The storyline of the past decade or so has featured Millennial hipsters in trendy city spots, working out of coffee shops or mobile workspaces, eating in hip restaurants and generally enjoying city life.
That picture is apparently changing. Priced out of big cities, many Millennials are instead moving to the suburbs. Or exurbs, a Census term describing areas beyond the suburbs.
Suburbs and exurbs offer a lower cost of living (and lower taxes) coupled with the ability to still work and play in the city. And Millennials are clustering in places where they have a doable commute and/or a local corporate branch.
That's how a place like Apex, N.C., wound up being ranked the fastest-growing suburb in the country, according to the Wall Street Journal. And, after several years of urban growth, Apex and suburbs like it account for 14 of the 15 fastest-growing U.S. cities with populations over 50,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
The influx of families has created challenges with overcrowded schools and traffic congestion. Apex, for example, has grown 54 percent since 2010 with another 11,000 houses planned or under construction.
Good weather, low taxes, and an abundance of jobs means the Sunbelt has become the place to be. Meanwhile, according to Census estimates, the average growth in America's big cities has slowed by 40 percent.