The Southeastern region of the United States, as defined by the Geological Survey, is made up of eleven states in the continental United States, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. It is one of the oldest regions in America, with the first signs of human presence in the area dating back to tens of thousands of years. Additionally, the Southeastern states were also a crucial part of the Civil War in the 19th century, with the bulk of these deciding to break away from America.
Since then, the Southeast has significantly changed and is a global leader in industrial production and manufacturing. In fact, one of the most famous facilities in the world is located in the Southwestern state of Florida. Florida is from where humans launched rockets to the Moon, and it is the only region in the world with the honor. Courtesy of its proximity to the equator, Florida makes for the perfect site to launch rockets from as they can capitalize on the Earth's rotation around its axis and follow the equator to gain an additional 'oomph' to their speed during launch. The launch site is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Kennedy Space Center - and it still plays a crucial part in the American space program by being the only launch site in the country that is capable of supporting crewed missions. The KSC is also NASA's only rocket launch site in the country, with other facilities belonging to the Space Force.
However, the space center is not the only crucial NASA facility in the region. Another highly important site in the Southwest is the Stennis Test Center. Stennis is located in Hancock County, Mississippi, and it is responsible for producing some of the most breathtaking visuals in America. This is due to the fact Stennis is the only site in America that can withstand the unimaginable forces generated by a rocket engine. Like KSC, Stennis is also a historic site since it was built to test the massive F-1 engines for the Saturn V rocket.
Yet, as if sending people to the Moon and blasting some of the most powerful rocket engines made in human history was not enough, the Southeast is also busy leading America in other high technology areas. For instance, the second largest research park in the world, the Cummings Research Park, is in the Southeastern state of Alabama. Cummings has more than three hundred companies, and these include high end space and aerospace companies such as Lockheed Martin, Dynetics, and Teledyne. Additionally, the Southeast is also home to Florida State University. The university has the only high end magnetic laboratory in America, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab). This facility has several programs which range from spectroscopy to electromagnetic resonance, researching quantum physics, and high magnetic field experiments and research.
Not only is the second largest research triangle in the Southeast, but the biggest triangle - namely the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina which covers seven thousand acres - is also in the region. The RTP, like Cummings, has more than three hundred companies, which include some of the largest and most advanced firms on the planet. This list includes the pharmaceutical giant GSK and the networking equipment manufacturer Cisco. Other firms in the area include agriculture technology companies, medical device firms, and biotechnology companies.
The region is also home to some of the biggest companies in the world. These include The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO), United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS), Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT), and Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL). These are just a handful of firms in the area, and most of these are in Atlanta - one of the Southeast's largest and most prosperous cities. Atlanta is the capital of Georgia and has one of the biggest gross domestic products (GDPs) in the world and in the U.S. There are more than a thousand multinational firms in the area, and the city's economy is dominated by information technology and broadcasting markets. Another prosperous Southeastern city is Miami - the second largest city in Florida in terms of population. Miami has some of the busiest sea and air ports in America, and its location also makes it a hub of the cruise ship industry in the U.S.
With these details in mind, let's take a look at some of the fastest-growing cities in the Southeast.
20 Fastest-Growing Cities in the Southeast
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Our Methodology
To compile our list of the fastest growing cities in the Southeast, we first narrowed down the 30 largest cities in the region in terms of population. Then, their inbound move rates, which are the percentage of inbound movers over the total inbound and outbound movers, were determined. Finally, the corresponding metropolitan areas were ranked accordingly, out of which the top twenty fastest-growing cities in the Southwest were chosen and are listed below.
Fastest-Growing Cities in the Southeast
20. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Net Inbound Move Rate: 52.3%
Winston-Salem is a city in North Carolina with a quarter of a million people living in its boundaries. Its metropolitan area has five counties, and the city houses several large food and clothing companies. Additionally, the city has a strong presence in the healthcare segment.
19. Saint Petersburg, Florida
Net Inbound Move Rate: 52.4%
Saint Petersburg is a city in Florida and one of the largest in the state in terms of population. The city also sits at the heart of Florida's name as the Sunshine State since it gets sunlight for most days of the year. Saint Petersburg has a diversified economy, with healthcare, insurance, and retail companies being some of the largest employers in the area.
18. Tampa, Florida
Net Inbound Move Rate: 52.4%
Tampa is another Floridan city. It houses nearly four hundred people and was set up in 1823. Tampa has the biggest port in the state in terms of tonnage handled. It also has a large presence of the U.S. Air Force, and headquarters some of the most crucial Pentagon installations.
17. Augusta, Georgia
Net Inbound Move Rate: 52.7%
Augusta is one of the smallest cities on our list since it houses a little over two hundred thousand people. Augusta is in Georgia and is one of the oldest cities on our list since it was set up in the early 19th century. It houses facilities for several important companies such as T-Mobile, Kellogg's, Kimberly Clark, and Nutrien.
16. Durham, North Carolina
Net Inbound Move Rate: 53%
Durham is one of the largest cities in North Carolina It is known to have one of the best universities in the world, Duke University. Additionally, International Business Machines (IBM) has a large presence in the city as well as the presence of large healthcare and investment firms.
15. Washington, D.C.
Net Inbound Move Rate: 53.4%
Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States. It houses the Capitol, the White House, and the Supreme Court. Additionally, the city is also home to several international financing institutions and has some of the highest costs of living in the U.S.
14. Jacksonville, Florida
Net Inbound Move Rate: 53.5%
Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida in terms of population. Almost one million people live within the city's boundaries, and Jacksonville is also part of one of Florida's largest metropolitan areas. It houses several Fortune 500 companies and is a growing financial center.
13. Orlando, Florida
Net Inbound Move Rate: 53.6%
Orlando houses more than three hundred thousand people and is a tourism hub in Florida. It also has a large technology park and a presence of important aerospace firms.
12. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Net Inbound Move Rate: 53.8%
Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana. The city has some of the largest petroleum facilities in the world, as well as a strong presence of the chemical industry.
11. Atlanta, Georgia
Net Inbound Move Rate: 53.8%
Atlanta is one of the most prosperous cities in the Southeast. It has some of the largest numbers of Fortune 500 firms in the region.
10. Greensboro, North Carolina
Net Inbound Move Rate: 54%
Greensboro is a city in North Carolina. It has a concentration of a variety of manufacturing and industrial companies.
9. Lexington, Kentucky
Net Inbound Move Rate: 54.2%
Lexington is the second largest city in Kentucky. It houses several important Fortune 500 companies operating in technology and other industries.
8. Raleigh, North Carolina
Net Inbound Move Rate: 54.3%
Raleigh is the tenth largest city in the Southeast. The education system is one of the city's largest employers.
7. Chesapeake, Virginia
Net Inbound Move Rate: 54.7%
Chesapeake is the second largest city in Virginia. Most of its residents are employed in the public sector and healthcare.
6. Norfolk, Virginia
Net Inbound Move Rate: 54.7%
Norfolk is another Virginian city and one of the more smaller ones on our list since it houses less than half a million people.