The Rural Real Estate Boom

"In what's been called the "Green Acres" effect, Americans are fleeing the cities for the country in record numbers. Eighteen of the 25 largest metropolises saw more people leave than move in, according to a Census Bureau report released in 2006.

From 2000 to 2004, the three largest American cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — lost the most residents. The New York metropolitan area saw an exodus of more than 210,000 residents in those years alone, with a significant portion likely attributable to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks."