Residents of Flagler County are likely contending with busier highways and more crowded classrooms than they did about 10 years ago. That's because Flagler, like several Florida counties including Sumter County, St. John's County and Lake County, have been magnets for movers over the last decade; here, the balmy climate and a booming housing market drew retirees and families before the bubble burst, according to new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Includes:Astatula, Lady Lake
Population, April 2000: 210,509
Population, July 2009: 312,119
Domestic Migration, 2000-2009: 99,084
Domestic Migration, % of Population: 31.7
Includes: St. Augustine, Hastings
Population, April 2000: 123,148
Population, July 2009: 187,436
Domestic Migration, 2000-2009: 59,619
Domestic Migration, % of Population: 31.8
5. Sumter County, Fla.
Includes: Wildwood, The Villages
Population, April 2000: 53,348
Population, July 2009: 77,681
Domestic Migration, 2000-2009: 26,448
Domestic Migration, % of Population: 34.0
Includes: Marineland, Beverly Beach
Population, April 2000: 49,832
Population, July 2009: 91,622
Domestic Migration, 2000-2009: 41,931
Domestic Migration, % of Population: 45.8
Francesca Levy, Forbes.com