What U.S. Cities Are Growing Fastest—and Why Tiny Towns May Be the Smartest Investment in 2025

In this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, we explore the fastest and slowest growing cities in the Denver metro area—and zoom out to a national trend reshaping American real estate: the rise of tiny towns. These are U.S. markets with fewer than 25,000 housing units, and they’ve seen surprising population growth since the pandemic. But are these “Zoomtowns” still gaining momentum—or is the trend reversing?

Segment 1 – The Rise (and Plateau?) of Tiny Towns:
We dive into why small markets boomed after 2020, what makes them attractive for real estate investors, and why 2025 might be the turning point as urban population rebounds. We highlight recent data from Briefcase Real Estate, touching on occupancy rates, remote work impacts, and national investment strategies for smaller U.S. metros.

Segment 2 – Fastest and Slowest Growing Cities in the Denver Metro:
From Arvada’s red-hot housing market (5 days on market!) to Castle Rock’s suburban sprawl slowdown, we analyze which Colorado cities are thriving and which are stagnating—and why. Learn how zoning, transit, housing diversity, and urban planning all play a role.

Bonus: We also kick things off with a quick take on Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and the movie’s unexpected AI villain twist—plus some hot takes on Tom Cruise, Marvel movies, and yes, Scientology.

Perfect for:

• Investors hunting for undervalued real estate markets in the U.S.

• Buyers and sellers trying to time their entry into fast-moving cities

• Real estate agents tracking market demand and homebuyer trends

• Anyone curious about how remote work, zoning, and urban planning impact home values

Search terms optimized in this episode:
real estate podcast USA 2025, fastest growing cities 2025, Denver housing trends 2025, small town real estate investment, tiny town population growth, best markets for real estate investing 2025, Castle Rock housing slowdown, Arvada real estate, Mission Impossible AI villain, Tom Cruise stunts 2025

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Contact Information: erin@erinspradlin.com or James@jamescarlsonre.com

Briefcase Link: https://www.briefcase.email/subscribe?ref=wFlln8t7WI