ORLANDO, Fla. – Earlier this month, apartment search website RentCafé released a report examining some of the newest neighborhoods in the country.
This study posits that across the Sun Belt, massive housing booms are happening in unexpected corners of states like Texas and Florida, looking at ZIP codes that saw a huge rise in housing units over the past decade.
This includes places like St. Augustine (32095), Ponte Vedra (32801) and even Daytona Beach (32124).
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However, the report also touches on a trio of Central Florida communities that have been “quietly transforming” during this time: places where housing expansion is taking place alongside higher-paying jobs and a better-education population.
According to a spokesperson with RentCafé, these three communities are as follows:
- Groveland (34736)
“Not long ago, zip code 34736 in Groveland (#28 nationally) was the kind of place people drove through to arrive somewhere else. Between 2014 and 2023, its housing inventory grew 80% to more than 10,000 units, and its population rose at nearly the same pace — from roughly 14,600 to more than 26,000 residents.
What’s less obvious from the outside is the demographic shift underneath: the share of residents with a college degree climbed from 46% to nearly 64%."
RentCafé
- Winter Garden/Horizon West (34787)
“Zip code 34787 in Southwest Orange (#37 nationally) is one of the most dramatic suburban transformations in Central Florida.
Anchored by Horizon West, a master-planned community that has drawn sustained investment in schools, parks, and retail, the area’s population has nearly doubled over the past decade, from roughly 50,000 to more than 93,000 residents.
Housing inventory has also grown 73% to over 33,000 units to keep up, and the share of college-educated residents rose from 70% to 80%."
RentCafé
- Clermont (34715)
“Zip code 34715 in Clermont (#50 nationally) has always had an identity: the “Gem of the Hills.” It’s known for its rolling terrain and lakes in a state that’s mostly flat, but what’s changed is its scale.
Housing inventory rose 55% to nearly 9,000 units, the population grew 67% to more than 25,000 residents, and the share of college-educated residents climbed from 61% to nearly 67%. It’s a community that’s grown up without losing its appeal."
RentCafé
They’re not the only “up-and-coming communities” included in the study, though. The full list is as follows:
| Rank | ZIP Code | City | Housing Inventory Change (2014-2023) | Median Income Change (2014-2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80547 | Timnath, CO | 531.8% | 70.9% |
| 2 | 75078 | Prosper, TX | 243.4% | 28.3% |
| 3 | 75009 | Celina, TX | 220.6% | 53.2% |
| 4 | 76537 | Jarrell, TX | 193.3% | 40.8% |
| 5 | 37228 | Nashville, TN | 177.6% | 244.3% |
| 6 | 52340 | Tiffin, IA | 152.6% | 65.8% |
| 7 | 72718 | Cave Springs, AR | 147.0% | 25.3% |
| 8 | 93626 | Friant, CA | 143.7% | 333.4% |
| 9 | 78642 | Liberty Hill, TX | 141.7% | 38.2% |
| 10 | 32124 | Daytona Beach, FL | 140.9% | 43.3% |
| 11 | 55415 | Minneapolis, MN | 136.3% | 56.2% |
| 12 | 46075 | Whitestown, IN | 129.4% | 50.1% |
| 13 | 32095 | St. Augustine, FL | 121.9% | 40.2% |
| 14 | 90094 | Los Angeles, CA | 114.5% | 30.1% |
| 15 | 35756 | Madison, AL | 109.9% | 38.3% |
| 16 | 76044 | Godley, TX | 104.5% | 27.9% |
| 17 | 72719 | Centerton, AR | 102.1% | 52.9% |
| 18 | 33598 | Wimauma, FL | 100.6% | 65.4% |
| 19 | 78641 | Leander, TX | 96.3% | 39.6% |
| 20 | 95134 | San Jose, CA | 95.4% | 34.0% |
| 21 | 75189 | Royse City, TX | 94.8% | 28.2% |
| 22 | 78754 | Austin, TX | 90.1% | 36.9% |
| 23 | 27523 | Apex, NC | 90.1% | 39.9% |
| 24 | 77447 | Hockley, TX | 88.2% | 34.0% |
| 25 | 77316 | Montgomery, TX | 88.0% | 40.2% |
| 26 | 27562 | New Hill, NC | 84.4% | 115.9% |
| 27 | 22656 | Stephenson, VA | 81.3% | 25.1% |
| 28 | 34736 | Groveland, FL | 80.0% | 47.6% |
| 29 | 94158 | San Francisco, CA | 78.8% | 72.3% |
| 30 | 95330 | Lathrop, CA | 78.2% | 46.3% |
| 31 | 75407 | Princeton, TX | 77.9% | 45.9% |
| 32 | 70710 | Addis, LA | 77.6% | 41.7% |
| 33 | 50035 | Bondurant, IA | 77.0% | 49.1% |
| 34 | 68142 | Omaha, NE | 76.1% | 32.5% |
| 35 | 78626 | Georgetown, TX | 74.7% | 28.8% |
| 36 | 75135 | Caddo Mills, TX | 73.8% | 32.9% |
| 37 | 34787 | Winter Garden, FL | 73.0% | 58.8% |
| 38 | 29707 | Fort Mill, SC | 72.4% | 48.8% |
| 39 | 75071 | McKinney, TX | 68.9% | 27.9% |
| 40 | 37046 | College Grove, TN | 66.6% | 121.7% |
| 41 | 84043 | Lehi, UT | 63.6% | 33.0% |
| 42 | 99016 | Greenacres, WA | 62.0% | 25.6% |
| 43 | 33032 | Homestead, FL | 61.7% | 35.3% |
| 44 | 80530 | Frederick, CO | 60.9% | 50.3% |
| 45 | 29715 | Fort Mill, SC | 59.7% | 27.9% |
| 46 | 79706 | Midland, TX | 59.0% | 50.8% |
| 47 | 89011 | Henderson, NV | 57.7% | 36.7% |
| 48 | 77365 | Porter, TX | 57.7% | 28.2% |
| 49 | 32097 | Yulee, FL | 57.7% | 27.1% |
| 50 | 34715 | Clermont, FL | 54.9% | 34.4% |
| 51 | 85142 | Queen Creek, AZ | 54.5% | 36.0% |
| 52 | 85307 | Glendale, AZ | 54.2% | 28.5% |
| 53 | 83642 | Meridian, ID | 52.6% | 30.0% |
| 54 | 80534 | Johnstown, CO | 51.1% | 41.6% |
Per researchers, the study was put together using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, including factors like the number of housing units, population, occupancy rate, share of renters and homeowners, median household income, and the proportion of residents with higher education for the 2014-2023 timeframe.
The list of “up-and-coming” communities also examined the positive share change of educated people, as well as the median income increase of at least 25% between 2014 and 2023.
To read through the full report, click here.