Schertz is a city in Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas within the San Antonio–New Braunfels metropolitan area. The population was 18,694 at the 2000 census. On July 16, 2007 CNNMoney. com rated Schertz: One of the Best Places to Live in the United States. In Texas, Schertz was ranked #1; Nationwide it came in at #40. Schertz is the largest city of the Randolph Metrocom, which consists of towns and cities surrounding the Randolph Air Force Base. In addition to Schertz, other Randolph Metrocom communities include Live Oak, Kirby, Converse, Marion, Cibolo, Universal City, Windcrest, Garden Ridge, and Selma. These towns are located in Comal, Bexar, and Guadalupe Counties and combined have a total of 335,000 residents and growing rapidly. Since the late 1990s, Schertz has witnessed unprecedented growth. In just over five years, from 2000–2005, the city's population jumped from 18,694 to 26,463. In 2006 alone, the population rose from 26,463 to 34,000. During that same period, the city platted 1,357 new lots and the growth shows no sign of slowdown.