American Heartland Cities Are the Fast-Growing Immigration Hubs

Cities in the U.S. heartland have turned into hubs for immigration, a new study shows, helping in some cases to reverse generations of declining birthrates.

Columbus, Ohio, and Des Moines, Iowa, are among the metropolitan areas with the fastest-growing foreign-born population, according to the Heartland Forward think tank, which focuses on the region’s economic performance. In the past decade, they have attracted newcomers at a much faster pace than historical magnets of immigration like New York City or Los Angeles.