(ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE) -- U-Haul International, Inc. ranks Atlanta No. 26 on its annual U-Haul National Migration Trend Report released Friday that measures the nation's top growth areas for families that moved during the past year. 

Pittsburg takes the top spot with the highest percentage of growth, U-Haul said. 

"The report, reflective of growth patterns in the United States during 2012, was complied based on nationwide trends in cities of all sizes and reflects communities with more than 5,000 families moving in or out of the area," said John "J.T." Taylor, president, U-Haul International, Inc.

"Growth cities were then determined by calculating the percentage of inbound moves vs. outbound moves for each area," Taylor added.

The U-Haul 2012 Top U.S. Growth Cities Report was compiled from more than 1.6 million U-Haul one-way truck transactions, the company said. 

ATLANTA -- There's more momentum to stimulate growth on Atlanta's south side.

Community leaders have launched an effort to form a community improvement district, or CID, on Camp Creek Parkway, a corridor that developers began to focus on several years ago, turning it into a magnet for new logistics operations and retail projects.

They want the district in place by mid-July.

It aims to stem the tide of fatal car crashes that have plagued Camp Creek Parkway, and it could spur revitalization of the Aiport West Market Area. It also comes as local leaders try to expand the concept of the Aerotropolis, an urban development plan anchored by a major airport -- in this case, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.

ATLANTA -- Bank of America Corp. reported Wednesday it hit its target of hiring more that 1,000 small business bankers in 2012, including 35 in Metro Atlanta.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank said it extended $280.2 million in credit to Georgia small businesses and $8.7 billion nationally last year. The $8.7 billion was an increase of 28 percent over 2011.

It recently reported net income of $2.8 billion for 2012. It also saw its head count shrink by about 5,000 employees to 267,190 in the fourth quarter, evidence that BofA is still trimming staff levels as it works to lower its expenses. Branches also continued to close, with BofA reporting 5,478 banking centers across its U.S. franchise at the end of the year, down from 5,702 centers a year earlier. 

Bank of America is the third-largest bank in metro Atlanta with 145 local branches and $20.4 billion in area deposits for a market share of 17 percent.