The world has discovered west central Florida

Five of the nation's 25 highest growth cities are in Tampa Bay or west central Florida, according to transactional data compiled for the annual U-Haul Growth Index.

• North Port, Fort Myers-North Fort Myers, Sarasota-Bradenton, Brandon-Riverview and Ocala all made the list, calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul's entering a city versus leaving that city in a calendar year.
• Kissimmee-St. Cloud, 30 miles south of Orlando, netted more movers than any market in America.

The big picture: Florida had the second-most inbound moves behind Texas, up 27% year-over-year.

• Departures increased 24% from 2020 as overall moving traffic surged.

Why it matters: While it only accounts for do-it-yourself movers in U-Haul trucks, the data shows yet again that Florida's Gulf Coast remains one of the most competitive growth markets in the country.