More people moved to the citrus-rich county between Florida’s two most populous metropolitan areas last year than any other U.S. population, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. It was more than the county.
More than 29,300 people moved to the county between Tampa and Orlando last year. Home prices are soaring in these two metropolitan areas, and the county is considered a cheaper option. Polk County soon gave way to less orange groves along Interstate 4 and more subdivisions for local service workers and distribution warehouses for on-demand delivery to residents of both metropolitan areas.
According to 2023 population estimates, nearly all of Polk County’s population growth (88%) was due to immigration from other parts of the United States rather than from abroad. r
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“Subdivision growth is happening all the time, and it’s always happening in ways that you don’t notice. But when you’re stuck in traffic, that’s when you really pay attention to what’s going on.” says Matt Joyner, a seventh generation member. Polk County residents had this to say about the influx of new residents:
The only other counties in the Houston metropolitan area are Harris County and Montgomery County. Collin County in Metro Dallas. And Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, had more population because natural increase, or births, exceeded deaths.
Harris County, home to Houston, saw its population increase by about 54,000 people last year, the most of any county, with births accounting for about two-thirds of the increase, more than deaths. The natural increase of approximately 34,700 people was the highest in the country.
A “For Sale” sign stands between orange trees in Bartow, Florida. More people moved to the citrus-rich county between Florida’s two most populous metropolitan areas last year than any other U.S. county, according to estimates released in March. That’s what it means. 14, 2024, by U.S. Census Bureau. (AP Photo/Ferrand M. Ebenhack, File)
Despite an influx of thousands of new residents from overseas and births outpacing deaths, some of the most populous counties in the U.S. experienced the largest increase in migration to other counties last year. We lost our residents. This trend accelerated at the beginning of the decade. The beginning of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Leading the way was Los Angeles County, which lost 56,000 residents. Three New York counties representing the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx followed, with population declines of 28,300, 26,300, and 25,300 people, respectively. However, outflows from these large counties last year were significantly lower than in 2022.
But New York City officials believe the Census Bureau’s estimates don’t take into account the influx of tens of thousands of asylum seekers last year. The city rented out entire hotels to house the migrants, set up cots in schools, and temporarily housed people in tents, a cruise ship terminal, and a former police academy building.
As many as 50,000 people are stranded in city shelters, city officials say, and they plan to challenge that estimate with the Census Bureau.
“We wanted to flag that,” said Casey Berkowitz, a spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Metropolitan Planning. “Given this underestimation…this year marks a return to pre-pandemic levels.”
Counties in South Florida, the most popular destinations for immigrants, as well as counties in Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Jose, saw double-digit increases in international immigration year over year.
The estimates do not distinguish between legal and illegal immigration, so it is impossible to know whether the increase was due to illegal border crossings. The number of arrests for illegal crossing hit a record high in December, but halved in January.
Miami-Dade County welcomed about 54,500 new immigrants from outside the United States last year, the most in the nation and an increase of nearly 40% from the previous year. This international migration offsets the departure of more than 47,000 residents who left Miami-Dade County for other U.S. counties.
Among metropolitan areas that combine socially and economically connected counties, the Dallas metropolitan area had the most population growth last year, going from more than 152,000 residents to more than 8 million for the first time. This increase was followed by an increase of about 140,000 people in the Houston metropolitan area and more than 68,000 people in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The Atlanta metropolitan area moved up two spots from last year to become the sixth most populous metropolitan area with 6.3 million residents. Only the New York metropolitan area, Los Angeles metropolitan area, Chicago metropolitan area, Dallas metropolitan area, and Houston metropolitan area exceed this.
With more than 62,000 acres of citrus orchards, Polk County is one of Florida’s leading orange producing regions. The state’s citrus industry has struggled in recent years between a rapidly spreading bacteria that threatens the health of trees across the state and relentless growth that has spilled over as metropolitan areas expand.
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Nevertheless, Polk County continues to hold on to its citrus heritage. Most of the growth is concentrated in the northeastern part of the county, just a few miles from Walt Disney World in metro Orlando. But Joyner, CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, a grower advocacy group, said many of the state’s citrus growers who sold their land to subdivision builders still have abundant citrus orchards. He had just moved to the southern part of a county.
If new residents of Polk County drive around the county’s orchards today, they may see something picturesque — white flowers on citrus trees. , a sweet scent wafting through the air.
“Now, everywhere you go, the trees are white and smell sweet,” Joyner said. “It reminds me of the old days.”
