Georgetown, Texas, saw its population rise 7.8 percent between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015, making it the nation’s fastest-growing city with a population of 50,000 or more, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Georgetown is part of the Austin-Round Rock metro area, which crossed the 2 million population threshold in 2015 for the first time, according to statistics released earlier this year. This metro area is also home to Pflugerville, the nation’s 11th fastest-growing large city. Austin itself added more people over the period (19,000) than all but seven other U.S. cities. Texas was home to five of the 11 fastest-growing cities (New Braunfels, Frisco and Pearland were the others), and five of the eight that added the most people (Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas were the others). New York remained the nation’s most populous city and gained 55,000 people during the year ending July 1, 2015, which is more than any other U.S. city.

Ten U.S. Cities Now Have 1 Million People or More; California and Texas Each Have Three

NEWS RELEASE: CB15-89 May 21, 2015 — San Jose, Calif., is now among the 10 U.S. cities with a population of 1 million or more, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. California now has three cities with 1 million or more people (Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose), tying Texas (Houston, San Antonio and Dallas) for the lead among states. When the 2013 estimates were originally released last year, San Jose stood just shy of the 1 million mark. The 2014 population estimates released today show the city passing the 1 million milestone in the updated 2013 estimate. Each year, the Census Bureau revises its time series of previously released estimates going back to the 2010 Census. The updated years in the time series supersede the previously released estimates to reflect additional data used in the population estimates. New York remained the nation’s most populous city and gained 52,700 people during the year ending July 1, 2014, which is more than any other U.S. city.

U.S. Cities are Home to 62.7% of U.S. Population, but Comprise Just 3.5% of Land Area

A majority of the U.S. population lives in incorporated places or cities, although these areas only make up a small fraction of the U.S. land area, according to a new report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The percentage of the population living in cities in 2013 was highest in the Midwest and West at 71.2 percent and 76.4 percent, respectively.

 “The higher percentage of people living in cities in the West can partly be explained by the limited access to water outside of western cities and federally held land surrounding many of these cities, which limits growth outside incorporated areas,” said Darryl Cohen, a Census Bureau analyst and the report’s author. “This is especially true in Utah, where 88.4 percent of the population lives in an incorporated place.”

  The report, Population Trends in Incorporated Places: 2000 to 2013, draws from population estimates data on more than 19,000 cities across the U.S., including trends in population growth and loss, population density, geographic distribution, annexation and new incorporations.

 

60 Years of Urban Change

From the Institute for Quality Communities - click this LINK:

60 years has made a big difference in the urban form of American cities. The most rapid change occurred during the mid-century urban renewal period that cleared large tracts of urban land for new highways, parking, and public facilities or housing projects. Fine-grained networks of streets and buildings on small lots were replaced with superblocks and megastructures. While the period did make way for impressive new projects in many cities, many of the scars are still unhealed.
We put together these sliders to show how cities have changed over half a century.

In this post, we look at the historic cities of the Northeast.

See also links to more then-and-now sliders: Oklahoma and Texas | Midwest | Southeast

Happiest Cities in New York State; YES, the list includes Albany

High incomes, a diverse population, and feeling like you’re at the center of the universe combine as just a few reasons those who live in the Empire State feel happy about where they reside. The happiest New Yorkers are those who live in certain cities, which CreditDonkey has determined give residents the most reasons to smile about. We have ranked them from 1 to 10 on our list of the happiest cities in New York.

New Yorkers wonder why they would live anywhere else. They feel like they have the world at their fingertips — from the shops and job opportunities in New York City to the wonder of Niagara Falls and the chance to get away from it all in the Adirondacks. High incomes, a diverse population, and feeling like you’re at the center of the universe combine as just a few reasons those who live in the Empire State feel happy about where they live.

Certain cities in New York give residents more reasons to be happy than others. CreditDonkey considered a range of factors to come up with the happiest cities in this state. Take a look to find your happy place.

More from Credit Donkey.

American cities, ranked by conservatism

A fascinating chart from Representation in Municipal Government, publishing in American Political Science Review and written by MIT political scientists Chris Tausanovitch and Christopher Warshaw. (via Bruce Sterling)
(Image: Carpintera city limit, Al Pavangkanan, CC-BY)

Via BoingBoing

Big city living costs more, but still gives you more bang for the buck

One thing you'll notice, if you stare hard enough at demographic data (or if you just travel around the country with eyes open), is the circular relationship between place, income, education, and housing costs. Whether that's a vicious circle, or a virtuous one, depends largely on whether you've been able to get inside the circle or not.

In other words, a place with well-paying jobs is likely to have higher housing costs, because more people wanting to live there to access well-paying jobs creates more demand, and landlords or sellers are better able to demand a bigger premium from those people. To have enough money to be able to find a place to live in a city with well-paying jobs, though, you already have to have a well-paying job (or a willing benefactor).

Likewise, well-paying jobs usually require more education. Obtaining more education requires tuition and fees, and the ability to defer wages temporarily while getting educated ... again, requiring a well-paying job (or that same benefactor). And getting a good education requires living in a place where a good education can be obtained, which tends to overlap with places with well-paying jobs and high living costs, again requiring you to already have money to get your foot in the door. It's a difficult carousel to get on, and a hard one to get back on if you get thrown off.

The increasing speed of this carousel—the greater disparity in pay between jobs that do and don't require a lot of education, the greater disparity in costs of living between places that do and don't have well-paying jobs—helps drive the growing inequality in this country, both economic and spatial inequality. Two different recent studies... shed some new light on the growing segregation.

More from Daily Kos.

2014 Global Destination Cities Index

The impacts of travel on destination cities that receive visitors are very significant from the business, social, and cultural perspectives. International visitors’ spending constitute an increasingly important source of business revenue in a destination city, encompassing the hospitality, retail, transport, sports, and cultural industries, among many others. In many instances, it is a major economic engine for employment and income generation for the city in question. Along with the flow of visitors comes the flow of new ideas and experiences that benefits both the visitors and the destination cities, which are just as important as the flow of spending. As a result, the more connected a destination city is to other cities, the more vibrant and dynamic it becomes.

MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index, now in its fourth year, provides an annual ranking of 132 of the most important destination cities in the world. It generates estimates of the total number of international visitors to each of these cities each year, their cross-border spending in these cities, and breakdown of their numbers by feeder cities. The index is therefore a global map of how these 132 cities are connected and the business potential generated in each of them by the inflows of visitor spending.

South, West Have Fastest-Growing Cities

 Austin has been the capital of Texas since 1839, and in 2013 the area became the nation’s capital for population growth, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released this week. San Marcos, Cedar Park and Georgetown — each near Austin — ranked among the 10 fastest-growing cities with populations of 50,000 or more during the year ending July 1, 2013. San Marcos was number one in percent growth for the second consecutive year, with Austin itself gaining more people (nearly 21,000) than any city with fewer than 1 million residents.

       The South and West dominated the list of fastest-growing municipalities between 2012 and 2013, claiming all of the top 15, seven of which were in Texas. Frisco and McKinney (near Dallas), Odessa (in West Texas) and Pearland (near Houston) were the other Texas cities on the list. (See Table 1 for complete list.)

     In terms of numeric growth, 13 of the 15 cities that added the most people between 2012 and 2013 were in the South or West, except for New York City, which ranked first in numeric population growth. The nation’s largest city, New York, added 61,440 people in the year ending July 1, 2013. New York continued to be the nation’s most populous city by a wide margin, with 8.4 million residents in 2013, followed by Los Angeles and Chicago. The list of the 15 most populous cities has remained unchanged since last year, aside from Indianapolis moving past Jacksonville to number 12. (See Table 2 for complete list.)

      The list of the top 15 numeric gainers was also bookended by another city outside the South or West: Columbus, Ohio, which gained 12,450 people. In between were five Texas cities (Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth) and three in California (Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose). (See Table 3 for complete list.)

      The statistics released cover all local governmental units, including incorporated places (like cities and towns), minor civil divisions (such as townships) and consolidated cities (government units for which the functions of an incorporated place and its parent county have merged).

  

Cities are growing

Between 2010 and 2012, the nation's largest cities (with populations of 50,000 or more) grew 2.1 percent. This was nearly double the 1.1 percent growth elsewhere. During the same time, the USDA reports population loss in nonmetropolitan areas--the first ever recorded. For more about this trend, see City Growth by Size, and Why Metros Are Growing, and Population Change along the Rural-Urban Continuum.

Cities Where Wages Haven't Kept Pace with Rising Housing Costs

Many Americans – particularly renters – saw housing costs steadily climb in recent years. At the same time, wages remained relatively flat for most segments of the workforce, meaning families spend a greater share of their incomes on housing instead of food, health and other necessities.

Nationally, for slightly more than half of rental households, monthly gross rent costs last year accounted for 30 percent or more of household income -- the general rule-of-thumb maximum that families should not exceed. For homeowners with a mortgage, about a third of households reported housing-related costs surpassing the 30-percent standard, according to Census estimates.

More from Governing.

Best Small Cities for Starting Over (one in NYS)

Do you need a change of pace but the big city life is too fast for you? For a smaller setting that still offers plentiful job opportunities and chances to meet other singles, we have the list for you.

Smaller cities have the advantage of smaller crowds with attractions, stores, and restaurants that are within close reach. They may not have major corporations as an anchor, but these small cities have a lot of innovation, growth, and charm to keep you interested and fulfilled in your new life.

A city experiencing population growth signifies that it is a desirable area for people looking to move, whether for social or economic reasons. This statistic, combined with some of the others we used for this study, also indicates when a particular place has a strong job market, affordable housing, and entertainment attractions.

Next, we looked at each city’s income growth and unemployment rate, both of which shed light on the all-important economic conditions of an area. Not only are the cities in our top 10 witnessing lower unemployment rates, they’re also seeing salary increases, which is good news for residents.

Finally, for those who are looking for love (usually a good reason to start over!), we factored in the percentage of unmarried adults in each city, making it easier to find your match. And with your new job, you should have plenty of extra cash to wine and dine the new person in your life.

See the results from Credit Donkey HERE.

Downtown Rebirth: Documenting the Live-Work Dynamic in 21st Century U.S. Cities

From the Center City District (CCD)

Downtowns across the US are thriving. Cities are diversifying their economies and land use, restoring and enlivening public spaces. During the last three decades, city centers have been adding arts, culture, dining, education, medical and research institutions, along with hospitality, leisure, and sports venues.

Places once shunned as empty and unsafe at night are being redeveloped at higher density and are thriving after dark.

Why Are Cities Growing Again?

Why are the nation's urban centers growing again? The reasons are complex and not easily explained, often resulting in circular arguments such as "Millennials apparently drive less because they prefer walkable places and they prefer walkable places because they drive less," says Robert Steuteville, editor and publisher of Better! Cities and Towns.

Steuteville unravels the mystery of why cities are growing in one of the most insightful pieces on the topic to date, Why Are Young Adults Returning to the City?. He thinks four factors are behind the growing preference for urban life.

1. Millennials "looked around their home towns and saw something missing," says Steuteville. Take a drive and you soon see what he means. In the decades since the baby-boom generation populated small town and suburban America, those areas have lost their soul.

More from Cheryl Russell's Demo Memo blog.

Texas Cities Lead Nation in Population Growth

Eight of the 15 fastest-growing large U.S. cities and towns for the year ending July 1, 2012 were in Texas, according to population estimates released this weeky by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Lone Star State also stood out in terms of the size of population growth, with five of the 10 cities and towns that added the most people over the year.

The fastest-growing municipalities are spread across Texas, from the High Plains of West Texas to the Houston suburbs. San Marcos, along the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio, had the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people. Its population rose 4.9 percent between 2011 and 2012. Completing the top five nationwide were Midland and Cedar Park, both in Texas; South Jordan, Utah; and Clarksville, Tenn. No state other than Texas had more than one city on the list of the 15 fastest-growing large cities and towns. However, all but one were in the South or West.
1 San Marcos city, TX - 4.91; 50,001
2 South Jordan city, UT - 4.87; 55,934
3 Midland city, TX - 4.87; 119,385
4 Cedar Park city, TX - 4.67; 57,957
5 Clarksville city, TN - 4.43; 142,519
6 Alpharetta city, GA - 4.37; 61,981
7 Georgetown city, TX - 4.21; 52,303
8 Irvine city, CA - 4.21; 229,985
9 Buckeye town, AZ - 4.14; 54,542
10 Conroe city, TX - 4.01; 61,533
11 McKinney city, TX - 3.95; 143,223
12 Frisco city, TX - 3.92; 128,176
13 Odessa city, TX -3.83; 106,102
14 Auburn city, AL - 3.71; 56,908
15 Manhattan city, KS - 3.71; 56,069


The Texas cities that added the most people included Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth. New York, the nation’s largest city, topped the list and was the only city among the top 15 outside the South or West. It added 67,058 people over the year. Three cities were in California: Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose.
1 New York city, NY - 67,058; 8,336,697
2 Houston city, TX - 34,625; 2,160,821
3 Los Angeles city, CA - 34,483; 3,857,799
4 San Antonio city, TX - 25,400; 1,382,951
5 Austin city, TX - 25,395; 842,592
6 Phoenix city, AZ - 24,536; 1,488,750
7 Dallas city, TX - 23,341; 1,241,162
8 Charlotte city, NC - 18,989; 775,202
9 San Diego city, CA - 18,074; 1,338,348
10 Fort Worth city, TX - 16,328; 777,992
11 Denver city, CO - 14,980; 634,265
12 Washington city, DC - 13,303; 632,323
13 San Jose city, CA- 12,751; 982,765
14 Seattle city, WA - 12,638; 634,535
15 Nashville*, TN - 12,323; 624,496
*Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)

New York continued to be the nation’s most populous city by a wide margin, with 8.3 million residents in 2012, followed by Los Angeles and Chicago. The composition of the list of the 15 most populous cities has remained unchanged since last year; however, the list’s order has changed slightly. Between 2011 and 2012, Austin moved up from 13th to 11th in total population, supplanting Jacksonville, Fla., while Indianapolis moved down from 12th to 13th. Texas and California each had four cities on the list in both years.
1 New York city, NY - 8,336,697
2 Los Angeles city, CA - 3,857,799
3 Chicago city, IL - 2,714,856
4 Houston city, TX - 2,160,821
5 Philadelphia city, PA - 1,547,607
6 Phoenix city AZ - 1,488,750
7 San Antonio city, TX - 1,382,951
8 San Diego city, CA - 1,338,348
9 Dallas city, TX - 1,241,162
10 San Jose city, CA - 982,765
11 Austin city, TX - 842,592
12 Jacksonville, city, FL - 836,507
13 Indianapolis city, IN - 834,852
14 San Francisco city, CA - 825,863
15 Columbus city, OH - 809,798

The estimates released cover all local governmental units, including incorporated places (like cities and towns), minor civil divisions (such as townships) and consolidated cities (government units for which the functions of an incorporated place and its parent county have merged).

Other highlights:
Of the 19,516 incorporated places in the United States, only 3.7 percent (726) had populations of 50,000 or more in 2012.

Nine areas surpassed the 50,000-population mark between 2011 and 2012, including four in the West, four in the South, and one in the Northeast. The Western areas were Lehi, Utah (51,173); Kirkland, Wash. (50,697); Gilroy, Calif. (50,660); and Palm Desert, Calif. (50,013). Those in the South included Harrisonburg, Va. (50,981); Bradenton, Fla. (50,672); Southaven, Miss. (50,374); and San Marcos, Texas (50,001). Plainfield, N.J. (50,244) in the Northeast also crossed the mark.

Two local governmental units dropped below the 50,000 threshold between 2011 and 2012. Troy, N.Y., declined from 50,072 in 2011 to 49,946 in 2012, with Joplin, Mo. falling from 50,475 to 49,526. Joplin was struck by a devastating tornado in May 2011.

See more information about the geographic areas for which the Census Bureau produces population estimates.

The population clock, one of the most widely visited features of the census.gov website, displays continuously updated projections of the total U.S. population, including the rate of births, deaths and net migration for the United States. The projections are based on a monthly time series of population estimates starting with the April 1, 2010, resident population count derived from the 2010 Census. Additionally, users can access tables displaying the most populous states, cities and counties in the United States.

America's richest cities in 2013

From MoneyWatch:

Real estate is all about location, location, location -- especially when you're wealthy. After all, when you can afford to live anywhere you want, you won't settle for anything less than perfection.

Recently released census data suggests which cities have the greatest appeal for rich people. These metropolitan areas have the highest percentage of households with high income (defined as income levels in the top 5 percent of national income distribution). That represents an annual household income of at least $191,469.

All average listing prices from Trulia.com

Location identifier code of airports and cities around the world

3-Letter Codes for World Destinations.

FLY, EVE, TOY, DAY, FAT, BOY, GEO, BIO, NYC, ARM, LEG

would you think that this are all international identifier codes for destinations around the world? This are in fact IATA codes for cities and airports. (IATA - International Air Transport Association)

FLY is the IATA code for Finley in Australia, EVE for Evenes in Norway, TOY for Toyama in Japan, DAY for Dayton in Ohio, United States, and NYC for sure, New York City.

Are you looking for JFK Airport, DFW Airport, LAX , BWI, or IAH Airport.
Here you will find lists of cities and airports throughout the world with the
3-letter location identifier code for airports and cities.

Center for an Urban Future

Center for an Urban Future is a New York City-based think tank that fuses journalistic reporting techniques with traditional policy analysis to produce in-depth reports and workable policy solutions on the critical issues facing our cities.

Forbes' List Of America's Coolest Cities

From HERE:

Houston is known for many things: Oil, NASA, urban sprawl and business-friendly policies. But the Texas city deserves to be known for something else: coolness.

The Bayou City may not be the first place you associate with being hip or trendy. But Houston has something many other major cities don’t: jobs. With the local economy humming through the recession, Houston enjoyed 2.6% job growth last year and nearly 50,000 Americans flocked there in response — particularly young professionals. In fact, the median age of a Houston resident is a youthful 33.


A dissenting opinion.

10 most expensive U.S. cities

People in these urban areas pay top dollar for practically everything. Is your city on this list?

(A bit of a cheat, since three of the "cities" in New York State aren't cities at all!)