Joel Kotkin explores the small cities that are growing the fastest in the United States, and what factors lead to this growth.

As Joel Kotkin reports in a recent Forbes article, "since 2000 small cities with between 100,000 and 250,000 residents have enjoyed a 13.6% population growth rate, more than twice that of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and roughly 10% faster than the national growth rate." As demographer Wendell Cox explains, the main push for this growth is domestic migration, which is acutally negative in some of the largest cities and small towns. Indeed, looking at Census data, "the 167 metropolitan statistical areas with between 100,000 to 250,000 in population have added a net 675,000 people due to domestic migration since 2000."
Kotkin completed his rankings of fastest growing cities using four main factors: population growth from 2000-13, job growth from 2001-14, real per capita personal income growth from 2000-12, and growth of regional GDP per job from 2001-12. Ranking at the top is The Villages, Florida, a relatively new community of "active" seniors that has doubled population since 2000. Indeed, many other thriving senior communities found their way onto the list.
Other communities on the list included booming energy industry driven towns, seeing explosions of growth and income as new oil or gas fields are discovered. In addition, many college towns made the list, and small cities dependent on government employment such as Jacksonville, North Carolina.
FULL STORY: America's Fastest-Growing Small Cities

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Massachusetts Budget Helps Close MBTA Budget Gap
The budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey includes $470 million in MBTA funding for the next fiscal year.

Milwaukee Launches Vision Zero Plan
Seven years after the city signed its Complete Streets Policy, the city is doubling down on its efforts to eliminate traffic deaths.

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont