Suburbs and rural areas experienced a much faster population growth than cities during the housing bubble. Then briefly, in 2011, trends reversed, says Jed Kolko, chief economist of Trulia.
Today, the suburbs are reprising their role as booming population centers, even though home prices are rising faster in urban neighborhoods. Kolko projects this trend to continue. Back in November 2014, Trulia surveyed 2,000 American adults whether they lived in an urban, suburban, or rural area, then asked where they wanted to live in five years. Respondents identifying themselves as living in an urban area made up 26 percent of the total, but only 22 percent reported wanting to live in an urban area in five years.
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