from The Tennessean
The signs of growth are hard to miss.
New housing developments are under construction in Franklin and across Middle Tennessee. A Walmart is going up in Spring Hill. Cranes dot Nashville’s skyline. And, of course, there’s plenty of traffic on the region’s roads.
New Census Bureau population estimates released today show Middle Tennessee cities among the nation’s fastest growing over the last year.
Clarksville was the nation’s fifth-fastest-growing city with at least 50,000 people. The Montgomery County city grew by 4.43 percent and now has more than 142,000 residents. Nashville ranked 15th for numerical gain, with more than 12,300 new residents calling Music City home between 2011 and 2012.
Nationwide, the fastest-growing large cities remain in the South and West. Seven of the top 15 are in Texas, according to the new census estimates.
Middle Tennessee also dominates the state’s list of the fastest-growing cities, the new census estimates show. Thompson’s Station ranked No. 2 in the state for growth rate. Mt. Juliet, Spring Hill, Franklin and Brentwood also showed gains.
A diversified economy, affordable housing and military spending are among the factors contributing to the region’s growth, University of Georgia demographer Doug Bachtel said.
“Those cities that have those high growth rates are probably growing from new people moving in,” he said. “That goes to the diversification of jobs.”
Bachtel said other factors contributing to a community’s fast growth are the quality of education and local leadership.
“People move to good education and they move away from bad education,” he said. “The wild card is the leadership.”
Starting July 1, the Tennessee Department of Revenue will use annual population figures to determine how to distribute state-shared tax revenue. The year-over-year population change will be a key factor in that distribution, according to the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee.
Building boom
Thompson’s Station Town Administrator Greg Langeliers said he isn’t surprised that his town grew so fast. The town increased its population by 4.92 percent, according to the census estimates.
“We have been issuing a lot of building permits here. Especially considering how we had basically nothing coming in for four or five years, it’s a big change,” he said. “So far, the population boost has not caused any problems. We have been able to keep up. But we may need to hire someone part time to help with building inspections.”
The town, with an estimated 2,366 residents, sits in a prominent transportation corridor along U.S. 31 and the newly completed State Route 840. It’s just a few miles away from Interstate 65, and working professionals can easily make it from there to jobs in Franklin or Nashville.
Mt. Juliet in Wilson County ranked No. 4 for growth in the state. The city now has 26,780 residents, up 3.97 percent from 2011 to 2012, the census shows.
“We’ve been growing rapidly each and every year for 10 years,” Mt. Juliet Mayor Ed Hagarty said. “It is driven by what it has always been driven by: extremely high quality of life, a very low crime rate, a very low tax rate, excellent schools.” Hagerty said the city has had struggles keeping up, particularly with roads.
“It is something you never claim victory over,” Hagerty said. “It is an ongoing struggle.”
Just south of Thompson’s Station is Spring Hill, another of Tennessee’s fast-growing cities. The city’s population estimate jumped from 30,108 in 2011 to 31,140 in 2012, a 3.43 percent increase.
Source: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130523/NEWS01/305230042/Growth-spurts-good-sign-Middle-Tennessee-cities?sf13133910=1
