it isn't a town, but rather a suburb within the Greater Houston Metropolitan area in Harris County.
The report described Cypress as: 'Located just northwest of Houston, this suburb offers a blend of affordable housing and an abundance of green spaces, which makes it a more appealing option for some than the nearby city center of Houston.'
However as movers flood the community, the infrastructure is struggling to keep up with the growth.
Ashlyn Brooks, the editor-in-chief of the local newsletter the Cypress Digest, spoke to the Daily Mail about the influx of new residents.
'From my perspective, as a homeowner, Cypress has the total package. This includes beautiful neighbors, proximity to major retailers, highways, and niche businesses.
Cypress welcomed 3,636 movers from May to January. Pictured: Sunset in Cypress, Texas
Ashlyn Brooks, the editor-in-chief of the Cypress Digest newsletter, says people are drawn to the area for the award-winning master planned communities
Cypress is home to over 200,000 people and is about 30 minutes away from Houston
'Cy-Fair ISD is also a huge draw for families. It is one of the top-ranked school districts in the state (which is no small feat, mind you) while also standing as the third largest.'
She added: 'I believe that new residents are also drawn here specifically for the award-winning master planned communities. If you look at neighborhoods such as Towne Lake and Bridgeland, these areas are in a league all their own.
'With new build neighborhoods in Texas, you typically see high property taxes and MUD taxes that can push the cost of living through the roof, with little to show for it, but in Cypress, the term "you get what you pay for' rings true. It's visibly clear where your tax dollars are going.'
A MUD tax is a municipal Utility district tax that funds necessities like water, sewage and infrastructure.
Brooks further explained that Cypress offers hundreds of miles of trails, is very walkable, great schools, and described the community itself as stunning.
The Cypress expert also mentioned that the crime rate is almost nonexistent.
The crime rate in Cypress is about 22.68 per 1000 residents annually according to CrimeGrade.org.
The odds of being a victim of crime in the region grows larger in the central neighborhoods and decreases towards the west.
The community is widely considered middle-class, and the cost of purchasing a home is roughly $400,000 according to Culture Map. Pictured: Construction is shown at a home in the master-planned community of Bridgeland in 2023
Cypress, Texas, was ranked the highest on top of the 10 most popular ZIP codes for movers in 2025, according to a report by Moving Place. An aerial view of the area is seen above
However Brooks said there are growing pains that come with the area developing so quickly.
'I've worked in heavy civil construction on a major highway in TX alongside the Texas Department of Transportation, and you wouldn't believe the process to get city roads and bridges built (permits, engineering, bidding, approvals, etc).'
'It doesn't move at the speed at which you see homes getting built, subdivisions, and neighborhood businesses. So when you have this influx of people coming in, you start to see bottlenecks and road congestion in certain areas.'
She said many locals have the same complaint - an area that is always congested at rush hour.
She said drivers on the Fry Road or Barker Cypress Road always face delays because they are the main points of entry and exit into Highway 290 and SH-99 from the largest communities north-west of Houston.
However, she added: 'It's just growing pains... Howard Hughes and Caldwell Properties have done fantastic jobs of planning these communities to mitigate these issues, which is why I feel growth has been able to continue at this pace while not sacrificing quality of life for existing residents.'
The local expert said: 'We still operate under the Harris County umbrella. So, imagine having proximity to a major city, major highways, and airports while maintaining a small community vibe... This is Cypress.'
The community is widely considered middle-class, and the cost of purchasing a home is roughly $400,000 according to Culture Map.
Brooks further explained that Cypress offers hundreds of miles of trails, walkability, schools, and described the community itself as stunning
The community is widely considered middle-class, and the cost of purchasing a home is roughly $400,000. Pictured: The exterior of Houston Methodist at the heart of one of Cypress' fastest-growing commercial zones
Voters line up to cast their ballots last year at the Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center in Cypress
Movers to the community have a choice between a wooded landscape in the north and flat grasslands in the south.
A move consultant from Graceful Moves Moving and Storage that frequently serves Cypress spoke to Daily Mail and explained what he believes draws people to the region.
'Cypress is growing, there’s a lot of open land, and there’s a lot of brick-and-mortar infrastructure to support a growing population. There are large malls, multiple strip centers everywhere, and it’s very well developed,' he said.
He added: 'It’s on the outskirts of Houston, so people have access to everything just minutes away, yet they’re outside the city limits where it’s not extremely congested.'
He found that new residents are moving from both in-state and out-of-state, with most being middle-aged. He said younger people tend to move closer to the city.
The blossoming space also has giant corporations opening.
Most recently, on September 5, Costco filed to construct a wholesale warehouse and gas station, and it will be the company's second superstore in Cypress.
In April of this year, Walmart also launched a supercenter of its own and considered it a 'store of the future,' according to the company's website.
