Las Vegas
2010 population: 1,951,269
2000 population: 1,375,765
Growth: 41.8%
Las Vegas has been the poster child for the housing bust for years. It continues to lead all metro areas in foreclosure rates and there are thousands of homes, many like new, sitting vacant all over town.
The economy suffered not just because so many construction-related industries have slowed. The other big driver for the area, tourism, has dropped a bit as well. The number of visitors fell off about 10% in 2008, the depth of the Great Recession, and dropped another 3% in 2009.
Still, the boom times were good. The city drew enough residents during the first half of the decade to score third place on the fastest-growing cities list.
NEXT: Raleigh, N.C.
Last updated March 28 2011: 4:19 PM ET
