Fort Leonard Wood, a military base located two hours southwest of St. Louis, was recently ranked third in Forbes magazine's list of the fastest-growing small towns in America.
To determine the list, Forbes looked at census data from 2007 compared to 2010 for every Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) with populations greater than 10,000 and fewer than 100,000 people. Fort Leonard Wood's population was 44,326 in 2007 and rose by almost 18 percent to 52,274 in 2010.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Military Police School, and other deployable units. A major boom in population growth for the base came in 2008 when the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade brought in several thousand soldiers and their families.
Other cities that made the list included The Villages, a retirement community in central Florida; Pescos, Texas; Boone, N.C.; and Heber, Utah.
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