The District has seen surprising and encouraging population growth over the last few years. In 2011, in fact, D.C. grew faster than any other city in the country, adding 16,000 new residents from April 2010 to July 2011.

The Post touches upon migration patterns to D.C. today, noting that we’re getting plenty of young new residents from all over the country:

More people relocate to the District each year from Manhattan than from Fairfax County. The District gains more residents from Chicago and Los Angeles than from Alexandria, with newcomers from Philadelphia and San Diego close behind. Eight of the top 15 places that people have left for the District are outside the region.

Census data released Wednesday show that migration patterns reflect a revitalized District that has been gaining residents for the first time in more than half a century. Most of the new arrivals are young adults who move here to attend college and stay, or arrive fresh from graduation to land their first professional jobs.

Of course, for every new resident coming to the city for their first job, there’s invariably someone who leaves because they want to buy a house, start a family or rely on more consistent public schools. According to Census data, for every 6,000 Prince George’s County residents that move to D.C. on a yearly basis, 14,000 D.C. residents make the trip out to the county. The same goes for Fairfax County, albeit on a smaller scale.

City officials note that the exodus to Maryland and Virginia has slowed, but that doesn’t change the reality that D.C. can be a tough place to stay over the long term. Additionally, these increases in population also spur the city’s changing demographics—the number of African American residents dropped some 11 percent over the last decade.