ATX-SWA: Impact 10/23/2025

Nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes is marking the 10th anniversary of its landmark Community First! Village, the master-planned community for residents exiting homelessness that's now expanding in Northeast and Southeast Austin.

The Northeast Austin village includes scores of tiny homes alongside shared features like community centers, a clinic, kitchens, gardens and parks, an amphitheater and a chapel. MLF is now marking the opening of another property covering 51 acres across the street from the existing site. The expansion houses the nonprofit's new headquarters and room to grow to 600 total microhomes as funding comes in.

During the community's 10th anniversary summit event in October, MLF representatives highlighted the lower cost of housing and caring for residents there versus other public homelessness programs. They also said Community First! residents have higher life expectancies, and reduced alcohol and drug consumption.

The ongoing expansion comes as a new Community First! property is also being developed in Southeast Austin, alongside a low-income housing complex from nonprofit Foundation Communities.

As Thanksgiving approaches, families and running enthusiasts in Austin and the surrounding areas are gearing up for the holiday tradition of turkey trots.

This list highlights eight events, offering a variety of abilities and distances for those still seeking or yet to register for a trot.

San Marcos
Thankful Turkey 5K and Kids Run: Thankful Turkey’s 5k and kid run will hold its 22nd annual trot. All proceeds will go back into the San Marcos community to benefit local and Lions’ charities and youth programs.

• Nov. 22, 8 a.m.
• 325 W. McCarthy Ln., Hays

• Nov. 27, 7 a.m.
• 701 W. Riverside Dr., Austin

• Nov. 27, 8 a.m.
• 18216 Weiss Ln., Pflugerville

Corridor Title is celebrating 15 years in Dripping Springs.

The gist: The team provides residential and commercial title expertise as well as title examination. Corridor Title was founded by Patrick Rose in Dripping Springs in 2010 and has since expanded across Central Texas with locations in Austin, Georgetown, New Braunfels, San Antonio and more.

• 171 Benney Lane, Bldg. 1, Dripping Springs

The 2025 Austin-San Antonio Growth Summit kicked off on Oct. 8, highlighting the current growth and future expansion of business and development along the I-35 corridor.

Hundreds of business owners, regional officials and lawmakers attended the event in San Marcos.

The outlook: Henry Cisneros, former San Antonio mayor and 10th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, began the summit by detailing what the region could look like by 2050.

“What we’re living through is quantitatively different than any generation has seen before,” he said.

By 2050, Cisneros said the population in the Austin and San Antonio metroplex is projected to grow from 5.3 million to 8.3 million.

Even by 2030, the population in the area is expected to grow to 6 million or 7 million, according to the Greater Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council.

Between 2023 and 2024 alone, data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed that San Antonio grew by 23,945 residents.