Change can seem slow. A new building rises, one floor at a time. A new subdivision breaks ground with two homes, and then four. A new transit line is planned, and years pass. What it all adds up to can be hard to see.

But zoom out — way out — and it’s clear that the last decade has brought remarkable transformation to many communities. It's visible from 400 miles above: Vast new exurbs have been carved from farmland, and once-neglected downtowns have come to life again. The tech industry has helped remake entire city neighborhoods, and it has dotted the landscape with strange new beasts, in data centers and fulfillment hubs.

To grasp the scale of this decade of change, The Upshot worked with Tim Wallace and Krishna Karra from Descartes Labs, a geospatial analytics company, using a tool that has itself evolved significantly over this time: satellite imagery. With its growing power and precision, we can see both intimate details — a single home, bulldozed; a tennis court, reinvented — and big patterns that recur across the country. Here, we show some of the most consequential changes over the last 10 years, as seen from above.

The Exurbs Boom Again

At the beginning of this decade, for a short period after the housing bust, it looked as if the exurbs were over. Housing construction and population growth there ground to a halt. Briefly, central cities and denser suburbs were growing faster than exurbia. But the exurbs eventually boomed again, a pattern we can see in rings of new development around most major metro areas in this map, especially in the Sun Belt:

Land newly developed this decade Maine Wash. Mont. N.D. Vt. N.H. Minn. Mass. Ore. N.Y. Wis. Conn. R.I. Idaho S.D. Mich. Wyo. Pa. N.J. Iowa Ohio Md. Del. Neb. Ind. Nev. Ill. W. Va. Va. Calif. Colo. Utah Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. S.C. Ariz. Ark. N.M. Miss. Ala. Ga. La. Texas Fla. Maine Wash. Mont. N.D. Vt. N.H. Minn. Mass. Ore. N.Y. Wis. Conn. Idaho R.I. S.D. Mich. Wyo. Pa. N.J. Iowa Ohio Md. Del. Neb. Ind. Nev. Ill. W. Va. Va. Calif. Colo. Utah Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. S.C. Ariz. Ark. N.M. Miss. Ala. Ga. La. Texas Fla. Maine Wash. Mont. N.D. Vt. N.H. Minn. Ore. Mass. N.Y. Wis. Idaho Conn. S.D. R.I. Mich. Wyo. Pa. N.J. Iowa Md. Del. Neb. Ohio Nev. Ind. Ill. W. Va. Va. Utah Calif. Colo. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. S.C. Ariz. Ark. N.M. Miss. Ala. Ga. La. Texas Fla. Data only available for continental U.S. Source: Descartes Labs analysis

Land newly developed on the West Coast... Wash. N.D. Mont. Minn. Ore. S.D. Idaho Wyo. Neb. Nev. Colo. Kan. Utah Calif. Ariz. N.M. Texas … and East Coast. Minn. Wis. N.Y. Mich. Pa. Iowa N.J. Ind. Ohio Del. Ill. Md. W. Va. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ark. S.C. Miss. Ala. Ga. La. Fla. Data only available for continental U.S. Source: Descartes Labs analysis

To produce this map, Descartes Labs trained a computer model to automatically identify newly impervious surfaces — land that appears paved or topped with buildings — in satellite imagery. Comparing Landsat imagery from 2018 and 2019 with urban areas from the 2008 National Landcover Database, the model highlighted the places shown in red on the accompanying U.S. map.

We then took a closer look at what happened in some of those places, like Loudoun County, Va., on the western edge of the Washington metro area:

Loudoun County, Va., in 2012 Loudoun County, Va., in 2018



As the Bay Area has grown more expensive, more people are living in bedroom communities like this one, 30 miles to the east:

Dublin, Calif., in 2009 Dublin, Calif., in 2018



Maricopa County, Ariz., around Phoenix, has had the most new development, according to the Descartes Labs analysis.

Gilbert, Ariz., in 2013 Gilbert, Ariz., in 2019



Nine of the 20 counties in the U.S. that have experienced the most development this decade are in Texas. Among them is Harris County around Houston:

Katy, Texas, in 2012 Katy, Texas, in 2018



The Villages, a retirement community in Central Florida, is among the fastest-growing places in America. Neighborhoods like this one, newly built this decade, stretch for several miles:

The Villages, Fla., in 2007 The Villages, Fla., in 2017



The Urban Core, Redeveloped

Changes to urban neighborhoods are harder to detect automatically. But they have been significant, too, particularly in and around the downtowns of cities that have increasingly attracted higher-income, highly educated residents. Across all of the central cities shown here, redevelopment takes a common form: Buildings have replaced surface parking lots, creating significantly denser neighborhoods.

In their place, apartment buildings, offices, parks and sports complexes have been built in both big cities like Los Angeles…

South Park, Los Angeles, in 2009 Parking lots Parking lots South Park, Los Angeles, in 2018 Buildings Buildings



… and midsize ones like Durham, N.C.

Downtown Durham, N.C., in 2012 Parking lots Parking lots Downtown Durham, N.C., in 2018 Buildings Buildings



This is the Navy Yard area of Washington, D.C.:

Navy Yard, Washington, in 2009 Less developed land Less developed land Navy Yard, Washington, in 2018 New development New development



On the northern edge of downtown Nashville, a new minor-league baseball stadium has replaced a large parking lot.

Nashville in 2012 Nashville in 2018



In Boston, acres and acres of parking have given way to the construction of a new neighborhood in the Seaport District.

The Boston Seaport in 2012 The Boston Seaport in 2018



Diversity Becomes the Norm

Many communities grew more racially and ethnically diverse this decade, mirroring the rising diversity of the country as a whole. Such demographic shifts generally aren’t apparent from a satellite’s view. But we found some telltale signs.

In a public park in Akron, Ohio, a cricket field replaced a soccer field, a response to the area’s growing South Asian immigrant population.

Akron, Ohio, in 2010 Soccer field Soccer field Akron, Ohio, in 2018 Cricket pitch Cricket pitch



We found similar transformations elsewhere: cricket fields newly opened in Virginia, New Jersey, Texas and Maryland, and futsal courts replacing tennis and basketball courts in California and Kansas:

Kansas City, Kan., in 2011 Tennis court Tennis court Kansas City, Kan., in 2018 Futsal court Futsal court



All of these are on public parkland, a sign of diversity embraced in civic life. In St. Paul, Minn., a baseball diamond was replaced by a tuj lub court, requested by the local Hmong community.

St. Paul, Minn., in 2010 Baseball diamond Baseball diamond St. Paul, Minn., in 2018 Tuj lub court Tuj lub court



Big Tech’s Urban Imprint

The explosive growth of the tech industry and its demand for more office space — and high-end housing for its workers — has driven intense redevelopment in some cities. Amazon announced in 2007 that it would move into the South Lake Union area of Seattle. Since then, the company has transformed the neighborhood.

South Lake Union, Seattle, in 2009 South Lake Union, Seattle, in 2019 Additions to Amazon’s campus Additions to Amazon’s campus



The area south of Market Street in downtown San Francisco has been similarly remade by a boom in tech headquarters, including the construction of what is now the city’s tallest building, the Salesforce Tower.

Downtown San Francisco in 2009 Downtown San Francisco in 2019 Salesforce Tower Luxury apartments Salesforce Transit Center Salesforce Tower Luxury apartments Salesforce Transit Center



Forty-five miles to the south, Apple took on a comparably immense project this decade, albeit of a very different shape.

Apple Park, Cupertino, Calif., in 2009 Apple Park, Cupertino, Calif., in 2014 Apple Park, Cupertino, Calif., in 2018





Big Tech’s Big Boxes

Far from the campuses where their highest-paid employees work, tech companies have fed a second development boom this decade, this one in colossal data centers and fulfillment and distribution hubs. These tend to be located where large plots of land are relatively cheap, but within reach of major metro areas.

The Amazon fulfillment centers shown here were all built this decade on previously undeveloped land. The Kenosha, Wis., site sits conveniently between the Milwaukee and Chicago metro areas, right on the interstate connecting them:

Amazon facility in Kenosha, Wis., in 2013 1/4 mile 1/4 mile Amazon facility in Kenosha, Wis., in 2018 1/4 mile 1/4 mile



Each of these boxy facilities, like this one in Jacksonville, Fla., is at least a million square feet in size.

Amazon facility in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2015 1/4 mile 1/4 mile Amazon facility in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2017 1/4 mile 1/4 mile



This one is just southwest of Columbia, S.C.

Amazon facility in West Columbia, S.C., in 2009 1/4 mile 1/4 mile Amazon facility in West Columbia, S.C., in 2015 1/4 mile 1/4 mile



In the West, the big boxes have appeared on arid land rather than cleared forests:

Amazon facility in Riverside, Calif., in 2014 1/4 mile 1/4 mile Amazon facility in Riverside, Calif., in 2018 1/4 mile 1/4 mile



Rust Belt Homes, Demolished

The picture of change looks notably different in some formerly industrial cities that have endured decades of population loss. Where other communities grew, these places shrank, visibly.

In Detroit, a blight removal task force assessed every parcel in the city this decade and identified tens of thousands of properties in need of demolition or repair.

Detroit in 2013 Detroit in 2018



Around the same time in South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg set the goal of demolishing or repairing a thousand houses in a thousand days, an initiative he emphasizes now as a presidential candidate.

South Bend, Ind., in 2011 South Bend, Ind., in 2019



Transit Transformations

How we get around has changed over the past decade, too. Bike-share systems started in Washington, New York, Chicago and other cities. New rail lines, years in the making, finally opened in Los Angeles and Denver. Entirely new modes like scooters proliferated.

The projects shown here are all large in scale, and as a result they will have a big influence on what takes shape around them. In Portland, Ore., a new bridge spanning the Willamette River serves a rail line, city buses, cyclists and pedestrians — but no cars.

Tilikum Crossing, Portland, Ore., in 2009 Tilikum Crossing, Portland, Ore., in 2016



In Northern Virginia, the Washington Metro system now extends deeper into the suburbs, where new stations like the one shown here in Reston have spurred more development.

Reston, Va., in 2009 Reston, Va., in 2018 New metro station New rail line along the highway New metro station New rail line running along the highway



In Denver, a rail line to the airport appears in satellite imagery as a new thread running across a vast stretch of landscape.

Denver in 2011 Denver in 2018 New rail line New rail line



After Disaster, Renewal

A number of communities were transformed this decade by fire or flood, hurricane or tornado. And satellite imagery captured each chapter: before the disaster, immediately after the destruction and through the years of recovery.

A tornado leveled parts of Moore, Okla., in 2013:

Moore, Okla., in 2011 Moore, Okla., in 2013 Moore, Okla., in 2018





And the 2017 Tubbs fire destroyed much of the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa, Calif.:

Santa Rosa, Calif., in 2010 Santa Rosa, Calif., in 2018 Santa Rosa, Calif., in 2019





Each neighborhood was physically rebuilt by the end of the decade, looking, at least from above, almost exactly like its old self.

These two communities embody many of the stories of change that have individually touched other parts of the country: loss, development and renewal.