DALLAS - Four Texas metropolitan areas were among the
biggest population gainers as Americans continued
their trend of moving to the Sun Belt in 2006 and
2007, according to Census Bureau estimates to be
released Thursday.

Dallas-Fort Worth added more than 162,000 residents
between July 2006 and July 2007, more than any other
metro area. Three other Texas areas -- Houston, Austin
and San Antonio -- also cracked the top 10.

Atlanta saw the second-largest population jump with
just over 151,000 new residents. Phoenix was third
with more than 132,000, and was followed by Houston,
Riverside, Calif., Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Austin,
Las Vegas and San Antonio.

Of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas, 27 were in the
South and 20 were in the West. Two were in the
Midwest, one -- Fayetteville, Ark. -- straddles the
South and Midwest and none was in the Northeast.

Detroit lost more than three times as many people as
any other metro area -- its population declined more
than 27,300. Other areas losing more than 5,000 people
were Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Ga., Youngstown,
Ohio, and Buffalo, N.Y.

Experts credit much of the growth in the South to
relatively strong local economies and housing prices
that are among the most affordable in the U.S.

"People are running away from unaffordable housing,
from the economic slowdown," said Karl Eschbach, a
state demographer in Texas. "I would expect Texas to
stay at the top of a slowing game."

According to figures compiled by Eschbach, 16 percent
of Americans who moved to other states between July
2006 and July 2007 came to Texas, which led the nation
for the second straight year in that category.

Home prices continue to be a big factor. A report
earlier this month by Global Insight found that
housing prices in the Dallas area were undervalued by
as much as 30 percent.

Ann Sekesan, a pharmacy technician, moved her family
from Pennsylvania to suburban Fort Worth last June
after seeing spacious homes in Texas for under
$200,000 on a television show.

"After we saw that on TV, my husband and I looked at
each other and said, 'Have you ever been to Texas?"
Sekesan said. "It's amazing the size of a home you can
get down here. It's just incredible."

Among other Census Bureau findings:

* On a percentage basis, the Palm Coast, Fla., area
was the fastest-growing in the nation. Population
there jumped by 7.2 percent to more than 88,000. The
next areas experiencing the biggest surge in growth
were St. George, Utah; Raleigh, N.C; Gainesville, Ga.;
and Austin.

The New Orleans area, recovering from Hurricane
Katrina, grew by 4 percent or nearly 40,000 people,
putting it 16th in terms of raw numbers but eighth for
percentage growth. During the same survey last year,
the population of New Orleans dropped by nearly
290,000 people.