The 15 Hottest American Cities of the Future

Nataraj Metz via Flickr8) Philadelphia, PA, will become a dynamic arts destination

The low housing prices, affordable lifestyle, and cool arts scene are attracting young people to Philadelphia.

These people are getting involved in the city through organizations like Young Involved Philadelphia and bringing a new sense of dynamism to the city, with new restaurants, shops, galleries, and a cool music and arts scene.

The City of Brotherly Love has some of the best public art in the country. It's famous for its murals, which adorn buildings all around the city. The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program coordinates these murals, connecting artists to the community.

Philadelphia was also ranked one of the 10 Cities with the Fastest Growing Wages in America.

Peyri via Flickr9) Nashville, TN, will offer a lot more than just country music

There used to be only one main reason to move to Nashville: country music. But that’s changed.

Nashville’s economy is booming, and the city has one of the fastest growing job markets in the US. Forbes ranked it as one of the Next Big Boom Towns in the US.

Between the steady job growth, the thriving music and culture scene, and the diverse population, the country music capital will continue to grow.

KB35 via Flickr10) Bentonville, AR, will thrive as home to one of the biggest companies in the US

Wal-mart, the second biggest American corporation according to the Fortune 500, is headquartered in this relatively small city in northwest Arkansas.

The Wal-mart campus and Walton family play a big role in the Bentonville culture. Wal-mart heir Alice Walton spent $800 million on the Crystal Bridges museum of American art, which was designed by architect Moshe Safdie and houses her vast personal collection of modern art.

As the Waltons continue to invest and Wal-mart continues to thrive, Bentonville will become a top city.

churchstreetmarketplace via Flickr11) Burlington, VT, will continue to trail blaze as a sustainable city

This laid-back city epitomizes small-town charm, but it’s also emerging as a leader in sustainability.

Most restaurants here serve local organic fare, shops sell local Vermont-made products, and people shop for groceries in community-owned co-ops. Much of the food consumed in town come from local farms or from the Intervale Center, a nonprofit organization that cultivates 350 acres of land to provide food for the city residents.

This environmentally-friendly city has turned its focus on sustainability into a form of economic self-reliance--a model which will become increasingly more important in the years ahead.

Flickr/Trevino12) Mountain View, CA, will continue to lead as a tech city

Home to major tech companies Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Mozilla, and more, Mountain View is arguably one of the most tech-centered cities in the world.

In fact the city is so tech-focused that there’s city-wide free Wi-Fi, courtesy of Google, and the Computer History Museum.

With more and more startups finding a home here, this Silicon Valley hub is bound to continue to innovate and attract tech-savvy residents.

Wikimedia Commons13) Pittsburgh, PA, will become the next hipster haven

With its affordable housing, thriving student population, emerging arts and hip-hop scene, and fast-growing job market, Pittsburgh is quickly becoming the newest hipster haven.

The Steel City is attracting and retaining these young creative types with its cool cultural scene and thriving economy.

It was recently ranked the second-best performing city in the US by the Metro Monitor from the Brookings Institute and one of the top cities in the US where people are hiring, according to Gallup.

14) Salt Lake City, UT, will attract the most college grads

With its active healthy lifestyle, its beautiful mountainous surroundings, and its thriving job market, Salt Lake City, recently ranked One of The 10 Best Cities for College Grads, will continue to attract eager young college graduates.

The city was also recently ranked One of the Fastest Growing Job Markets in the US.


Robert Johnson/Business Insider15) Williston, ND, will make oil money hand over fist

North Dakota is experiencing an oil boom, which could make Williston and the nearby towns one of the largest sources of petroleum in the country--and that means unprecedented wealth in the years ahead.

The population has exploded as people flock there in droves to seek their fortunes, and although the city is undertaking a building frenzy, it hasn’t been able to keep up with the influx of wannabe oil workers.

This oil boom is both a blessing and a curse as it has meant overcrowding, traffic, and a housing shortage, but Williston is frantically trying to keep up and will be an area to watch.