New Orleans tops the list. Based on a government report released last Thursday, New Orleans ranks first as the fastest growing city. From the start of July 2006 to the same month in 2007, the population of New Orleans escalated 13.8%, reaching 239,124. According to the Census Bureau, this was the fastest population growth for any city with a population of at least 100,000.

Of course, the city is known for its extreme highs and lows in population growth, due in large part to the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the town and forced many to leave the city. Much time has been and will be needed to take the city back to its original conditions. In 2000, the city count was 484,674 before falling almost 50.7%.

Next on the population list was Victorville, CA, where for the first time the city passed the 100,000 range, jumping 9.5% to 107,221.

State wise, California and Texas held most of the high ranking cities on the list, going at 5 per state, and not only from the 2007 date but from studies done from the 2000-2007 time period. The top ranking city in terms of growth from 2000-2007 was McKinney, TX, their population doubling to 115,620.