Drive through parts of Fort Bend County, and it's hard not to see the growth. In Fulshear, Census figures show it's the second-fastest-growing city in the country.
It's not the only place surging. A new Fort Bend Regional Partnership report shows where the population is accelerating, and is expected to grow by 2050.
"In 2050, we're going to have 2 million," University of Houston political science professor Jeronimo Cortina said. "We need to be prepared for that."
Cortina has been working on the report for 8 months. To handle that number of people, Cortina said the county needs to focus on water, power, and of course, traffic. "It's not only, 'Let's build more roads,' yes, we need more roads, but we need to think about other strategies in terms of transportation that allow people to move more or less stress-free," Cortina explained.
SEE ALSO: Fulshear and other suburbs in big Texas metro areas lead as fastest growing municipalities in the US
To show how fast the country is growing, the report shows that in 2020, there were almost 280,000 homes.
Last year, it grew to 330,000. By 2030, the report shows it could climb to nearly 380,000 homes.
New development, Cortina says, not just in Fulshear. With new toll roads, he says, expect to see growth in places like Thompsons, Fairchilds, and Orchard.
Developments should not lose their past, he said.
Cortina said the county should embrace agriculture, not just because of its past, but it helps mitigate flooding, and could provide growing areas with food.
"I think that the county can be a leader in terms of having that production," Cortina explained. "Producing fresh products that could be used in a lot of places that do not have access to a supermarket."
Researchers say ways to address traffic congestion could include light rail or a gondola system, which the city of Sugar Land is considering.
RELATED: Houston area tops latest U.S. Census growth estimates despite slowing population growth, data shows
They said it's also about attracting more industries here. This way, people can live in Fort Bend County and work there too.