Census: Americans Leave Big Cities...

Census: Americans leave big cities, from the USA TODAY, reports that among the 25 largest metropolitan areas, 18 had more people move out than move in from 2000 to 2004. One of the exceptions, of course, is the Phoenix metro area, which averaged 48,598 annual migration during that period. But big cities like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles lost residents during that time frame. Arizona, Nevada and Florida were the states with the most growth, while New York, California and Illinois lost the most population. "It's a case of middle class flight, a flight for housing affordability," said William Frey of the Brookings Institute, a Washington think tank. "But it's not just white middle class flight, it's Hispanics and blacks, too." The article cites affordable housing in Phoenix as the main reason it is attracting new residents from other states.



http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-04-20-urbanflight_x.htm