Among the places in America that have welcomed the most newcomers in 2008, three are home to major colleges and universities: Raleigh, N.C., Provo, Utah, (home to Brigham Young University, one of the country’s largest private colleges), and Austin, Texas, home to the University of Texas at Austin.

“If there are lots of newcomers, it’s easy to make friends; there’s a sense of vibrancy there,” says William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Places that don’t have a lot of new migrants tend to be older and more stagnant. They’re also more close-knit.”

Intellectual centers like the above-mentioned college towns, however, reliably attract new residents because universities are large, relatively stable employers–and a steady flow of students keeps the population young.

“You have an educated population, and you have a large youthful population,” says Alexander von Hoffman, senior fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. “These places retain people after they’ve graduated, and attract like-minded people.”

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