Metro Atlanta continues to grow with no end in sight, ranking No. 2 in the nation for total population growth of metropolitan areas in the past year.

"The jobs and the lifestyle here are attracting a whole lot of people," said Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

The 28-county area that surrounds Atlanta added 151,063 people last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today.

Dallas-Fort Worth was first in population growth in the nation, growing by 162,250 people from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007.

In the past seven years, however, the Atlanta region added a little more than a million people — more than any other region in the country. The metro area's population is now 5,278,904.

"The Atlanta area is viewed as a place of opportunity," said Mike Alexander, research division chief of the Atlanta Regional Commission. People move here from California, New York and the Midwest for job prospects, promotions or to start their own businesses.

"We're a Sun Belt metropolitan region with a strong higher education system and modern job sectors — information and technology. That will continue to attract people," Alexander said.

"Now with stable job growth and a slowdown in the housing market, we expect the population growth rate will slow down from previous highs, but we'll continue to grow at a more sustainable rate," Alexander said.

Census projections show Georgia could gain about 4 million people by the year 2030.

Consistent job gains among small companies has been the growth engine for the region, Williams said. Metro Atlanta saw a net growth of 55,000 jobs last year, he said.

That's not the heady rate of the 1996 Olympic year, when Atlanta saw 92,500 new jobs, according to Chamber of Commerce data. But job creation is definitely up from the period after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; Atlanta lost 42,700 jobs in 2002, chamber data show.

In terms of percentage population gain, cities in the South took the lead nationally, with eight of the 10 fastest-growing cities. Gainesville ranked fourth nationally, with a 4.5 percent population gain. Palm Coast, Fla., was first, with a 7.2 percent growth rate.

"It's been a steady growth. It hasn't been big jumps like Gwinnett and Forsyth and some of those," said Kit Dunlap, president of Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce in Gainesville.

"It's no surprise to us," she said. "We're next to Gwinnett. Obviously, [growth is] coming north."