From Alaska to Florida, these 15 small towns have seen their populations pop over the last four years.

Fairbanks, Alaska, relies particularly on the last one. Home to the Fort Wainwright and Eielson military bases, median family income in Fairbanks for 2009 was $87,239 and the unemployment rate was just 6.5%, well below the national average of 9.2% for 2009.

Maybe that's why the area's population jumped 13.7% between 2006 and 2009, making Fairbanks the fastest-growing small town in America.
To determine which small American towns are growing fastest, we used census data calculating the population growth rate between 2006 and 2009 for every town with fewer than 100,000 people.

No. 1. Fairbanks, Alaska (Metro Area)

2009 Population: 98,660
2006 Population: 86,754
Growth: 13.8%

No. 2. The Villages, Fla. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 77,681
2006 Population: 68,769
Growth: 13.0%

No. 3. Bozeman, Mont. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 90,343
2006 Population: 81,763
Growth: 10.5%

No. 4. Palm Coast, Fla. (Metro Area)

2009 Population: 91,622
2006 Population: 83,084
Growth: 10.3%

No. 5. Ames, Iowa (Metro Area)

2009 Population: 87,214
2006 Population: 80,145
Growth: 8.8%

No. 6. Stillwater, Okla. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 79,727
2006 Population: 73,818
Growth: 8.0%

No. 7. Columbia, Tenn. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 84,302
2006 Population: 78,309
Growth: 7.7%

No. 8. Moses Lake, Wash. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 88,098
2006 Population: 82,612
Growth: 6.6%

No. 9. Grand Island, Neb. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 72,302
2006 Population: 68,009
Growth: 6.3%

No. 10. Sevierville, Tenn. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 86,243
2006 Population: 81,382
Growth: 6.0%

No. 11. Casper, Wyo. (Metro Area)

2009 Population: 74,508
2006 Population: 70,401
Growth: 5.8%

No. 12. Lincolnton, N.C. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 76,043
2006 Population: 71,894
Growth: 5.8%

No. 13. Searcy, Ark. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 76,338
2006 Population: 72,560
Growth: 5.2%

No. 14. Kalispell, Mont. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 89,624
2006 Population: 85,314
Growth: 5.0%

No. 15. Southern Pines-Pinehurst, N.C. (Micro Area)

2009 Population: 87,158
2006 Population: 83,162
Growth: 4.8%