The Inland area will have two million more people by 2046, a shift that a number of cities are preparing for by adding housing, workplaces and other amenities.

A report by the United States Conference of Mayors found that the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area is expected to grow from 4.5 million to 7.2 million people in the next 30 years — making it one of the top 10 largest metro areas by 2046.

The Inland area has grown in popularity over the years as housing prices in other Southern California counties have grown out of reach for many.

In polls conducted between 2009 and 2013, at least 90,500 people told the American Community Survey that they had moved here from Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which released the figures Aug. 25, 2015.

Census data shows the number of residents who move from one county or metro area to another during the course of a year. Nine of the top 10 migrating groups moved to nearby metro areas, with the largest flow moving from the Los Angeles metro area to the Riverside metro area, the Census said.

That’s why Inland Empire cities are looking for ways to add new housing options, jobs and entertainment venues.

“As people come to the west, they look for the sun and the surf, and then look at housing prices,” said Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey.

Riverside has made it easier to add residential living in the downtown area, a move that attracts younger people looking for areas where they can live and work, Bailey said. This jibes with a recent Time Magazine report that found thousands of millennials are moving to the suburbs of Riverside.

Bailey pointed to Riverside’s growing nightlife and cultural scene, with entertainment behemoth Live Nation now managing shows in Riverside’s two historic downtown venues. Offerings have expanded to include more comedy, Latino-themed shows and better Broadway acts.

Additionally, city officials just paved the way for the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry to open in downtown Riverside. The center will display Marin’s renowned 700-piece Chicano art collection.

“Riverside has a vibe and that’s what people are looking for nowadays,” Bailey said. “They’re looking for a place that’s unique and has some excitement and a vibrant lifestyle.”

A few miles away, Moreno Valley plans to expand in a different way.

Moreno Valley Chief Financial Officer Marshall Eyerman said the city is aiming to bring jobs to the area, noting the 40.6 million-square-foot World Logistics Center, which when fully built, will be the largest development in the city.

The center will be the equivalent in size to 700 football fields.

Some see the center as an opportunity to reverse the city’s low job rate that leaves many commuting out of town.

“Part of this preparation is making sure we have jobs in the area to support those residents,” Eyerman said.

In Ontario, new housing developments are underway.

City Manager Al Boling said the city has approved a number of development plans for single-family and multi-family units in the eastern portion of an area known as Ontario Ranch.

At build-out, Boling said the city anticipates 30,000 new residential units, an increase of 130,000 residents. He expects those projects to be wrapped up in the next 20 to 30 years.

Boling said Ontario is an enticing city to live in because it’s “affordable and centrally located within the Inland Empire.”

Population explosion

The following metro areas will be the top ten largest, with the following number of residents by 2046:

• 20.7 million: New York-Newark-Jersey City

• 14.9 million: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

• 11.4 million: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

• 10.6 million: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugarland

• 10.3 million: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

• 8.6 million: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell

• 8.1 million: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

• 7.9 million: Washington-Arlington-Alex

• 7.8 million: Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale

• 7.2 million: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario