Estimates Show N.C. Is Fifth-Fastest Growing State

[twincity]

we're tied with Texas and Georgia. the big 5's population. should be way up in the June '06 census.

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[Tayfromcarolina]

I definetly believe it. There is a huge migration of Northerners to NC especially in the Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte areas. Not to mention the immigration thing. And generally everyone hearing how nice it is to live here. Every other person it seems is from New York, DC, Pennsylvania etc...

They are cashing out and buying houses down here while it's still relatively inexpensive. The time to buy is now. I know I plan too.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

What do you think will be the political implications on the state's political orientation? I have noticed that the urban areas are getting more liberal. Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Raleigh are now solidly Democratic, in addtion to Asheville, Greensboro, and Durham. Mecklenburg County went for Kerry in 2004 after voting for Bush in 2000. I think the growth is making North Carolina more liberal in the big cities, more moderate overall. It is also making the state more Mid-Atlantic and less Southern.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

That is over 630,000 people in five years! If the rate continues, NC will have 9 million people by the start of 2007. I can't wait to see updated city and county population estimates.

[twincity]

^ i cant wait either.

here in W-S, the evidence is in the schools. we just opened 2 new high schools in the city limits this year and there already is a proposal for 2 more. One in Walkertown and another on the SE side. a new middle school also opened in Kernersville. grade school enrollment is up 2%. the school board is proposing building 13 new schools and renovating/expanding 26 exsisting schools over the next 10 years.

[MZT]

If enough people move here, it could give us a sense of the pace of change, that citizens in our country felt at other older times.

We're used to thinking of population changes as gradual each year. But instead we may be about to see development and change such as what people in Florida experienced after WWII.

[DigitalSky]

Not a surprise

[rjp212]

It amazes me that we growing faster than we did in the 90's

[NcSc74]

So how does this migration affect future growth. Land and housing prices are going to soar. I wish our big three metros well but please pass anti-sprawl legislation now............

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Keep in mind that these estimates have underestimated North Carolina's feverpitch growth since the 1970's. We are always amazed when the once-a-decade numbers come out because the estimates were always too conservative.

The question is can North Carolina find a way to steer some of this growth into the far east and far western parts of the state, which need some growth to stimulate their moribund economies. Of course, people follow jobs so I guess they need more employers in those areas to stem the decline. Also, I wonder if some counties in the high growth area will start enacting anti-growth policies. Only Orange County truly has an anti-growth policy at this juncture in North Carolina.

[triadcat]

What do you think will be the political implications on the state's political orientation? I have noticed that the urban areas are getting more liberal. Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Raleigh are now solidly Democratic, in addtion to Asheville, Greensboro, and Durham. Mecklenburg County went for Kerry in 2004 after voting for Bush in 2000. I think the growth is making North Carolina more liberal in the big cities, more moderate overall. It is also making the state more Mid-Atlantic and less Southern.

I am personally not a political person, but I do find it very interesting. The big 5 in NC are more democratic in their city limits, more republican in the suburbs. I do think with all of the people moving in from other states, it will become more similar to Florida, wich is a battleground/swing state. Remember, not every single person from the north that moves down here is a liberal....some are conservatives. Plus, we have many people moving here from other southern, western and midwestern states.

Guilford County also barely went to Kerry in 2004, after barely going for Bush in 2000. Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Buncombe and believe it or not Cumberland (Fayetteville) counties are all swing counties. Durham is the only solid, heavily democratic big city/county in the state. Forsyth County is getting more moderate, but still lightly conservative.

[monsoon]

This voting for Kerry means you are liberal and progressive statement is getting a bit tiring. It means that one has not looked at the real reasons people did or did not vote for him.

Kerry lost in NC because he was a bad candidate and had no story to tell except he wasn't Bush and he dismissed the need to appeal to Southern voters. The National Democratic party needs to get a clue from this and stop nominating candidates that dismiss the South. There wasn't even a primary in NC where we could choose who we wanted for the Democratic candidate.

Remember the NC Legislature is controlled by Democrats and the NC Governer is also Democratic.

[Jerseyman4]

Kerry lost in NC because he was a bad candidate and had no story to tell except he wasn't Bush and he dismissed the need to appeal to Southern voters. The National Democratic party needs to get a clue from this and stop nominating candidates that dismiss the South. There wasn't even a primary in NC where we could choose who we wanted for the Democratic candidate.

What about John Edwards (Kerrys vice presidential running mate)? He appeared to be a favorite by many North Carolinians but doubtful by many elsewhere in the country because of his age, short political experience and occupation (lawyer).

[MR-2]

If Edwards had run as presidential candidate, I think he would've had a decent chance at swinging North Carolina. The Dems have had two really mediocre presidential candidates in recent elections, and it's unfortunate. This current administration is not leaving a particularly positive legacy for themselves or the US.

In other news, we really need to run all the primaries at the same time for states. Once someone gets ahead, everyone votes for him. And we're stuck at the end of the list with no influence over national politics at all.

[urbanesq]

This voting for Kerry means you are liberal and progressive statement is getting a bit tiring. It means that one has not looked at the real reasons people did or did not vote for him.

Kerry lost in NC because he was a bad candidate and had no story to tell except he wasn't Bush and he dismissed the need to appeal to Southern voters. The National Democratic party needs to get a clue from this and stop nominating candidates that dismiss the South. There wasn't even a primary in NC where we could choose who we wanted for the Democratic candidate.

Remember the NC Legislature is controlled by Democrats and the NC Governer is also Democratic.

Your point is well taken, and yes; Kerry was a horribly bad candidate, but he wasn't as bad a candidate as the campaign he ran-- it was as much a failure to respond immediately and forcefully to the other side's dirty tricks that lost that election. Remember, too, metro, that an NC Democrat looks a lot like a Northeast Republican. Mike Easley and Marc Basnight are not progressive. Neither was Jim Hunt.

I agree with you that the National party needs to get a clue-- as does the state party-- but I think it's time we STOPPED trying to pander to the center by nominating republicans-lite, and started nominating truly progressive candidates with stories to tell and enough political savvy to hit hard and run unapologetically as a people's candidate.

Also, I'm enough of a conspiracy theorist to think that as long as the republicans own the companies that make the voting machines from which you don't get a paper trail, republicans will continue winning elections, no matter what the electorate thinks.

[JDC]

So how does this migration affect future growth. Land and housing prices are going to soar. I wish our big three metros well but please pass anti-sprawl legislation now............

That would be nice. Imagine a REAL city worth visiting in NC...

[MR-2]

Asheville, but if you want a real city with a large population, then you're talking about something we don't really have.