Thousands of young adults have moved to the Greater Houston area in the past decade, and the Cy-Fair community is doing what it can to accommodate the newest members of its workforce. According to a study by City Observatory, the number of recent college graduates ages 25-30 in the Greater Houston area shot up 49 percent from 2000 to 2012, a total of 92,715 young adults. Millennials, the generation of adults born between the early ‘80s and the early ‘00s, account for about 21 percent of the population in Cy-Fair, or about 79,000 residents. “Young professionals are attracted to the Cy-Fair area because you can work, live and play here,” said Evie Dross, co-chair of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Committee. “Cy-Fair has become an area in which millennials can obtain careers in places like Cy-Fair ISD or North Cypress Medical Center, find unique eateries, affordable lakeside living and other amenities like the premium mall outlet.” Created in 2012, the chamber’s committee aims to connect the area’s young professionals, help them succeed and cultivate a new generation of local leaders, and ultimately create a community, she said. Jennifer Dodds, co-chair of the Young Professionals Committee, said her family specifically chose Cy-Fair because of affordable home prices and the diverse selection of neighborhoods. Other attractive assets include Cy-Fair’s schools as well as an environment that lends itself to family oriented events and activities, she said. The challenge, however, of living in Cy-Fair is finding ways to get involved and be informed without a local government, Dodds said. “Being a part of the chamber allows [millennials] to have a voice in what’s going on,” she said. “We show them what’s in the community and the resources we have.” Recent college graduate Sarah Cantrell, who graduated from Cypress Woods High School in 2009, said she moved back to the area simply because she loved where she grew up. However, life as a young adult in Cy-Fair differs from life as a young adult in a community like the Heights in that Cy-Fair residents sometimes have to think outside of the box to find activities, Cantrell said. “Cy-Fair has a lot to offer in that there’s something for everyone—for you and your friends, family, loved ones,” she said.

Apartment living

While home prices remain low in the area, apartment living can serve as a more suitable option for younger professionals still looking to establish roots. Several new apartment complexes have opened in the area with more upscale and modern aesthetics that look to attract a younger crowd, such as 91Fifty at 9150 Hwy. 6 and Fairfield Ranch at 20525 Cypresswood Drive, both managed by Allen Harrison Company. “Our properties host events that appeal not only to this group, but to all of our residents,” said Jen Merrihew, marketing manager with Allen Harrison. “At Fairfield Ranch, our CARES Team hosts events that are extremely popular. A small example is pizza and wings during big sport matches, Taco Tuesdays, pool parties and Sunday brunches.” 91Fifty opens this fall and will provide many of the programs offered at Fairfield Ranch. On-site fitness centers with pool views, modern designs and additional organized gatherings during sport events are amenities designed to appeal to millennials. “Young professional millennials make up an ever-growing sector of the thriving Houston rental market,” Merrihew said. “Many young professionals are not looking to buy a home at this time in their lives but still want to be able to live in a place that meets their wants and needs.”