A booming Sarasota County community has been ranked the No. 2 “growth city” in the U.S. by one of the country’s most popular moving companies.
The south Sarasota County city of North Port — which was ranked as the second-fastest-growing city in the U.S. in 2023 — was most recently recognized by U-Haul for seeing another surge of inbound moves over the past year.
Florida claimed eight of the top 10 growth cities, or a city experiencing significant increases in population and development. The state also claimed 12 of the top 25 overall for the past year. Sarasota also made the list of growth cities, coming in at No. 18.
“U-Haul ranks metropolitan areas and city propers by their net gain (or loss) of customers who rented a one-way truck” or other moving container, according to a press release on its website. Kissimmee and Clermont, Florida, which were in the top five with North Port, were both ranked in 2024 as growth cities.
North Port includes Wellen Park, a master-planned community spanning more than 7,000 acres and featuring distinct neighborhoods, shopping, restaurants and a popular downtown district.
Ocala, located in central Florida, took the No. 1 spot as a growth city, a title it held in 2022 and again in 2024. Several other Florida cities made the list, too: Fort Lauderdale, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, North Fort Myers, Leesburg and St. Cloud.
By 2030, Florida is expecting 26 million people to call it home, according to the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
U-Haul was founded in 1945, and now has more than 24,000 rental locations across the U.S. and 10 Canadian provinces for “do-it-yourself movers.” The company has over 203,000 trucks, 137,400 trailers and 41,700 towing devices, according to its website.
Two Sarasota County communities rank among fastest-growing in U.S.
In related news, two of Sarasota County’s master-planned communities are amongst the nation’s hottest growing communities, according to new data to start 2026.
Lakewood Ranch, which spans Sarasota and Manatee counties, and Wellen Park in Sarasota County ranked No. 2 and No. 8, respectively, for 2025 home sales. Lakewood Ranch recorded 2,085 sales, while Wellen Park had 992.
And they’re nowhere near done as more construction projects emerge throughout the region this year and beyond. Lakewood Ranch recently announced a third Esplanade community would be coming to the community in 2027, bringing 1,200 single-family homes and condos.
Wellen Park also recently announced its own Esplanade community, as well as the next phase of its downtown expansion, a large mixed-use Benderson development and a new hotel.
Ella Thompson covers real estate and development for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @ellathompsonreports. Support local journalism by subscribing today.
