Lance Williams

lwilliams@tennessean.com

For some, this may get you excited. For others, this will come as terrible news.

Nashville is now firmly entrenched as one of the nation's Top 25 largest cities, according to the latest Census data.

The population for the city of Nashville itself stood at 634,464 in July 1, 2013, a 5 percent increase since 2010.

It now has surpassed Baltimore, and is closing in on the cities of Boston and Washington, D.C.

Now, of course, the caveat is that this reflects just Nashville growth, and doesn't take the entire metro area into account. When comparing metro areas, Nashville's ranking drops to No. 36 overall, just ahead of Norfolk, Va. and Providence, R.I. In that ranking, Music City trails Austin, Tx., San Jose, Calif. and Indianapolis, Ind.

Still, the growth rate – both in Nashville and the entire metro area – ranks among the fastest-growing in the country over the past couple of years.

Franklin, as an example, ranks among the 15 fastest-growing cities in the country for those with populations of 50,000 and above.

These new rankings are likely to generate strong reactions, depending on how you feel about growth. For many, seeing Nashville in growth mode gets you excited. Growth means more jobs, more places to shop and eat and, generally, more things to do and ways to spend your time.

On the flip side, more growth means lots more traffic and longer lines at your favorite new hangout. Who invited all these people anyway?

Lance Williams is Business Editor of the Tennessean. He can be reached at (615) 259-8882 or you can follow him on Twitter @LanceTennessean.