Where’s the best place to buy property in 2021? If you’re looking to move to the fastest-growing city in the United States, Lakeland should be on your list!

According to US Census data from 2019 and 2020, Polk County is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the entire country.

The New York Times broke down data from the Census and found that Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL was tied for the 2nd fastest-growing metro with Boise, Idaho. It’s no surprise that Austin, TX took the top spot.

*Note that this data was among metros with at least 500k in population as of July 1st, 2019.

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Why is Lakeland the Fastest Growing City in the United States?

If you’re from out of state you may not know this – we don’t have state income tax here.

Lakeland has the best of all towns, being in between Tampa and Orlando. Both cities stretching and growing towards Lakeland has resulted in Polk county being a strategic gem, with large companies like Amazon taking notice and moving operations here.

Oh yeah, and it’s beautiful pretty much year-round.

When you add that central Florida is more affordable than surrounding metro areas and a welcoming business environment, it’s no wonder businesses and people are flocking here.

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What this means for the future…

For starters, higher home values. This trend of low home inventory will continue, just as it is in many parts of the country.

If you’re looking at buying in Lakeland, you can generally expect to offer over asking price to be competitive.

This also means expansion. More housing developments. More infrastructure and transportation projects.

With that also comes more opportunity for business owners and entrepreneurs.

If you’re a current resident you might cringe at the thought of more traffic, more construction and crowded schools. These all come with a city maturing and growing. It’s also the reason your home is going up in value year after year!

Growth isn’t for everyone

So many cities are going through transformations as COVID allowed more mobility and freedom. This fundamentally changes cities and areas that used to have a “small town feel”.

No doubt it will result in some folks leaving the Lakeland area due to growth and changes that come with it. Growth means progress and value.

One thing feels certain – the growth of our area isn’t stopping anytime soon so we might as well be aware of it and adapt accordingly.

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