The Heart of Texas Location has the Infrastructure Your Business Needs!
Location is critical to business success, but the means to be connected to suppliers and customers is critical to maximize that location's advantages. Infrastructure in the Heart of Texas region offers the advantages necessary for individuals, families and businesses to find the success they are looking for!
From transportation options covering the entire region, to natural resource availability and world-class communication networks, the Heart of Texas region has infrastructure advantages that sets the stage for your business or industry’s growth and profitability.
Let the Heart of Texas Economic Development District team assist your business in finding the right infrastructure set to fit your needs today!
Accessible and robust transportation channels
The Heart of Texas region is within 150 miles of Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. Interstates 35 and 45 connect the region to the 20 million people within 100 miles of its boundaries. Existing rail service travels through or near almost every community in the region.
Air travel, both freight and personal, is available at a number of airports within it close to the Heart of Texas region. The Waco Regional Airport is served by American Airlines. Dallas Love Field, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport are all within 100 miles, while the San Antonio International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport are slightly further.
Abundant Natural Resources & Utilities
Texas generates more than one-fifth of U.S. domestically-produced energy, leading all states in the nation. The state produces energy from a wide range of resources, many of which can be found in the Heart of Texas region. As a result, the price and availability of these resources and the electricity generated from them, is extremely affordable and well below other areas of the country.
Natural Gas and Coal
Texas is the top U.S. producer of natural gas, with more natural gas market hubs and infrastructure than any other state. Freestone County is the largest producer of natural gas in the Heart of Texas region at 6.041,371 thousands cubic feet (MCF) in October 2020, followed by Limestone County at 2,174,168 MCF. As a result, average Texas prices for city gate natural gas are significantly cheaper than the U.S. average, at $2.99 per MCF versus $4.10 per MCF.
The region has historically had significant production of lignite coal. The Texas Railroad Commission reported the only regional coal mine operational in 2019 to be the Kosse Mine in Limestone County. That year, it produced 9,594,365 short tons, the majority of which was used to generate electricity.
Renewable Energy
The state of Texas is committed to renewable energy development and the Heart of Texas region is deeply committed as well. Renewable energy sources contribute nearly one-fifth of the net electricity generated in Texas. The state was the country's sixth-largest producer of solar power in 2019, with Installed solar capacity in the state doubling between 2017 and 2019, exceeding 3,100 megawatts in 2019. Several projects in area counties either contributed to that increase or will do so in the future, including Eddy II and OCI Solar Power in McLennan County and Hecate Energy in Falls County. In addition, Texas leads the nation in wind-powered generation and produced about 28% of all the U.S. wind-powered electricity in 2019. Local projects include the Engie project in McLennan and Limestone counties.
Electricity
The availability of the aforementioned resources has led Texas to be the top electricity-generating state in the country. As a result, the prices of electricity in the region are extremely favorable, as reported in September 2020 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) below.
Electricity |
Texas cost (cents/kWh) |
U.S. Average cost (cents/kWh) |
Residential |
12.01 |
13.55 |
Commercial |
7.94 |
11.07 |
Industrial |
5.20 |
7.01 |
More energy information can be found through the EIA Texas State Energy Profile.
Water
Water supply varies throughout the region, but overall there is an abundance of this important resource with the Brazos and Bosque rivers and several lakes - Aquilla, Whitney, Waco, Fairfield, Limestone and Richland Chambers - in the region. Mexia, in particular, has an abundance of potable water due to the efforts of the Bistone Municipal Water District. Wells into the Carisa Wilcox aquifer coupled with the Lake Mexia reservoir contribute to a supply that exceeds projected demand.
Connecting the Heart of Texas to the World
According to Broadband Now, Texas is the 8th-most connected state in the country, with an average connectivity speed of 108.8 MBPS. As is typical in other communities, urban areas In the Heart of Texas region have more access to high-speed internet connectivity than rural areas. Broadband is available to 88.1% of McLennan County residents, followed by 74% in Freestone, 71% in Limestone, 37.2% in Hill, 30.3% in Bosque and 29.6% in Falls County. The state of Texas has committed to broadband development through the Texas Broadband Initiative and the implementation of the Connected Nation Texas program to expand access, adoption and use of broadband services.