MILWAUKEE - New figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show Milwaukee has gained 4,000 residents in the past two years.

The growth marks a turnaround — or at least some stability — for the city, which had been losing residents for nearly five decades.

Census Bureau data released Thursday show the city had 598,916 residents in July. It gained about 1,300 residents from 2011 to 2012 and about 2,400 the year before that.

Still, the city slipped two spots nationally and is now the nation's 30th most populous city. Milwaukee was overtaken by Portland, Ore., and Oklahoma City.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ( http://bit.ly/14TmHqS) reports that much of the growth has been in neighborhoods surrounding the downtown and most new residents in those areas are younger adults.

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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com