The nation’s population shifted dramatically to the Southern and Western regions of the US, in the years from 2000 to 2009. In a 2011 report published by US News and World Report, even after the economic downturn of 2008, the trend is continuing. One contributing factor is an increase of Hispanic immigrants moving to those areas. Also, thousands of Baby Boomers are moving to states like AZ, AL, CA, NM, NC , and TX in pursuit of an active lifestyle for their retirement years. The shift is also due to increasing employment opportunities in the fields of healthcare, hi-tech, and finance. Here’s a look at three of those rapidly growing metro areas.
- Austin, TX is seeing a large influx of college educated young adults, professionals, and families. Home to almost 2 million residents and growing, this capital city is home to a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Intel, Google, and Samsung. In addition to diverse employment opportunities, Austin also boasts some of the highest rated schools in the nation, excellent recreational amenities, and a thriving music and cultural arts scene. Don’t let all that “cowboy culture” fool you! Austin is also a “Clean Air City”, because of its strict no smoking policy, has been designated “The Greenest City in America” and one of the country’s “Most Walkable Cities”.
-The Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC area saw a 40% increase in population within the past decade. Known as the “Research Triangle”, this Old North State region is home to an amazing number of well-respected colleges, universities, medical facilities and high-tech firms, such as IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Ericcson, and BASF. Along with the universities, the teaching hospitals at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill are among some of the largest employers in the state.
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If you are like millions of American citizens who have been impacted by the recent real estate downturn and economic recession, you may have kicked around the idea of moving to another area of the country with a lower cost of living and better prospects for employment. MSN Real Estate in conjunction with Bert Sperling of Sperlings Best Places recently published an article and slideshow on MNS Real Estate where they evaluated the 100 largest metropolitan areas to produce a list of 10 of the nation’s most livable areas. They considered these communities “livable” as unemployment was relatively low, commute times were not too bad, and there were enough cultural and recreational outlets to keep one’s calendar busy. They also chose places that had stable if not improving economies, lower crime rates, healthy populations, and lower rates for suicide and divorce.
