Santa Monica Is Top Growth City in U.S., U-Haul Says

Santa Monica is the top growth city in the United States, according to a new report released by U-Haul. The company's U-Haul National Migration Trend Report, released Wednesday, reflects the top growth areas across the country, in terms of families that moved over the course of the past year.

"The report, reflective of growth patterns in the United States during 2010, was compiled based on nationwide trends in cities of all sizes and reflects communities with more than 5,000 families moving in or out of the area," John "J.T." Taylor, president of U-Haul's Phoenix Operations, said in a statement. "Growth cities were then determined by calculating the percentage of inbound moves vs. outbound moves for each area."

According to the report—which was compiled using more than 1.4 million one-way truck transactions through U-Haul—Santa Monica had the highest percentage of growth: 20.67 percent.

The next nine highest-growth cities, in order, were Boise (10.96 percent); Oakland (10.71); New York City (8.97); Austin, Texas (8.75); Queens, New York (6.73); San Francisco (6.38); Pittsburgh (6.34); Brooklyn, New York (4.00); and Chicago (3.99).