Gainesville-Hall County, Georgia Ties for 3rd as Fastest Growing Metro in U.S.
Gainesville-Hall County, Georgia and two other cities are tied for third among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. in 2007-08, according to Census Bureau estimates released this week.
Gainesville, Ga., Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Wash., and Palm Coast, Fla., are in a three-way tie for third place in the country with a 3.5 percent increase in population from July 2007 to July 2008.
The top-ranked metropolitan statistic area in percentage of population gain was Raleigh-Cary, N.C., with a 4.3 percent increase. Austin-Round Rock, Texas, was the second fastest-growing metro area in the U.S. with a 3.8 percent increase.
In recent years, Gainesville-Hall County has been ranked 12th, 9th, 7th, 4th and now tied for 3rd fastest growing metro area in the nation. Much of the growth attributed to Gainesville-Hall County is due to location adjacent to Northeast Metro Atlanta, attractive lifestyle options and the sustained growth of job opportunities in the area. Gainesville-Hall County serves as a regional employment, healthcare and retail services center for a 14-county region of Northeast Georgia.
“Along with rapid growth comes the challenges of sustaining infrastructure,” said Tim Evans, Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. “Fortunately, Gainesville-Hall County citizens voted just last week continue SPLOST VI (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) to support needed sewer, roads and other infrastructure.”
Private investment growth has largely kept pace with the population growth. Gainesville-Hall County has an impressive track record of job growth and retention and was recently rated among the Millken Institute’s Best Performing Cities for creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. Also, the area’s medical services have grown with the region’s population and include state of the art facilities and Georgia’s #1 ranked cardiology care facility at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
In some sectors, retail services have not kept pace with the region’s growing population. Citizens have particularly emphasized the need for better access to high-end retail establishments. The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, along with business and elected leadership, has endorsed a Retail Development Initiative to firmly establish Gainesville-Hall County as a regional center for quality retail development to meet the needs of the area’s growing population.
For more information, contact Tim Evans, CEcD, Vice President of Economic Development, Greater hall Chamber of Commerce, 770-632-6206. Email: tim@ghcc.com.
www.greaterhallchamber.com/economic
http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2008/CBSA-EST2008-05.xls