Charlotte is Booming
Charlotte region's boom gains steam
Newcomers fuel growth of 300,000 people over past six years
KYTJA WEIR
Newcomers propelled the Charlotte region to its fastest growth spurt in years, according to 2006 U.S. census data released today.
The boom was more than even state experts anticipated, signaling continued pressure on schools, roads and public safety agencies as communities struggle to adapt.
The tension comes as North Carolina netted more than 800,000 people from 2000 until last July, with about 300,000 added to the Charlotte region.
The growth exceeded state projections, but North Carolina's demographer Bill Tillman was not surprised where it hit.
"The places that had been growing just grew a little faster," Tillman said.
The hottest regions in the Carolinas continue to be bedroom communities around Charlotte, the Triangle and Myrtle Beach, the data show. Virginia's growing Norfolk-Virginia Beach community is also spilling over into North Carolina's coastal Camden and Currituck counties.
Around Charlotte, several counties within commuting distance of the city grew even faster than Mecklenburg County itself.
Union's rate outpaced the region and also climbed four rungs to become the nation's 15th fastest growing big county since 2000. York County, S.C., followed as the region's second-fastest growing county. Next: Cabarrus, Iredell, then Mecklenburg.
Halima Ullah, 24, is among those driving the numbers. She heard positive things about Charlotte's reputation when she lived in Maryland during her four-year enlistment in the Air Force.
Her moving van arrived Wednesday at the three-bedroom home she's renting with two roommates in Ballantyne. A roommate recommended the area, she said, so she found the place by Googling rentals in the 28277 ZIP code.
"Charlotte's supposed to be up and coming," she said. "I've heard people talk about how beautiful it is."
Booming burbs
Births account for some growth, outpacing deaths in the region, but most of the increase comes from newcomers such as Ullah.Some who move here credit affordable housing, mild winters and job opportunities as what attracted them to the Charlotte area.
But not every county in the area could offer enough enticements. South Carolina's Chester County shrank almost 4 percent from 2000 to 2006, losing a net of almost 1,200 people. The population in still-rural Anson County remains mostly untouched by Charlotte's boom and stayed relatively steady.
However, the growth rates are based on percentages. Counties with smaller populations can show more dramatic growth rates by adding or losing a relatively small number of people. Large counties, by contrast, can absorb thousands of people without showing a big spike.
For example, Union's growth rate was more than twice Mecklenburg's, with 42 percent versus 19 percent over six years. But Union added almost 52,000 people during that time compared with Mecklenburg's more than 130,000 people.
In terms of raw numbers, Mecklenburg's increase is the equivalent of twice the population of Asheville picking up and moving to Charlotte.
Yet experts say it makes sense that growth is spilling into Charlotte's neighboring counties faster.
In addition to affordable land ripe for subdivisions, many say the lower tax rates and strong schools also drive some of the population to outlying counties.
"I absolutely saw it coming," said Catherine Marie, an Allen Tate agent for 12 years who helped a couple with their home contract Wednesday outside of Union's Wesley Chapel community. "It's the volume of land available versus Mecklenburg, and the lower taxation ... and still the proximity to urban amenities."
Growing pains
But all that growth requires more houses, more schools and more roads. That's causing some headaches for communities struggling to keep up:
• Mecklenburg County posted a record number of building permits last year, with 18,089 housing units authorized, compared with 13,412 in 2005. In Cornelius, officials passed a moratorium stopping many new residential developments so they can plan for the future.
• Union County officials warn that a 17-cent property tax increase will be necessary over the next four years to pay for school construction. And the state stopped new permits at the county's biggest sewer plant this winter -- effectively halting future building -- until Union can expand the plant.
• York County is considering requiring developers to contribute to public services such as schools if they want to build more homes.
Experts anticipate more of the same.
The state was already slated to add more than 3 million people by 2030 to reach more than 12 million. The census estimates exceeded Tillman's projections by about 30,000 statewide. Now he said he needs to adjust the long-range forecast.
But economic events could change everything. Tillman noted the housing market tanked in the rest of the country last year, but North Carolina's market continued to boom.
"Are we behind or did we miss it?" he asked.
Going Up
• Overall, N.C. grew 10.1 percent in six years, while S.C. grew 7.7 percent.
• 827,445: As the state's most populous county, Mecklenburg County broke the 800,000 mark for the first time in 2006.
• Wake County is growing faster than Mecklenburg; it's population is expected to exceed Mecklenburg's by 2016.
• In 13 rural counties, including a cluster in the inland northeast part of the state, the population actually shrank from 2000 to 2006.
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000-2006 population estimates; N.C. State Demographer Bill Tillman.
Database Editor Ted Mellnik and Staff Writers Leigh Dyer, Julia Oliver and deborah Hirsch contributed.
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