WASHINGTON - The greater Atlanta area, which recorded 53,753 single-family housing permits last year, led the nation in housing activity for the 13th consecutive year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Rounding out the top 10 housing markets for single-family permits were the metropolitan areas of Phoenix with 46,591; Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., with 35,733; Houston with 33,965; Washington with 30,755; Chicago with 30,733; Las Vegas with 30,278; Dallas with 26,905; Orlando, Fla., with 22,385; and Minneapolis with 20,327, reported the Commerce Department. Total issuance of single-family permits across the country for 2003 was 1.444 million.