Irvine was the No. 10 fastest growing city in the nation from 2000 to 2004, according to data released by the Census Bureau on Thursday.
From April 2000 to July 2004, Irvine’s population grew 24.6% to 178,317 people. It was one of three California cities to crack the top 10 on the list, which only looks at cities with more than 100,000 people.
Nationally, the fastest growing city was Gilbert in the hot Phoenix market. It added nearly 47,000 people, an increase of 43%.
Miramar, Fla., was No. 2 with 39.5% growth, and North Las Vegas, Nev., was No. 3 with 37.5% growth.
The other California cities reaching the top 10 included Roseville at No. 5 with 29.6% growth and Rancho Cucamonga, which ticked up 24.7%.
Los Angeles grew by 4.1%, enough to get it in the top 100 at No. 93.
San Francisco was one of the worst performers in the nation, losing 4.2% of its population. Only three cities fared worse, including Detroit, Cincinnati and New Orleans.
