By USA Today

Published: Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 9:42 p.m.
Updated: Thursday, March 14, 2013

Despite years of record foreclosures and job losses, the Sun Belt is recovering some of its lost appeal as the population begins to grow again in counties from Florida to Arizona.

At the same time, new ways to tap the nation's rich supply of natural resources — from oil to gold — continue to form boom towns in some remote Western counties and parts of the Great Plains that have suffered decades of population declines.

Census county population estimates out today for July 1, 2012, show a nation in flux after a grueling economic downturn. Counties such as Arizona's Maricopa (Phoenix), Nevada's Clark (Las Vegas) and Florida's Orange (Orlando) all show population gains that are once again outpacing national growth.

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