Perspective
The Comeback of the Mid-Sized American City
A generation ago, places like Oklahoma City felt as if they were in a permanent state of decline, says its longtime mayor. Here’s why people are coming back.
Below is an adapted excerpt from the book The Next American City.
A major urban migration is underway. Since 2000, more than 5.5 million Americans have left just our three largest cities for smaller cities like my own Oklahoma City. Many metros like mine have grown significantly faster than our nation’s top 10 metros. Even smaller cities between 250,000 and 1,000,000 like Boise, Fort Collins, Madison, and Fayetteville have grown over 10 percent in a half-decade. Think of it: One in ten citizens of many cities like these have moved there in just the last few years.