Do you live in or near a city? Chances are that you are an urban dweller. What was once seen as a trend is now the new normal – urban living is what the masses are seeking primarily for economic reasons. City planners are rethinking how they can accommodate the influx of residents, such as renovating closed office spaces into residential space.
The United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service finds rural areas are losing residents. Between July 2013 and July 2014, the overall population in the United States has shown an overall decline in the numbers of individuals continuing to stay in rural or “nonmetro” areas. This trend has been continuing over the last 4 years.
Statistical Facts
- Net migration to rural areas peaked in 2006. Since that time, the population in nonmetro areas has continued to decline.
- Growth rates have fallen significantly in rural areas since the mid-1990s.
- July 2013 through July 2014 was the first time in recorded history that the overall population in nonmetro areas declined; unlike the past when individual counties reported population losses.
With people moving out of rural areas and into urban centers, such as Coral Gables luxury homes or Orlando luxury homes, and other metropolitan cities all across the country, there also seems to be a shift in the dynamics of the population.
For example, the number of Americans choosing marriage has fallen 21 percent since the 1960s, with only 51 percent of Americans making a commitment to marriage in 2010 versus the 72 percent back in 1960.
Another interesting statistic is that those deciding to join into a committed married relationship are making this decision much later. The median ages for a first marriages are 26.5 years for the bride and 28.7 years for the groom.
Following in this same line of change, 50 percent of families in the 1950s has children while today the number is only 25 percent which choose to add children to their families.
Singles and smaller families are where the national trend seems to be shifting, and these groups are gravitating to the urban centers and moving into Coral Gables luxury homes or Orlando luxury homes.
The Attraction of Urban Centers
Why cities continue to draw individuals to it include jobs, higher salaries, better health care, entertainment choices, and education. But with a draw of this sort, you can expect the cost of living to reflect these changes.
In the last year, the Center for Neighborhood Technology reports a 77 percent increase in the median condo price in metro areas. On the flip side, transportation is the second highest budgeted cost for most households. Suburban dwellers spend approximately 25 percent of their household costs on transportation, but urban dwellers only spend 9 percent when an area is deemed highly walkable.
Future estimates foresee 7 out of 10 people in the U.S. to be living in a city by 2050, and maybe choosing Coral Gables luxury homes or Orlando luxury homes to call home. It is expected that the cities touting a population of between 500,000 and 1,000,000 will be attracting the most new residents, so these kinds of cities are anticipated to be growing the fastest.
