By AP/KWMU
Washington, DC – New census numbers show more people moved to Missouri in the last half of the 1990's than move out.
That bucks one trend; most Midwest states saw more people leaving. Missouri welcomed 473,000 new residents from other states from 1995 to 2000. Another 427,000 left.
The state's net gain of 46-thousand residents, while appearing modest, was by far the largest of any Midwestern state. Thirty states nationwide, including eight other Midwest states, posted losses.
Demographers attribute Missouri's attractiveness as a new home state to its strong statewide economy and southwestern Missouri's rise as a retiree destination, especially near Branson in the Ozarks.
Branson's emergence as a music attraction has not only added thousands of jobs, but brought in retirees looking for an inexpensive place to settle.