Florida citrus capital was top destination for US movers last year

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — More people moved to a county rich with citrus groves located between two of Florida’s most populous metro areas than to any other county in the U.S. last year, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

More than 29,300 people moved last year to the county between Tampa and Orlando, two metro areas where housing has grown increasingly pricey and the county is considered a cheaper alternative. In short order, Polk County has come to have fewer orange groves along Interstate 4 and more subdivisions for local service workers as well as distribution warehouses for on-demand deliveries for residents in both metropolitan areas.

Almost all the growth in Polk County — 88% — consisted of people moving from another part of the U.S. rather than from abroad, according to the 2023 population estimates.

“Subdivision growth has been springing up and it happens in such a manner that you don’t always notice it. But when you are stuck in traffic, that’s when you really pay attention that it’s going on,” Matt Joyner, a seventh-generation Polk County resident, said about the influx of new residents.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> US lawmakers see TikTok as China’s tool, even as it distances itself from Beijing </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Ukrainian ministers ‘optimistic’ about securing US aid, call for repossession of Russian assets </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> UK