Twice a day, throngs of tourists — many from as far away as Asia and Europe — gather in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards a few miles from the city's gleaming downtown to watch a herd of longhorns parade along Exchange Avenue.

The re-creation of scenes that played out in Fort Worth when it was a dusty cowtown more than a century ago is just one of the many ways that Texas pays tribute to its fabled rough-hewn heritage. Cattle and oil, cowboys and wildcatters, pioneer courage and outsize bravado — all given lasting immortality in movies and novels — still help define the Lone Star mystique as much as ever.

One of the first things they’ll have to do is get a driver’s license.

“You have up to 90 days to get your Texas driver’s license,” Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Orlando Moreno said.

A person may drive in Texas with a valid, non-expired out of state license for up to 90 days before surrendering it at a DPS Driver’s License Office.

More than three dozen Kerrville area officials and citizens attended the meeting Dec. 1 held by Alamo Regional Rural Planning Organization and Texas Department of Transportation to discuss plans for and questions about rural transportation, including Kerr County projects.

One main goal was to collect citizen comments and requests about roadways, and their safety, mobility and connectivity.

“This is your wish list as if you had all the money in the world,” Darcie Schipull said.

North Texas comprises 30 counties, and it seems to live up to the "Big D" nickname, especially when you consider how many people are moving here each year.

LawnStarter says that from 2015 to 2030, the population is predicted to grow by nearly 3 million people — that's more than the current population of the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida metro area. The study uses the population projections from Texas' state demographer, which say that in the next 15 years North Texas will swell 38 percent, giving us 10,592,387 residents. To put it in perspective, Chicago, Illinois currently has a population of 9.5 million.

Domingo Martinez, 42, was crossing East Riverside Drive when a vehicle struck and killed him on Nov. 8. Police said the driver did not stop to provide aid.

Bethany Clark, 20, was crossing Howard Lane when a city bus fatally collided with her as it made a right turn on Sept. 14.

And an unidentified man in his 30s died trying to cross Interstate 35 in South Austin when an 18-wheeler hit him on Sept. 22.

Immigrants from all over the world — China, Russia, India, Italy, Venezuela — gathered at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Austin on a recent Monday with a shared goal: learning English.

In one classroom, they ran through pronunciation exercises, sounding out phrases like "sit on the seat” and “so you saw him." In another, they learned vocabulary words related to apartment complexes. "Fire escape, playground, big screen TV, balcony," they repeated after their teacher, stumbling over "recreation room" and "landlord."

Numbers higher now than 1940s, but for variety of new reasons.

When Areej Nasir graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012, she headed right back to her parents' Houston area home.

Austin and San Antonio are separated by almost 80 miles of highway, but with an overwhelming influx of new residents and sprawling real estate development, the distance between the two cities is shrinking. A new report from LawnStarter demonstrates that the Austin-San Antonio corridor will become increasingly more connected during the next 15 years.

LawnStarter describes the growth between Austin and San Antonio as a "population collision course." The population of the 13 counties that make up the corridor was 4.27 million in 2014. However, the population is projected to increase by almost 35 percent by 2030 to 5.71 million — roughly the current population of Dallas-Forth Worth.

While minorities occupy about half of the state's housing units, they are less likely than white Texans to own their homes, and the state's largest metro areas have some of the most substantial racial disparities among homeowners, according to recently released U.S. Census data.

A shortage of affordable housing, credit problems and lack of savings for down payments are among the main barriers blamed for creating the demographic divide.

For more than a century, immigration in the U.S. followed a familiar trajectory: Immigrants made a home in the cities where family and friends had settled. And there, for a generation or two, they stayed put, creating Little Italys, Chinatowns and Ukrainian Villages. Eventually, their kids and grandkids decamped for the suburbs.

But recently, demographers have noticed a surprising new migration pattern: Increasingly, foreign-born professionals are opting to leave their initial U.S. homes — often in California, Florida, Illinois and New York — and pulling up stakes to head to the Lone Star State.

For more than a century, immigration in the U.S. followed a familiar trajectory: Immigrants made a home in the cities where family and friends had settled. And there, for a generation or two, they stayed put, creating Little Italys, Chinatowns and Ukrainian Villages. Eventually, their kids and grandkids decamped for the suburbs.

But recently, demographers have noticed a surprising new migration pattern: Increasingly, foreign-born professionals are opting to leave their initial U.S. homes, often in California, Florida, Illinois and New York, and pulling up stakes to head to the Lone Star State.

The face of Texas is fundamentally and permanently being changed by alterations in immigration patterns over the past decade which show that far more immigrants are arriving in Texas from Asia, and far fewer from Latin America, according to a new report compiled by the Office of the Texas State Demographer at UTSA, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.

In fact, State Demographer Lloyd Potter tells News Radio 1200 WOAI Texas' population today is more 'international' than at any time since Texas became a state 170 years ago.

The number of Texans born in another country is at an all-time high, but increasingly the folks who move here cross an ocean to do it.

A new study from the Office of the State Demographer showed migration to Texas from Latin America declined almost 25 percent between 2005 and 2013, while immigration by those born in Asia doubled.

Many new immigrants move to Texas directly, though a significant percentage arrive after first living in another state, the study found.

Thousands of migrants born in other countries continue streaming into Texas, but lately more of them have lived somewhere else in the country first, according to a new analysis.

The fluctuations in migration come as the share of people from Latin America coming to Texas is falling and Asian migration to the Lone Star State has increased dramatically. The changing patterns — captured in a report by the Office of the State Demographer, which provides periodic snapshots of the state's growth — are lending the state a more international flair, especially its metropolitan areas. Texas’ population is more international today than at any time since it became a state in 1845, according to the demographer’s report.

The number of Latin Americans moving to Texas from abroad and other states has dropped by almost a quarter as the amount of Asians coming here doubled, offsetting the decline and echoing national trends, according to a report released Thursday by the state demographer's office.

No mistake, Glenn Hegar is bullish on the Texas economy. The Republican state comptroller has launched a 27-city "Good for Texas" tour of the state that got our attention after he told Georgetown residents Texas remains a magnet for people otherwise stuck elsewhere.

"We have 650 people who move to Texas every day who want to come here for that economic opportunity," Hegar said Sept. 10, 2015, according to Community Impact News. "That’s about half a million people who are moving to Texas every single year, and there is no better place to see that than in Central Texas and this region. The population increase has been phenomenal."

If San Antonio was already starting to seem too big, brace yourselves: It’s not done growing yet.

By 2050, Bexar County’s population could be nearly double what it is today, surging from 1.8 million to 3.1 million people, according to estimates from the Texas State Data Center. How many of those people will actually live in San Antonio is anyone’s guess because it depends on how much of unincorporated Bexar County the city will annex by then, said John Dugan, director of the city’s Planning and Community Development Department. Today, people living in San Antonio make up about 75 percent of the county’s total population, he said.

Newly-released federal data shows heavy migration to Texas continued to accelerate through recent years, as the Lone Star State drew more American migrants than any other state.

New households bring millions in tax revenue and tens of thousands of workers in state, but also put a load on Texas' already-stressed transportation infrastructure which struggles to keep up with growth.

"It's not at all surprising. That's been the story of the great Texas miracle," said Stephen Klineberg, founding director of Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research. "But how do we accommodate that growth is going to be the challenge going forward."

Capable new leaders are in place at the state agency most responsible for protecting older people and other vulnerable Texans.

Now it's time to reset the mission at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to be sure there's a focus on aging and quality care for all the people it serves.

This year, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Chris Traylor, a veteran state health and human services executive, as the executive commissioner of HHSC. Charles Smith, another proven leader, has the role of deputy executive commissioner.

The big black-and-white photos on the walls of the tightly packed Fire Hall Museum show off Crowell and Foard County back in the 1950s and '60s when sharp-finned cars filled the angled parking spaces around the county square and crowds jammed the local movie house.

But even then Foard and dozens of other rural Texas counties were slipping — their populations dropping by 10, 20, even 30 percent in each census, a trend that never really changed.

The number 110 gets thrown around a lot in the context of Austin's fast-paced growth – that’s the estimated number of people that move to Austin on a daily basis.

Sure, when you’re on the road it may feel like every one of those neophyte Austinites is right there on the road with you. But, while 110 people a day is impressive, so is the number of people leaving the city.

The share of Hispanics receiving traffic citations from state police has doubled in the last five years, even as the total number of tickets written and total number issued to whites have dropped significantly, according to Texas Department of Public Safety data on non-commercial drivers.

The percentage of tickets issued to Hispanics by state troopers has increased in all but nine Texas counties since 2009, a Texas Tribune analysis of DPS data found. DPS officials are unable to provide an explanation for the dramatic shift, raising questions among some lawmakers about the need for increased oversight of DPS’ operations.

The influx of Californians into Texas shows no signs of abating, after an Internal Revenue Service report showed some five million people have migrated from the Golden State for other states since the start of the Great Recession in 2009, with Texas receiving most of the emigrants, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.

600,000 of those Californians moved to Texas.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the exodus has cost California $26 billion in annual income.

Other states receiving lots of Californians include, logically, the three states that border California, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon, as well as Washington.

Siddharth Jaganath wanted to return to India after earning his master's degree at Texas' Southern Methodist University. Instead, he built a new life in the U.S. over a decade, becoming a manager at a communications technology company and starting a family in the Dallas suburb of Plano.

"You start growing your roots and eventually end up staying here," the 37-year-old said.

His path is an increasingly common one: Immigrants from China and India, many with student or work visas, have overtaken Mexicans as the largest groups coming into the U.S., according to U.S. Census Bureau research released in May. The shift has been building for more than a decade and experts say it's bringing more highly skilled immigrants here. And some Republican presidential candidates have proposed a heavier focus on employment-based migration, which could accelerate traditionally slow changes to the country's ever-evolving face of immigration.

Suburbs remain the fastest growing slices of Texas, but significant chunks of their populations work outside their home counties, new U.S. Census Bureau data shows.

At least a third of Texas workers living in most of the suburbs surrounding the state's five largest cities — Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth — commuted out of their home counties for work in 2013. And some suburban counties saw more than half their workforce heading for jobs in the core city, the data shows.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas -- It's no secret that Austin's population is constantly growing. But the population in Williamson County has now topped half a million according to the Texas State Data Center.

"It's no surprise to anyone who lives here because they see it on a daily basis," said County Commissioner for Precinct 2 Cynthia Long.

In 2013, the U.S. experienced a big shift in immigration: For the first time in decades, China and India beat out Mexico as the top senders of immigrants to the U.S.

That shift was a culmination of declining annual immigration from Mexico and growing Asian immigration in recent years, although Latino immigrants continue to make up the largest share of the country's overall immigrant population. Experts at the Migration Policy Institute wrote about the milestone:

The big black-and-white photos on the walls of the tightly packed Fire Hall Museum show off Crowell and Foard County back in the 1950s and '60s when sharp-finned cars filled the angled parking spaces around the county square and crowds jammed the local movie house.

But even then Foard and dozens of other rural Texas counties were slipping — their populations dropping by 10, 20, even 30 percent in each census, a trend that never really changed.

Each year, when the U.S. Census Bureau releases the latest population estimates, attention turns to the surging growth along the Texas Triangle — shaped by the three interstate highways connecting the state's biggest cities.

AUSTIN, Texas—Locals here like to say that everything is bigger in Texas, and that will certainly apply to the state capital’s newest planned residential tower. At 685 feet in height, the 58-story building, named the Independent, is slated to be the tallest predominantly residential building west of the Mississippi River.

Aside from its height, the Independent illustrates a notable change in the Lone Star state: a shift away from a long-standing tradition of residents and developers embracing the wide open spaces with sprawl construction and spacious homes. By contrast, the Independent will stack nearly a million square feet of space in 370 condominiums and a smattering of ground-floor retail onto a mere 1.7-acre site.

Unfortunately, a good rain washes away more than the drought; it washes away much of man's interest in providing for the next one, and it washes the supports from under those who know that another dry cycle is coming and who urge their fellows to make ready for it.

— ""More Water for Texas"" by Walter Prescott Webb (1954)

As a native Austinite, I remember the historic Memorial Day Flood of 1981. I was a little kid and the storm was so intense I asked my Mom if I could sleep in her bed. I remember seeing pictures of grand pianos from Strait Music store and cars from the dealerships floating down Lamar Boulevard, and the original Whole Foods flooding. Austin has changed a lot in the intervening decades, and although many of the store fronts are different, the pictures taken of Lamar this Memorial Day were eerily similar.

Texas has more kids in public school than 28 states have residents.

The student population here — 5.1 million — is in the same ballpark as the total population of Colorado.

And you can see the state's near future in the latest numbers from the Texas Education Agency: 51.8 percent Hispanic, 29.4 percent Anglo, 12.7 percent African-American, 3.7 percent Asian.

Hispanics are expected to outnumber whites in Texas by 2020 and expected to make up the state's majority population by 2042.

That's according to a recent report from the Office of the State Demographer, which outlines numerous population projections through 2050.

The United States population on the whole is expected to become less white and more diverse by 2055, with ethnicities other than whites constituting the majority, according to The Washington Post.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 108,472 people lived in Comal County in 2010. The Texas State Data Center estimated the county's population for 2014 at 109,446 and 109,695 for 2015. The center recently predicted the numbers to reach 110,894 in 2020 and 113,146 in 2030.

Steadily, since 2011, the number of adult felony jury trials has risen in Comal County. In 2011, her office tried 11, then 18 in 2012, 24 in 2013, 38 last year and 17 so far this year, Criminal District Attorney Jennifer Tharp said about a month ago.

When El Pasoans in distress dial 911, they can ask for help in English, Spanish or both. To better serve the predominantly Hispanic region, the city has required its 911 call-takers to understand — and clearly and concisely speak — both languages since 1989.

"When we answer the phone, we need to be able to understand what the emergency is and ask the appropriate questions to get them the help they need," said Monica Puga, manager of human resources for the city's fire department.

Issues affecting the Lone Star State were highlighted at Texas Farm Bureau's annual County Presidents' and Summer Commodity Conference. Water and property rights, ammonium nitrate regulations and transportation were among the many topics covered.

Sam Scott and his wife, Rhonda, of the Henderson County Farm Bureau attended the conference in San Marcos.

"The meetings are a great way for us to learn how farmers and ranchers in other parts of the state are tackling certain problems, like the recent floods," Scott said.

The population of Texas has grown by nearly two million people over the last four years. It could double by the year 2050 to over 54 million people. But you might be surprised at which Texas cities are showing the most growth.

The fastest growing city in the state isn't Houston. It's not Dallas or Austin, either.

"San Marcos was the fastest growing city of 50,000 in the country. It's growing quickly. New Braunfels is also growing quickly, just south of San Marcos," Lloyd Potter, the official demographer of Texas, explained to KTRH News.

San Marcos, sandwiched between San Antonio and Austin along the Interstate 35 corridor, was the fastest-growing city in the country for the third year in a row, U.S. Census Bureau data released today show.

After listening to a jumble of census numbers detailing Texas' continued population boom, especially the explosion in his town, Frisco Mayor Maher Maso seems almost apologetic.

"We just can’t seem to help it," he said.

The latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that the staggering growth of small and medium-size cities across the Dallas region shows no sign of slowing.

Austin’s changing demographics were the focus of the 15th Annual Commercial Real Estate Power Luncheon Monday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

And yes, population and job growth were obvious trends. So I'm dispensing with what ABJ has reported before about Austin's growth projections to point out a few compelling takeaways from Texas State Demographer Lloyd Potter:

During 2013-2014, for example, nearly 62 percent of Travis County's population growth was due to migration from other states, what's known as in-migration. About 38 percent was natural growth within the existing population. Compare that to the 1990s when migration from other states was about 50 percent. Consider this contrast: In the 1950s, almost 90 percent of Travis County’s growth was from within existing households.

Following the dramatic increase in the number of Asians migrating to Texas, the state demographer found that a new pattern of immigration is emerging in the state.

Though people born in Latin American countries continue to make up the largest group of immigrants in Texas, the rate at which they are moving to the state has decreased in the last decade. Meanwhile, the percentage of immigrants moving to the state from Asia has more than doubled in recent years, according to a report released Thursday by State Demographer Lloyd Potter and his staff.

Old-timers still sometimes slip and call the Texas Department of Transportation the “highway department,” but for most officials involved in planning the state’s transportation, the reality has moved beyond highways.

With growth bearing down on them, Grimes County residents remain divided over plans for a tollway through their mostly rural area even as plans proceed toward an inevitable win for progress over preservation.

On your daily commute to work, sitting in the inevitable traffic backup, do you ever wonder how nice it would feel to pull into the roadside shoulder and drive free and clear, passing car after car?

Lone Star Rail District wants to give commuters just that, a "roadside shoulder" rail line.

The Federal Highway Administration partners with the The Lone Star Rail District (LSRD) in an endeavor to establish a rail system covering roughly 120 miles from Georgetown to San Antonio.

Texas' population grew by almost 60 percent since 1990, adding 10 million residents at the fastest rate in the nation. All those new folks bring their automobiles, and day after day we're trying to cram more and more cars onto our roadways, bringing traffic through important arteries of commerce to a near standstill daily.

But looking ahead, things could get even worse. The state demographer projected Texas population will double by 2050—so are we prepared to double the capacity of our transportation infrastructure, or will our cities stall in unbreakable gridlock? One research group is sounding the alarm.

Will the Austin-San Antonio area become the new Dallas-Ft. Worth? New census data shows that Hays and Comal Counties are among the fastest growing in the country. Both grew by around four percent last year, which has some mayors and city planners considering the possibility of a new mega-region.

Texas state demographer Lloyd Potter says this data is not surprising. Cities between the capitol and Alamo City have experienced consistent and visible growth with an increase in urban areas and real estate. New Braunfels mayor Barron Casteel notes open spaces and agricultural areas have also decreased as a result. This issue is just one of many that must be balanced as the stretch becomes more populated.

San Antonio's population is set to skyrocket by 2040, but that kind of growth is already happening just to the north.

State experts predict that by 2025, San Antonio and Austin will become what's known as a "Megaregion."

According to the latest census data, two counties just north of San Antonio are in the top ten list of the fastest growing counties in America.

Unless something drastic happens to Kaufman County, North Texas and the nation's economy in general over the next 35 years, the terrain around Terrell will look much differently, according to state population predictions.

Instead of wide-open spaces where livestock now grazes in the pastures making up most of the county, demographers tell us the people living in Kaufman County by 2050 will have more than 430,000 neighbors.

The population boom along the Interstate 35 corridor shows San Antonio and Austin could eventually grow together into a mega, metro region, the state demographer said after studying new census data.

Dallas-Fort Worth added more new residents than almost anywhere else in the U.S. in the latest population estimates.

The area trailed only Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.

Credit the booming Texas economy and strong population growth in the Texas Triangle, the part of the state roughly bounded by Interstates 35, 45 and 10.

Census reveals metro area gained most residents in country in 2013-14

The Houston area continues to grow - and grow dramatically - with the region and state leading the nation in boosting its population, according to new U.S. Census data released Thursday.

As Texas' population continues to climb, it's the state's suburbs that are seeing the quickest growth, census figures show.

Three of the state's counties and four metropolitan areas ranked among the fastest-growing areas in the country, according to population estimates that the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday. The estimates, which track population increases from July 2013 to July 2014, show that the most rapid growth in the state was concentrated in Central Texas suburbs, West Texas cities and the greater Houston area.

According to 2014 information from the Texas State Data Center there are some 10,740,456 Hispanics living in the state, about 39.5 percent of Texas’ population. Hispanics in the Lone Star state represent roughly 19.9 percent of all Hispanics in the country.

The Pew Research Center shows that 10 of the largest Hispanic metropolitan areas can be found in Texas, including the third largest area, Houston-Brazoria , Dallas-Fort Worth, the sixth largest, and and San Antonio, the tenth. San Antonio, according to the Pew study is the only large Texas city where the Hispanic population is the majority.

Since July the price of oil has dropped 50% and that is having a negative impact on the Texas Economy. Texans are far likelier than most Americans to work in extraction of oil and gas, mining support activities, pipeline transportation, and petroleum refining.

So job growth in the state is stalling. Texas is now 4th in the nation for creation of jobs – that’s according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. California is number one.

Austin and other Central Texas cities are using about 20 percent less water from the Colorado River despite the region's explosive population growth, according to a newspaper's review of water data.

Officials at the height of the drought in 2011 began telling residents in Austin, Cedar Park, Pflugerville and elsewhere to reduce the amount of water they used. The calls for conservation were seen as relatively mild, as most communities still allow lawns to be watered at least once a week.

It could have happened anywhere, but it was on the high plains of Guthrie, Texas — 90 miles east of Lubbock — where Dannie Tiffin suddenly collapsed of a heart attack last spring.

No one knows for certain, but doctors and hospital staff in this rural area say they're pretty sure the 62-year-old electrician could have made it, had he gotten care in time.

A recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that from April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2013, five of the 10 fastest-growing cities of 100,000 or more population in the nation were right here in Texas. The Lone Star State captured the following spots: No. 1 Frisco, No. 2 McKinney, No. 3 Austin, No. 5 Midland and No. Denton.

Frisco, which grew 16.9 percent during the period, lies just north of Dallas and continues to grow both in population and economy at an astounding rate. In 1990, Frisco was a small, relatively rural town. As of the U.S. Census on April 1, 2000, the city had a population of only 33,714. By July 2013, Frisco’s population reached 136,791. Despite a common impression that people are flocking to the urban centers of Texas, it is also the suburbs that are experiencing an influx of workers. Even though many residents of the city commute to Dallas for work, a substantial number of companies have chosen to expand their operations in Frisco. Top non-government employers in the city include AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group; Oracle; and Kenexa, an IBM Company.

There are a thousand new Texans every day.

Half of them are sweet newborn babies, who don't drive cars or cut in line at the supermarket or outbid you on the Uptown condo you wanted so much. Yet.

The other half are newcomers, and a big part of the reason we all complain about sprawl and crowded freeways. Love Texas or hate it, we have a lot of new residents to share it with.

We have glimpsed a vision of Dallas' future, and it is bleak. By 2050, according to the Dallas Business Journal's read of new data from the Texas Office of the State Demographer, Collin County will have ballooned to 3.8 million people. Dallas County, once upon a time the "urb" in Collin County's "suburb," will have a population of just 3.5 million. The inversion of the city-suburb dynamic will be complete. Frisco -- or maybe Anna -- will supplant Dallas as the area's dominant municipal force, propelling the North Texas region to unprecedented levels of prosperity that is nevertheless insufficient to fix Dallas' pot holes.

Approximately 50,000 people relocate to Houston every year, creating a luxury-housing boom.

Imagine waking up in your luxury apartment. There's a knock at the door – in wheels some scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, a gourmet breakfast delivered. Every morning. And your company's paying for all of it. That could be the reality for some Houston transplants as early as June, if David Redfern has his way. He's the president of Waterwalk.

UT's student population will not increase at the same rate as Texas' projected 2050 population growth, according to University officials.

Last week, the Office of the State Demographer released a report that included population numbers and migration rates for Texas' population in 2015. The report predicted that by 2050, Texas' population will double to a total of 54.4 million residents because of people moving to Texas from around the country.

"Beginning in 2005, Texas has experienced the largest annual population growth of any state," state demographer Lloyd Potter said in the report that was released Thursday. "This momentous growth in Texas population is due to natural increase and net migration."

Hays County, just south of Austin, is projected to be the fastest-growing county, by percentage, in all of Texas by 2050, according to county-level data released by the Texas Office of the State Demographer.

The Austin Business Journal mapped the data at the county level, which you can see embedded below this article. The counties are colored from red, for negative growth, to black for positive growth. The darker the shade, the greater the projected percent change in demographics.

The population of Texas could double by 2050, says a new report released by the Office of the State Demographer. This would be the result if migration patterns continue at the same pace they have been growing during the 2000-2010 decade.

The report, Texas Population Projections 2010 to 2050, highlights a population explosion that may well occur over the next 45 years – those individuals aged 14 and under would nearly double from 5.7 million in 2010 to 10.2 million in 2050. The 15-64 demographic would swell from 16.8 million to 34.7 million, and the senior 65-and-over demographic would jump from 2.6 million to 9.4 million. In total, Texas population would swell to 54.4 million, based on immigration and people moving from other U.S. states.

As of Friday, the Waco area had received measurable precipitation for 10 of the past 13 days. Before Thursday, it had been a while since we had seen the sun. The late-winter storms that pounded the area have had people praying for better weather.

To be specific, Lord, we mean warmer weather.

In spite of recent precipitation, McLennan County remains in a moderate drought. In fact, more than 60 percent of Texas remains in a drought — the same one we’ve been in since late 2010. The U.S. Drought Monitor's latest report, dated March 3, showed the drought in Texas was retreating in many areas, but ever so slowly over the past six months. We've had some beneficial moisture this winter, and as we enter the rainy season here in Central Texas, there is hope that the El Niño weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean will send more such systems our way this spring.

To close the week, we highlight a couple of trend stories detailing the continued population boom in the Lone Star State.

First of all, the state demographer released new projections on Thursday that predicted Texas' population will double to 54.4 million by 2050. The state's elderly population, meanwhile, is expected to increase by a greater rate — from 2.6 million residents over age 65 in 2010 to 9.4 million in 2050.

Nearly every day for the past seven years, after dropping her daughter off at school, Maria Medina has driven to the home of Renee Lopez, a woman to whom she bears no relation but has come to know almost as well as family.

Medina is Lopez's personal attendant. That means Medina, working seven days a week, helps Lopez fix breakfast, bathe and get dressed. She pitches in around the house, checking for mail and cleaning up, and when needed, helps Lopez, who has a disability and uses a wheelchair, go to the bathroom.

Texas' population is expected to double by 2050 to 54.4 million people, according to projections released Thursday by the state demographer.

That increase will largely be due to more people moving to the state, rather than just by Texans having more children, according to the report by State Demographer Lloyd Potter and his staff. Migration patterns are expected to "substantially alter the future age structure of Texas," the report found.

According to new data from a progressive think tank – the Center for American Progress - Texas is leading the way, along with just a couple of other states, in a massive demographic shift. And Texas is changing more rapidly than most.

Texas State Demographer Lloyd Potter says "we're going to continue to grow. We’re going to became more and more Hispanic."

Potter says this growth is a big challenge. And if Texas "fails to increase the percentage of population with a high school degree or college degree it will lead the state into high unemployment rates. But the progress so far has been really positive," Potter says.

Mirroring the shifting demographics of the U.S., Hispanics in America are growing older: The median age has been steadily increasing over the past 15 years. By 2050, Hispanic will make up 20 percent of the elderly population, up from 7 percent in 2010. That means the number of Hispanics age 50 and older in the U.S. will grow from 9 million today to more than 35 million by 2050. It's not a trend much talked about, but it's something you can't afford to ignore.

Serving an older population means new challenges, as your listeners' brand preferences and consumer habits change -- and you'll need to reexamine your tactics for marketing and advertising to listeners with new needs and priorities.

No matter what ails you, no matter what specialist you may need, a primary care physician is the gatekeeper for it all; and Texas is facing a dire shortage of these doctors.

Now, some Seton Healthcare Family doctors are pleading with the legislators to restore the funding for a decades-old mentorship program severely slashed in the 2011 budget. It encourages primary care work and could mean more doctors coming back to a neighborhood near you.

The Texas population boom and the lure of lucrative specialties means there are less primary care doctors to go around, leaving many patients to drive to the emergency room or postpone their care completely. The mentor program teams veteran primary care physicians with impressionable medical students, and doctors say it works.

It was a difficult decision, made with love. After the fire, when Eva Bonilla's father was released from the hospital, she quit her job, loaded his wheelchair and oxygen tank into her car and made a home for the 84-year old man in her living room.

He had lost everything in the tragedy: his house, his possessions, his wife of 60 years. And now he was losing his body.