Americans are abandoning cities and settling down in these peaceful ex-burbs

One American county, known as “the heart of the citrus industry,” now has many people flocking to it in groves.Haines City in Polk County, Florida — located between Tampa and Orlando — joins a list of several other southern communities experiencing a population boom.Haines City has seen an increase of 30,000 new residents last year, according to US Census Bureau data, snagging the title as one of the “hottest migration destination[s] in the entire country.”Labeled as “ex-burbs,” these areas are usually 40-60 miles away from major metropolitan cities and can offer more peaceful ways of life and “affordable housing” options.Anna, Texas, Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Lebanon, Tennessee, are among the other hot spots that are being lauded for witnessing high population increases.Increasing its population by a third since 2020, and located 45 miles north of Dallas, the city dubbed as “your hometown,” Anna, Texas, shared in a press release earlier this year that its growth could be attributed to location, housing options, and development plans for both residential and commercial.The population in Fort Mill, South Carolina — home to PuckerButt Pepper Company, the original producer of the world’s hottest peppers — once sat at 24,514, but has seen an increase of 37.2% since 2020, according to a local paper. In the middle of Tennessee, Lebanon grew from 8.9% from July 2023 to July 2024, the population now sitting around 48,000 residents. Katie Worthington Decker, senior vice president of the Lakeland Economic Development Council, offered her explanation as to why “ex-burbs” are booming, specifically in Polk County.“The Lakeland-Winter Haven MSA which includes all of Polk County, Florida, has experienced significant growth for many years, but it accelerated over the last four years.

We believe that the expedited growth is in part due to pandemic-era policies to expedite the reopening of Florida in comparison to other parts of the co...