2 NC cities rank among nation’s trendiest — but aren’t ‘your usual boomtowns’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The online tool moveBuddha studied U.S. searches for people considering moving.
- Greensboro and Asheville rank among the places drawing the most year-over-year interest.
- North Carolina has long been a top state drawing new residents.
North Carolina is home to two of the nation’s trendiest places — and they’re “not your usual boomtowns.”
Greensboro ranks No. 23 and Asheville is No. 24 on a list of cities drawing the most year-over-year interest from potential newcomers. They received nods as people are dreaming about settling in “up-and-coming” destinations, according to the online moving tool moveBuddha.
“The cities with the biggest year-over-year surges in move searches made in moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator are practical places with economic momentum, real jobs, relative affordability, and room to put down roots,” the website wrote in its Monday, March 16 report.
To determine the top 25 places surging in popularity, the website said it studied 415 cities across the United States. It focused on the places people looked up on its website during two time periods:
- March 1, 2024 through Feb. 28, 2025
- March 1, 2025 through Feb. 28, 2026
“For each city, we calculated an in-to-out move ratio for each period by comparing the number of searches from people looking to move in with those from people looking to move out,” the website wrote. “We then calculated the year-over-year percentage change in that ratio.”
Why NC cities rank high
Of the two North Carolina cities that earned spots on the list, Greensboro ranked the highest at No. 23. The city had 16% growth in year-over-year interest, results show.
Meanwhile, Asheville landed just behind in the No. 24 spot after it was found to have a 15% uptick in year-over-year interest.
“For the past few years, we’ve seen North Carolina as one of the country’s top states for relocation, earning way more interest for moves into the state than out,” a moveBuddha spokesperson told The N&O in a Tuesday, March 17 email. “What truly stands out here is not that Greensboro and Asheville are getting attention, but that they are the two North Carolina cities that continue to attract significant interest even after years in the spotlight.”
While the report said the national winners resembled “Everytown, U.S.A.,” Greensboro and Asheville have a lot going for them. Since 2025, restaurants in both of the cities have received wide recognition.
Also, Asheville was named one of the best cities for beer and a top place to visit. Many of those rankings praised the city’s residents for working together to rebuild after Hurricane Helene unleashed devastating flooding in 2024, The News & Observer previously reported.
Which other cities are popular?
Nationwide, the top-ranked place was Chico, California, a roughly 90-mile drive northwest from Sacramento. Here are the other cities rounding out the top five:
- Anchorage, Alaska, at No. 2
- Broomfield, Colorado, at No. 3
- Idaho Falls, Idaho, at No. 4
- Fort Myers, Florida, at No. 5
