Population estimates for 2009 are in and it seems that the largest cities continued to grow during the recession, as the burst housing bubble and economic difficulties kept people where they lived. All the top 5 cities, New York, L.A., Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix showed growth during the recession.

Earlier in the decade, there was a spread of people from the Midwest and Northeast to the South and West. Today, even those colder cities up north are experiencing growth as people move from the suburbs to the cities where the jobs are. Moreover, young couples in the cities can’t afford to move to the suburbs so they stay and raise urban families.

In cities where the recession hit hard, and the housing bubble burst hugely, like Florida, there has been slight decay. Other rust belt cities like Akron, OH, and Detroit continue to lose people. Even Phoenix has seen population growth slow, this year down to 1.4%, the lowest of the decade.

In Texas, a state that weathered the recession fairly well, growth is constant and the state has 5 of the largest 25 cities in the country, more than any other state. I’m from Portland, which has continued to grow at a constant rate over the past decade, and holds down the spot as the 30th largest city. For the entire list click here.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 8:01 pm and is filed under Home Moving, Moving. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.