Rural Counties Remain America's Fastest Growing Regions

The fastest growing areas in the US are predominantly rural counties... not so much because people want to "get away from it all," but because urban sprawl is pushing cities and suburbs ever outward.

Pennsylvania's Pike County, for instance, is a relatively rural area that's seeing dramatic growth, in large part because of its proximity to New York City and the suburban areas of northern New Jersey. Similarly, many of the nation's fastest-growing areas are within commuting distance of a major metropolitan area and its suburbs.

Migration from urban to rural areas is a 30-year trend, but has undergone explosive growth in recent years. Florida's Flagler County, near Daytona Beach and Orlando, is America's fastest growing county, expanding by a dramatic 10.7% in 2005. Such growth is bound to stress a region's infrastructure and cause friction between pro- and anti-growth elements.

Source: WCAU-TV