🚨 Frisco Could Run Out of Room Within a Decade

A bit further north in Denton, but it ripples straight into North Texas job markets. The University of North Texas announced it's phasing out or consolidating more than 70 academic programs, minors, and certificates to help tackle a $45 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2025-26.

UNT President Harrison Keller cited a sharper-than-expected drop in international graduate student enrollment (who pay higher tuition) plus changes in state funding formulas. Low-enrollment programs are feeling it first.

What's on the chopping block (students already enrolled can finish; new students cannot enter these):

Why does this matter for Frisco? UNT is a major talent feeder for companies across North Texas, including plenty headquartered or expanding in Frisco and Plano. When the regional pipeline tightens, it eventually shows up in our local hiring, innovation, and economy. Worth watching.

Starting March 31, the hemp retail landscape in Texas changes overnight. New rules from the Texas Department of State Health Services shift how legal THC levels are measured, making most smokable products (including natural hemp flower) illegal under the 0.3% Delta-9 THC limit.

The key tweak: They’re now including THCA (a non-intoxicating precursor that turns into Delta-9 THC when heated/smoked) in the calculation. That single change takes most hemp flower off shelves.

Other big hits kicking in March 31:

The industry is reeling. Dallas-area retailer CBD Farmhouse, for one, is closing its doors the same day. Advocates warn thousands of small businesses face an impossible scramble with almost no notice.

The Legislature returns in January, so expect this fight to reignite. A potential federal move on intoxicating hemp could shake things up again later this year.

You’d think crude hovering near (or spiking above) $100 a barrel would have Texas doing victory laps. A decade ago, it probably would. But the game has changed and the current spike, tied to the Iran conflict, is proving more headache than windfall.

Big Oil players (including Texas-based giants like ExxonMobil and Chevron) have consolidated the independents and shifted to disciplined, long-term production rather than the old shale-era habit of “price up → rigs up.” They’re not rushing to drill more wells on a short-term geopolitical spike.

For everyday Texans: We’re feeling the pain at the pump (gas up significantly year-over-year) and in higher costs for groceries and transport, without the flood of new jobs and investment that used to follow big price jumps. Houston’s economy has diversified: oil and gas extraction is now just ~4% of its GDP, down from 8% a decade ago.

Frisco and North Texas are largely insulated from the oil patch (this isn’t Midland). Still, higher energy costs ripple everywhere… interest rates, supply chains, your H-E-B bill. Economists say it would take a prolonged conflict to meaningfully juice local investment. For now, it’s mostly just more expensive.

Frisco’s housing market cooled slightly in February 2026: the median home price hit $620K, down 2.4% year-over-year, with 128 homes sold (down from 133 last year). Homes are moving a bit faster though, averaging 71 days on market versus 77 last year.

The market isn’t red-hot, but smart pricing and the right agent still win. My wife Emily offers a free referral service that matches you with proven local agents. Book a time with her here.