Urban Sprawl in America

This century urban sprawl has already contributed to the equivalent of 5 new Delawares in the United States. The Washington Post has analyzed data from the U.S. Geological Survey to discover where fracking, retirement communities and new industrial development has led to urban scrawl in many American cities.

An interactive map in Where America’s developed areas are growing uses two different colors to show which areas of American towns and cities have been developed since 2001 and which areas were developed before that date. The map allows you to easily discover which areas of a city are newly developed land since 2001. If you enter your zip-code into the Post's interactive map you can see all the newly developed areas of your neighborhood and city highlighted in purple on the map.

19 of the top 25 fastest developing counties by percentage are in Texas. This development is being driven by the housing market and the demand for cheaper housing. Because cities on the coast have become more and more expensive industries and people have been drawn to the relatively cheaper South and West. The fracking boom has also led to rapid development in some areas, such as North Dakota and West Texas. Elsewhere an aging population has seen urban sprawl in retirement communities such as those in the state of Florida.