A surge in the ’burbs
 

WASHINGTON – March 22, 2007 – The Census Bureau’s list of the fastest-growing counties between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2006, indicates that people are fleeing crowded cities in search of affordable housing in the suburbs. Over this time span, Florida’s Flagler County blossomed by 67 percent, pushing it to the top of the list ahead of Kendall County, Ill., which includes the Chicago suburbs.

Other Florida locales made the list of the 25 fastest-growing counties, with Scott Cody of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida noting that Osceola, Lake, and St. Johns counties are viewed as alternatives to the priciest areas in South Florida.

Nationally, six counties near Atlanta made the list, as did four in Texas. The exodus to the suburbs is contributing to sprawl and burdening infrastructure budgets, according to Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations general counsel Debbie Singer.

However, the trend would slow in the event of a significant economic downturn, says Dr. William Frey of the University of Michigan and the Brookings Institution, who adds that the Northeast and Midwest would see their populations rise if climate changes prompt Sun Belt residents to relocate.

Source: Forbes (03/22/07) Wingfield, Brian

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