Americans are abandoning the cities and settling in these peaceful ‘former men’

An American county known as the “heart of the citrus industry” now has many people flocking to it through groves.

Haines City in Polk County, Florida — located between Tampa and Orlando — joins a list of several other southern communities experiencing a population boom. The city of Haines has seen an increase of 30,000 new residents in the past year, according to data from the US Census Bureau, grabbing the title as one of the “hottest migration destinations.”[s] all over the country.”

Labeled the “ex-burbs,” these areas are typically 40-60 miles away from major metropolitan cities and can offer more peaceful lifestyles and “affordable housing” options.

Anna, Texas, Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Lebanon, Tennessee, are among other hotspots being rated for high population growth.

Growing its population by a third as of 2020, and located 45 miles north of Dallas, the city dubbed “your hometown,” Anna, Texas, shared in a press release earlier this year that its growth can be attributed to location, housing options. and development plans for both residential and commercial.

The population in Fort Mill, South Carolina — home of the PuckerButt Pepper Company, the original maker of the world’s hottest peppers — used to be 24,514, but has seen a 37.2% increase since 2020, according to a local newspaper.

In Middle Tennessee, Lebanon grew by 8.9% from July 2023 to July 2024, the population is now about 48,000.

Katie Worthington Decker, senior vice president of the Lakeland Economic Development Council, offered her explanation for why the “ex-burbs” are booming, especially in Polk County.

“The Lakeland-Winter Haven MSA that includes all of Polk County, Florida, has experienced significant growth for many years, but has accelerated over the past four years. We believe the accelerated growth is due in part to pandemic-era policies to accelerated Florida’s reopening compared to other parts of the country. The diversity of business types in Polk County also contributed to the rapid recovery of our economy after 2020. we’re not dependent on tourism like a lot of other areas of Florida are,” Decker said.

Decker continued, “Polk County’s mid-state location offers the same moderate Florida weather, but with the comparative affordability (median home price is ~100K less than Tampa and Orlando) in our surrounding metro markets, low rates of taxes, connections to other metro markets by car, rail or commercial air service and diverse quality of life offerings from the urban lifestyle in downtown Lakeland, to 55+ communities, to 554 lakes, in numerous areas of agricultural land.”

Cited as one of the reasons by the US Census Bureau, COVID-19 brought about the trend of more migration to different communities for anyone who could work from home or elsewhere, in search of lower housing and living costs.

Dubbed “zoom cities” at the time, some US cities — such as Bend, Oregon and Asheville, North Carolina — saw huge population increases as workers were able to use tools like Zoom to connect with company and their colleagues.

However, as some large companies reinstate back-to-office policies, there’s no telling what the future of working from home and living in the ex-burbs will hold.

“While back-to-office policies may certainly affect those individuals who have chosen to live somewhere and work remotely to take advantage of the quality of life, I think Polk County and Central Florida are well positioned to offer employment to those individuals if they decide to stay,” Decker explained.