Real Estate: The best - and the worst - of 2007

Key stat: The population in Nevada grew 11.9% in 2006, according to the latest survey from the Census Bureau.

The explosive growth of the city of Las Vegas has spread to its exurbs. That resulted in a double-digit population increase in just one year for North Las Vegas, which lies just north of downtown. The city added more than 20,000 people in 2006, according to the Census Bureau, for a total of nearly 200,000.

The fastest growing large city - above 500,000 - in the nation is Ft. Worth, Texas, which added 30,201 residents for a total of 653,320, a 4.8% jump.