Las Vegas Raiders

Get to know the Texas town that's 'a natural fit' to host the Raiders

Published Jan. 18, 2016 9:58 a.m. ET

foxsports

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis knows there's a welcoming market waiting for his team in San Antonio.

He might also know there's a perfect market waiting for him about 50 miles to the northeast. Perhaps no other Texas town is as uniquely positioned as San Marcos is to provide a home beyond the Alamodome for an NFL franchise.

Adriana Cruz, president of the Greater San Marcos Partnership, via Culture Map Austin:

“Could we be home to a major stadium? Absolutely. (It's) certainly something that makes a lot of sense -- a lot of logistical sense, a lot of economic sense."

Cruz is correct; the town of about 60,000 is a strategic football market. To the north lies Austin, another football-centric town without a single pro sports team. To the south, San Antonio, which could house Davis' team while a stadium gets built. And one highway -- 1-35 -- connects the two.

That stadium would go up in one of America's blossoming areas. San Marcos was named the fastest-growing U.S. city by the U.S. census bureau in 2013 and 2014. Its major draw? Two shopping outlets which attract over 14 million per year.

The Raiders would provide a third huge attraction. And more importantly, it sounds like they'd get the new stadium they've wanted since Davis' father ran the team.

Said Lance Aldridge, executive director of the Austin Sports Commission: