Greenville is the ninth fastest growing city in America

According to a report by CNNMoney, Greenville was the ninth fastest growing city in America between 2000 and 2010.  CNN Money analyzed U.S. Census data to arrive at its report.

Read the entire report at CNNMoney.com by clicking here.

Below is a list of the top 10 fastest growing cities in America:

Charlotte, NC, population 1.25 million, grew 64.6 percent
Raleigh, NC, population 884,891, grew 63.4 percent
Cape Coral, FL, population 530,920, grew 60.8 percent
Provo, UT, population 482,819, grew 59 percent
Austin, TX, population 1.36 million, grew 51.1 percent
Las Vegas, NV, population 1.89 million, grew 43.5 percent
McAllen, TX, population 728,825, grew 39.3 percent
Knoxville, TN, population 558,696, grew 33.1 percent
Greenville, SC, population 400,492, grew 32.5 percentSan Antonio, TX, population 1.76 million, grew 32.4 percent

Eight of the ten cities are in Southern states.  Greenville is the smallest city on the list, but if the entire metro area is included (Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson), the area’s population is about 1 million.

NewGeography: South Dominates U.S. Population Growth

Population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau show that Southern states continue to dominate the country in terms of population and growth during the last year.  According to New Geography, Southern states accounted for more than half of the population growth from 2000 to 2011 while having just one third of the country’s total population.  In fact, 95 percent of all migration between states resulted in migration to Southern states.

Read the entire report a NewGeography.com by clicking here.

Brookings: It is official; more nonwhites are being born than whites in America

The most recent 2010 Census data to be released confirms what has been implied for some time: virtually half of all recent births in the U.S. are “minorities.” This is a fundamental change in the U.S. population that is expected to ultimately redefine which groups are defined as “minority” in America.

Upstate is at the center of the largest growth region in the country

According to a report in the Greenville Journal on December 31, 2010, the Upstate is in the heart of what is projected to be the fastest growing region in the country in the next 40 years.

The Piedmont Atlantic Mega Region, which stretches from Atlanta to Charlotte, “is expected to account for half the nation’s population growth and two thirds of its economic growth through 2050.” The projection is according to studies by Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.

Quality of Life Driving Upstate Population Growth

The recently completed census found that population in the Greenville County grew by 18.9 percent. According to an analysis by the Greenville News, the newcomers have tended to be more highly educated, and nearly 15,000 of the newcomers to the county since 2000 have been foreign born. As a result, the percentage of those living in Greenville County who have a four-year college degree is 29.1 percent, above the national average.

Reasons sited for this trend include a high quality of life, employment opportunities, proximity to the I-85 corridor and other larger cities like Atlanta and Charlotte, and easy access to the mountains and the coast.