You know already that I love living in North Texas, particularly this city that is under construction.

I refer, of course, to Princeton. The construction to which I refer is the highway work along the length of the city’s main drag … U.S. Highway 380. My family is nearby. I enjoy living so close to them that I don’t have to make a day out of traveling to visit.

When my wife and I moved into our home, we had no real idea that we would be on the front end of a building boom that continues to this day. Therein lies the crux of this blog.

Princeton’s population has exploded since we closed on our home. It stands at 40,000-plus. I don’t have an exact figure because I don’t think anyone really knows how many folks live here from week to week. The number keeps growing. As a result, the number of residences in Princeton have turned this into a classic “bedroom community.” Lots of new residents have a place to call “home,” where they sleep at night and from which they go to work.

However, the city’s path to full maturity has yet to be traveled. I refer to development of commercial businesses that serve this growing city’s needs. We lack any sort of fine-dining establishments. Virtually nowhere to purchase major appliances. Almost all the home-repair outfits in this area operate out of neighboring communities.

I keep hearing about plans to build something called the Princeton Town Center. I see signs identifying where they want to turn the dirt over. The Town Center will solve a lot of the issues that face residents daily. It will contain a plethora of commercial developments and give the 40,000-plus residents plenty of places to shop locally.

When will this occur? Beats the bejabbers out of me, man. Texas transportation crews have to finish their highway and street work. They haven’t broken ground on the Princeton Town Center. Yes, some small businesses are cropping up along U.S. 380.

I am a patient man. I am waiting for my new home town to grow into the city I know it can become.