US Cities That Will Look Different by 2080

By Evan Comen  •  June 19, 2026
group of horses on brown grass field during daytime
Photo by Nicole Herrero on Unsplash

Climate change isn’t just raising temperatures – it’s redrawing the map of nature in the United States. In a study published in the journal PeerJ, researchers from the Open Earth Monitor Cyberinfrastructure project used high resolution data and machine learning to map how natural vegetation zones – or biomes – could shift by 2080 under different climate scenarios.

Researchers found that the central U.S. will become hotter and drier, with iconic grasslands fading and being replaced by more desert-like vegetation – fewer wildflowers, more tumbleweeds. Wet forests throughout the East Coast may give way to drier, more drought-tolerant flora, while the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and southern California will expand into Texas and Colorado.

The changes to natural habitat encompass some of the country’s largest cities, meaning several major population hubs are set to undergo complete biome shifts by the end of the century. A closer look at the data reveals the cities projected to undergo the greatest biome transformations in the next 50 years.

To determine the cities with changing biomes, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed spatial data from the April 2023 paper “Current and future global distribution of potential biomes under climate change scenarios,” published in PeerJ. Cities were ranked based on the degree of change from dominant biome type from a 1979-2013 baseline to a forecasted 2061-2080 scenario, based on the BIOME 6000 classification scheme. Forecast changes to biome landscape classification are based on RCP 8.5 scenario, or high emissions. Analysis was done in QGIS using raster data and zonal statistics. Only cities with at least 250,000 residents were considered.

aerial view of high rise building at daytime
Photo by Osman Rana on Unsplash

10. Boston, MA

  • Current biome classification: Cool mixed forest
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Temperate deciduous broadleaf forest
  • Current population: 665,945

9. San Antonio, TX

  • Current biome classification: Steppe
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Warm-temperate evergreen broadleaf and mixed forest
  • Current population: 1,445,662

8. Irvine, CA

  • Current biome classification: Xerophytic woods/scrub
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Steppe
  • Current population: 304,527

7. Santa Ana, CA

  • Current biome classification: Xerophytic woods/scrub
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Steppe
  • Current population: 311,379

6. Anaheim, CA

  • Current biome classification: Xerophytic woods/scrub
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Steppe
  • Current population: 347,111

5. Long Beach, CA

  • Current biome classification: Xerophytic woods/scrub
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Steppe
  • Current population: 462,293

4. Sacramento, CA

  • Current biome classification: Xerophytic woods/scrub
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Steppe
  • Current population: 523,600

3. Los Angeles, CA

  • Current biome classification: Xerophytic woods/scrub
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Steppe
  • Current population: 3,881,041

2. Portland, OR

  • Current biome classification: Cool evergreen needleleaf forest
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Warm-temperate evergreen broadleaf and mixed forest
  • Current population: 646,101

1. Seattle, WA

  • Current biome classification: Cool evergreen needleleaf forest
  • Projected biome classification, 2061-2080: Warm-temperate evergreen broadleaf and mixed forest
  • Current population: 734,603


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