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.