WASHINGTON - New census data show many of America's largest cities are now growing more quickly than the rest of the nation, reversing a decade-long trend... with Atlanta among the 25 fastest-growing cities. Every municipality in Hall County showed a population increase.<br />
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The data highlight a city resurgence in coastal regions and areas of the Midwest and Northeast. Meanwhile the housing crunch, recession and higher gas prices have slowed migration to far-flung suburbs and residential hotspots in the South and West. <br />
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New York and Chicago made gains from higher births, while Philadelphia stanched population losses from earlier in the decade. Industrial centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., Columbus, Ohio, and Lincoln, Neb., are also showing rebounds with economies focused on finance, health care, information technology or education. <br />
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Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Ore., all registered growth, boosted partly by immigrants. <br />
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Detroit, on the other hand, declined thanks to its ailing auto industry. And, former hotspot areas in Nevada and Arizona had significant slowdowns, as well as inland regions in California. <br />
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GEORGIA<br />
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The report shows Atlanta was one of the nation's fastest growing cities from 2007 to 2008. <br />
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Atlanta was among its top 25 fastest growing cities with populations over 100,000, as measured by the number of new individuals. <br />
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The Census Bureau found the population shifted from 520,368 persons in July 2007 to 537,958 in July 2008. <br />
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Among other Georgia cities, the population of Athens-Clarke County increased from 111,951 to 113,398.<br />
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GAINESVILLE AREA<br />
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Every municipality in Hall County continue to add people. The report shows Oakwood gaining more than 100 new residents (4,274 to 4,392); Flowery Branch around 100, as well (3,909 to 3,991); Gainesville - 34,241 to 35,668; Gillsville picked up four new residents during the period, according to the Census Bureau, and the population estimate there is now 211; Lula gained 110 new residents, increasing its population from 2,321 to 2,431; and, the population of Clermont increased from 756 to 782. <br />
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There were some towns in the Gainesville area that lost population. Cumming, according to the estimates, had a population of 5,710 as of July 2008 compared to 5,774 a year earlier. And, Dahlonega saw its population decline from 4,964 to 4,947.<br />
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<I>(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)<I>