Fastest Growing Cities Are Suburban

The AP reports:

Elk Grove, Calif., wasn't even incorporated six years ago, and now it's the fastest-growing city in America.

Bigger, older cities are losing ground.

The Sacramento suburb grew by 11.6 percent last year, to 112,000 people, typifying the nation's appetite for open spaces, affordable homes and suburban living. Once a rural farming community, Elk Grove has given way to sprawling development, fueled by a short commute to Sacramento and local employers such as Apple Computer.

"Ten to 15 years ago is when the housing started coming in. That was followed by the businesses," says Janet Toppenberg, president and CEO of the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce.

Americans have been moving west and south for decades, and last year was no different. All but three of the 50 fastest-growing cities from 2004 to 2005 were in those regions of the country, with many in California and Florida, according to Census Bureau estimates Wednesday. The estimates were for cities with populations of 100,000 or more.

Elk Grove was followed in the top five by North Las Vegas, Nev.; Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Gilbert, Ariz., and Cape Coral, Fla.

All five are suburban, and all have fewer than 200,000 residents.

"We have a pattern that is consistent across the country," said Hans Johnson, a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. "Families choose to move to areas where they can buy more housing for less money and often with better schools."

Unions,land-use restrictions,and zoning problems don't seem to be the formula for growth.You might call this the triumph of the suburban ideal.