Nashville, TN Wikimedia Commons Years after the recession took the life out of the U.S. economy, American cities are finally back on the growth track.

In fact, 351 metro areas will see job gains this year, according to a new report published by the Conference of Mayors and produced by IHS Global Insight.

"The North American energy boom will continue to create jobs, investment, and a competitive advantage in manufacturing," according to the report.

A handful of cities are ahead of the pack. We pulled the cities from the report that saw GMP ("gross metro product") grow by 4% or more in 2013.