There’s a whole lot of growth going on

New people are pouring into Houston faster than any other metropolitan area in the country. Between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015, the population grew by 159,083 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That averages out to one more person every 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

Same amount of time as a Taylor Swift song.

But where do they all live? Of the 92 ZIP Codes that make up the pocket within Beltway 8, the area tied to the 77044 ZIP Code in Houston’s northeastern corner saw the largest increase in residents in recent years. Between 2010 and 2014, 4,747 people were added to the population there, an increase of 15.3 percent.

Although all people tend to move around — the average American will pick up and move about 11 times during his or her lifetime — there’s more moving and shaking happening in the 77044 area than one would expect, even for a highly mobile region like Houston.

Across the city, 75.6 percent of residents moved into their homes after 2000; but in the 77044 neighborhood, the rate is significantly higher, at 87.2 percent.

The reason for the increase is two-fold.

First, it’s a classic case of, “if you build it, they will come.” Between 2010 and 2014, the number of housing units in this northeastern neighborhood rose from 10,158 to 11,515, an increase of 13.4 percent. This outpaced the city as a whole, which added housing units at a rate

of 2.3 percent. And the people schlepping out to the suburban fringe are younger than you might expect: More than half of residents there are younger than age 45.

That leads to the second reason for the increase in 77044: With a large share of couples in their peak childbearing years, more babies are being born in 77044 than you’d expect. Nationally, 54 in 1,000 women gave birth during the 2014-15 period covered in the census. Houston’s rate is a bit higher at 62 in 1,000 women. But in the 77044 neighborhood, there’s a stork invasion, with 70 births for every 1,000 women.

Let’s hope all those new housing units come equipped with nurseries.

There’s a baby boom in the 77044 ZIP Code.