As we are slowly recovering from the financial crisis, I found an interesting article by CNN Money on 10 fastest growing cities. The populations of these 10 cities grew faster than in any other major cities between 2012 and 2013 (Census Bureau)
1. Austin, Texas. Population: 1.9 million. The population grew by 2.6% (47,941)
2.Houston, Texas. Population: 6.3 million. The population grew by 2.2 % 137,782)
Jobs are mainly created by oil and gas surge. Houses are affordable too. The average home price is about $195,000, which is $10,000 less than the national average.
3. Raleigh, N.C. Population: 1.2 million. The population grew by 2.2% (26,012)
4. Orlando, Fla. Population: 2.3 million. The population grew by 2% (44,390)
5. San Antonio. Population: 2.3 million. The population grew by 1.9% (43,056)
6. Denver. Population: 2.7 million The population grew by 1.9% (50,782)
7. Nashville, Tenn. Population: 1.8 million. The population grew by 1.8% (31,153)
8. Charlotte, N.C. Population: 2.3 million. The population grew by 1.8% (40,368)
9. Oklahoma. City Population: 1.3 million. The population grew by 1.7% (22,280)
10. Phoenix. Population: 4.4 million. The population grew by 1.6% (71,130)
One of the major reasons of this rapid growth in population is jobs. More and more jobs are created in these cities. For example, University of Texas in Austin, a 50,000+ enrollment school known for its engineering and computer science programs, has been attracting a number of big tech companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Intel. These companies try to recruit young talent. As a result, the unemployment rate fell to 4.7% from 5.2 in 2012. This also applies to Raleigh, N.C. for its research triangle area.
Another factor is affordable houses. In some of these cities, the median home prices are lower than the national average, which attracts more newcomers. Reasonable cost of living is also another reason that attracted many people to these cities. These cities will continue to grow because these factors will continue to affect the population level.
3 Comments
While cost of living is certainly influential on location choices for individuals I would imagine employment prospects as begin more influential. Texas for example has made employment a goal in past years and is a very attractive state for firms to locate thanks to a lenient tax policy. As population in these areas grows housing should become more expensive as demand increases.
I also agree with you on the idea that jobs is more stronger factor. However, as more people move into these areas, cost of living will go up and housing prices will also go up.
This is certainly an interested list of cities given that none of the above are traditionally considered top urban areas. I think more that anything, these population trends show labor is chasing growing markets such as energy, finance, and healthcare research. Another interesting point is that 9 of these 10 cities are in very warm climates. Could part of this migration be explained by the aging population of the US moving to warm climates for retirement?
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