North Port’s on the rise. If you’ve been in the area for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed. Now even U-Haul’s calling it out.
According to their latest study, North Port landed second place among the nation’s fastest-growing cities, just behind Ocala. Florida basically dominates the list, with Panama City, Daytona Beach, St. Augustine, Fort Lauderdale, Clermont, and Kissimmee all making the top ten. Only Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and McKinney, Texas, broke Florida’s streak.
So how does U-Haul figure all this out? Simple: they track where people rent their moving trucks and where those trucks end up. Every year, they look at over 2.5 million one-way rentals across the U.S. and Canada. Their “Growth Index” doesn’t directly measure population or economic numbers, but it’s a solid way to see which places are drawing new residents and hanging onto them.
Growth isn’t just a headline in North Port; it’s happening on every street. Other companies have ranked this city as one of the fastest growing in the country, and the stats back it up. Right now, about 95,000 people call North Port home, making it the biggest city in Sarasota County by both size and population. And there’s still plenty of room to grow. North Port has the potential for eventually reaching 250,000 residents.
