By Ian McKendry

WASHINGTON (MNI) – The number of local housing markets starting to
show improvement nearly doubled to 76 in the month of January, the
National Association of Home Builders reported Monday.

The NAHB used three key economic indicators to determine a local
housing markets health, including employment growth as reported by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, house price appreciation data from Freddie
Mac, and single-family housing permit growth from the U.S. Census
Bureau. The NAHB then identified metropolitan areas which have shown
improvement for at least six months.

“The fact that the list of improving housing markets nearly doubled
this month shows that a significant, positive trend is developing, and
is even more relevant when you consider the expanding geographic
distribution of the list – which now includes 31 states and the District
of Columbia,” NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno,
Nevada, said in a statement.

NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe added, “while relatively small
metropolitan areas continue to dominate the list of improving housing
markets, it’s important to note that several major metros in diverse
parts of the country have now joined the field as well – including such
metros as Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Nashville and
Philadelphia.”

The NAHB said only five metropolitan areas dropped from their list
of improving markets, which included Anchorage, Alaska; Fort Wayne,
Indiana; Canton, Ohio; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Charleston, West
Virginia.

Below is a list of the improving housing markets and their growth
in each stastical categore from their trough.

NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI)

Permits Growth Prices Growth Employment Growth
Trough From Trough From Trough From
MSA Date Trough Date Trough Date Trough

1 Florence, AL 03/31/09 1.6% 02/28/11 0.9% 07/31/09 3.3%
2 Tuscaloosa, AL 05/31/11 10.9% 02/28/11 3.1% 06/30/09 1.5%
3 Fayetteville, AR 03/31/09 1.4% 02/28/11 1.5% 02/28/10 2.4%
4 San Jose, CA 03/31/09 4.0% 01/31/11 1.2% 07/31/09 5.2%
5 Boulder, CO 11/30/09 10.6% 01/31/11 6.2% 01/31/10 2.3%
6 Denver, CO 03/31/09 2.6% 02/28/11 3.0% 01/31/10 1.5%
7 Fort Collins, CO 03/31/09 2.6% 12/31/10 4.2% 12/31/09 2.6%
8 Greeley, CO 11/30/10 5.4% 02/28/11 3.4% 12/31/09 1.2%
9 Bridgeport, CT 03/31/09 1.2% 02/28/11 3.9% 01/31/10 1.1%
10 New Haven, CT 04/30/11 3.0% 02/28/11 2.2% 02/28/10 2.3%
11 Washington, DC 01/31/09 0.7% 01/31/11 2.1% 02/28/10 2.4%
12 Cape Coral, FL 03/31/09 3.7% 02/28/11 7.6% 01/31/11 2.5%
13 Jacksonville, FL 04/30/09 1.2% 02/28/11 2.3% 02/28/10 2.1%
14 Punta Gorda, FL 01/31/09 1.2% 02/28/11 8.5% 06/30/09 3.5%
15 Athens, GA 03/31/11 8.6% 01/31/11 2.6% 01/31/10 2.1%
16 Honolulu, HI 12/31/08 0.3% 01/31/11 3.6% 08/31/10 2.7%
17 Ames, IA 07/31/10 6.2% 02/28/11 5.4% 05/31/11 1.5%
18 Davenport, IA 05/31/09 1.4% 12/31/10 4.2% 01/31/10 1.4%
19 Des Moines, IA 02/28/09 2.3% 01/31/11 3.0% 05/31/11 1.6%
20 Dubuque, IA 12/31/08 1.7% 02/28/11 3.1% 04/30/09 5.8%
21 Waterloo, IA 03/31/09 1.7% 11/30/10 0.9% 07/31/09 3.7%
22 Kankakee, IL 12/31/10 0.1% 10/31/10 0.4% 09/30/10 6.9%
23 Elkhart, IN 04/30/09 1.5% 02/28/11 1.1% 08/31/09 9.6%
24 Indianapolis, IN 01/31/09 0.6% 02/28/11 3.9% 10/31/09 0.5%
25 Lafayette, IN 01/31/09 11.1% 02/28/11 5.1% 07/31/09 7.1%
26 Muncie, IN 04/30/11 18.0% 02/28/10 3.5% 02/28/11 2.3%
27 Lake Charles, LA 04/30/11 2.2% 02/28/11 1.1% 11/30/10 3.4%
28 Monroe, LA 03/31/09 3.3% 05/31/10 3.6% 03/31/11 1.1%
29 New Orleans, LA 07/31/10 1.3% 10/31/10 0.9% 12/31/09 2.9%
30 Worcester, MA 03/31/11 7.5% 02/28/11 0.3% 09/30/09 5.3%
31 Ann Arbor, MI 05/31/09 0.3% 12/31/10 5.2% 07/31/09 2.3%
32 Grand Rapids, MI 04/30/09 2.8% 02/28/11 6.3% 07/31/09 6.0%
33 Lansing, MI 05/31/09 2.9% 02/28/11 9.1% 08/31/09 3.5%
34 Monroe, MI 12/31/09 2.0% 02/28/11 6.6% 10/31/09 3.0%
35 Muskegon, MI 11/30/09 2.3% 01/31/11 5.6% 12/31/10 1.4%
36 Minneapolis, MN 03/31/09 1.4% 02/28/11 4.7% 09/30/09 1.5%
37 Columbia, MO 11/30/08 3.3% 02/28/11 2.1% 08/31/09 4.1%
38 Joplin, MO 02/28/11 6.9% 02/28/11 13.4% 08/31/09 1.8%
39 Jackson, MS 03/31/09 1.1% 01/31/11 1.0% 01/31/10 1.4%
40 Fayetteville, NC 12/31/08 2.2% 01/31/10 1.0% 10/31/10 2.5%
41 Winston-Salem, NC 03/31/09 0.8% 11/30/10 0.8% 01/31/11 3.3%
42 Bismarck, ND 03/31/09 7.4% 02/28/10 8.4% 12/31/07 7.3%
43 Fargo, ND 04/30/09 4.3% 02/28/11 2.4% 07/31/09 3.6%
44 Grand Forks, ND 04/30/09 1.4% 12/31/10 6.6% 09/30/10 3.6%
45 Lincoln, NE 01/31/09 1.5% 01/31/11 3.8% 07/31/10 3.8%
46 Manchester, NH 02/28/11 5.1% 02/28/11 1.6% 01/31/10 2.0%
47 Cincinnati, OH 01/31/09 0.4% 02/28/11 2.8% 12/31/10 2.0%
48 Toledo, OH 05/31/09 1.1% 01/31/11 1.4% 06/30/09 3.1%
49 Oklahoma City, OK 05/31/09 0.5% 02/28/11 2.2% 01/31/10 4.5%
50 Tulsa, OK 10/31/10 1.0% 02/28/11 3.9% 02/28/10 3.0%
51 Corvallis, OR 04/30/11 12.1% 02/28/11 3.3% 07/31/09 5.5%
52 Erie, PA 03/31/11 5.8% 02/28/11 2.4% 02/28/10 3.0%
53 Philadelphia, PA 03/31/09 0.5% 02/28/11 2.8% 02/28/10 0.7%
54 Pittsburgh, PA 02/28/09 1.7% 01/31/10 7.2% 02/28/10 3.7%
55 Williamsport, PA 03/31/11 25.0% 02/28/10 9.0% 12/31/09 3.7%
56 Chattanooga, TN 05/31/11 3.1% 02/28/11 4.1% 08/31/09 3.1%
57 Clarksville, TN 01/31/09 3.0% 02/28/11 2.1% 08/31/09 3.0%
58 Kingsport, TN 02/28/11 1.4% 01/31/11 1.5% 02/28/10 2.4%
59 Nashville, TN 03/31/09 0.9% 02/28/11 2.4% 09/30/09 4.2%
60 Amarillo, TX 10/31/08 1.4% 01/31/10 2.7% 04/30/10 4.7%
61 College Station, TX10/31/10 3.0% 02/28/11 7.8% 12/31/07 4.5%
62 Corpus Christi, TX 01/31/11 4.8% 12/31/10 4.1% 11/30/09 6.1%
63 Dallas, TX 05/31/09 1.0% 02/28/11 1.6% 12/31/09 3.8%
64 Laredo, TX 12/31/08 1.5% 01/31/10 2.7% 09/30/09 5.7%
65 McAllen, TX 01/31/09 0.6% 11/30/10 2.7% 12/31/07 6.4%
66 Midland, TX 04/30/09 4.2% 01/31/10 8.2% 08/31/09 8.4%
67 Odessa, TX 02/28/09 25.6% 11/30/10 7.9% 08/31/09 8.8%
68 Sherman, TX 02/28/11 47.4% 09/30/10 0.1% 12/31/09 1.7%
69 Tyler, TX 03/31/09 0.4% 12/31/10 1.7% 07/31/10 4.8%
70 Victoria, TX 09/30/10 6.5% 02/28/11 5.1% 11/30/09 7.7%
71 Danville, VA 03/31/09 1.5% 11/30/10 9.5% 11/30/09 4.2%
72 Winchester, VA 04/30/11 11.7% 10/31/10 7.7% 08/31/09 5.4%
73 Burlington, VT 03/31/11 5.5% 01/31/10 1.7% 09/30/09 5.3%
74 Madison, WI 01/31/09 0.8% 02/28/11 0.8% 08/31/09 1.9%
75 Casper, WY 11/30/10 7.2% 01/31/10 2.7% 12/31/09 8.8%
76 Cheyenne, WY 12/31/08 7.8% 12/31/10 3.4% 01/31/10 3.7%

Source: National Association of Home Builders

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