World Atlas has released a list of cities where people are moving to on the Pacific Coast, and one common trend emerges across California, Oregon, and Washington.
“The big coastal-metro cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle are growing slowly or shrinking, while secondary cities one or two hours away are enjoying the expansion,” World Atlas said.
For California, the growth is in the Central Valley and Inland Empire, where housing is cheaper, commutes are manageable, and there is enough construction to keep up with demand, according to World Atlas.
“If the pattern holds, the next few years of growth in all three states will keep landing further from the coastline, not closer to it,” World Atlas said.
Using data from the California Department of Finance’s annual E-1 report, World Atlas identified California cities with rapidly growing populations. Here’s what to know about the three California cities attracting new residents, which World Atlas said, “represent where that shift is landing.”
Roseville
Department of Finance data shows Roseville had the largest numeric population gain, according to World Atlas’ analysis.
“This Placer County city grew from 161,162 to 165,455, a gain of 4,293 people,” the publication said. “Placer County as a whole was the fastest-growing county in California over the same period, up 1.4%.”
The city’s proximity to Sacramento underlies much of that growth.
“It is close enough to Sacramento for a daily commute but far enough to offer newer housing stock and lower crime than the Bay Area, which continues to lose residents to inland California,” World Atlas said.
In Roseville, the median home sale price is $631,000, while the median household income is $119,714, according to the city. The average commute time is between 20 and 24 minutes.
Lathrop
For the first time in the city’s history, Lathrop surpassed 40,000 residents “in the Department of Finance’s 2026 estimate, reaching 40,942 people, a gain of 2,151 over the year, or roughly 5.6%, making it the fifth-largest numeric gainer of any city in California,” World Atlas said.
Since being incorporated in 1989, the San Joaquin County city has grown more than 500%, according to World Atlas.
“Nearly all of that recent growth traces to a single source, River Islands, a nearly 5,000-acre master-planned community built behind reinforced levees on the San Joaquin River,” World Atlas said.
River Islands Development has said a large portion of its homebuyers are relocating from the Bay Area, seeking more affordable home prices.
At the same time, the city remains in reach of Bay Area job hubs, especially with its Altamont Corridor Express rail connection, the publication said.
“Lathrop added 765 new single-family housing units in the past year alone, 94.8% of the city’s total housing growth, putting River Islands’ town center, ball fields, and waterfront trails at the center of the state’s Central Valley housing boom,” World Atlas said.
Over the last three months, the median sale price of a home in Lathrop was $685,000, according to Redfin. The median household income in the city is $126,421, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Menifee
According to Department of Finance data, Menifee added 2,034 residents, “reaching 117,847 people, continuing a growth pattern that has made it one of California’s most-cited ‘boomtowns’ since its 2008 incorporation,” World Atlas said.
The Inland Empire city in Riverside County sits roughly 80 miles away from either Los Angeles or San Diego along Interstate 215.
“Its draw is straightforwardly economic, as median home prices run well below those of the coastal counties residents are leaving, while commute times to Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego County job centers remain workable for people willing to drive,” World Atlas said.
Since the city’s incorporation, which merged four older communities — Menifee, Sun City, Romoland, and Quail Valley — it has “invested more than $484 million in roads and infrastructure to keep pace with the influx of young families,” according to the publication.
“New subdivisions continue to fill in along the Newport Road and Scott Road corridors, with the city’s growing park system, including Wheatfield Park, built to serve a population that has nearly doubled since 2010,” World Atlas said.
The median sale price of a home in Menifee was $569,000 over the last 3 months, according to Redfin. The median household income in the city is $93,454 according to official U.S. Census Bureau data.
Where people are moving to in Washington/Oregon
World Atlas’ report also identified cities where people are moving to in Oregon and Washington. Those cities include:
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: CA population growth is shifting inland, World Atlas finds. See where
Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
