Charlotteobserver.com -- Four communities in the Carolinas, including three on South
Carolina's 190-mile coast, remain among the 20 fastest-growing in the
United States, according to new numbers released Thursday by the U.S.
Census Bureau. The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach
metropolitan area, which includes Brunswick County in North Carolina,
was the second-fastest growing metro area in the nation for the second
year in a row. "The warm climate, the beautiful scenery, the
quality of life and the low taxes and cost of living — when we went out
and surveyed people those were the reasons we found that people were
attracted to the area," said Brad Dean, the president and CEO of the
Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. From July of 2014 through July 1 of last year the population of the area increased 3.5 percent to just over 430,000.
The Villages, Florida, was the nation's fastest-growing metro area. Myrtle
Beach is the heart of South Carolina's booming $19 billion tourism
industry, which has helped fuel the growth of the area's permanent
population. "Tourism is a first date for relocation, retirement
and economic development," Dean said. "Most of the individuals and
businesses relocating here were first introduced to the area as a
visitor." The Beaufort-Hilton Head metro area was the 11th-fastest
growing in the nation, posting 2.6 percent growth while the Raleigh
area in North Carolina grew about 2.5 percent during the period and was
No. 16 on the list. The Charleston-North Charleston metro area grew at
about 2.4 percent and was 19th on the list. It was the second straight year that all four areas made the list of the fastest growing metro areas in the United States.
The
Charlotte metro area, which includes parts of South Carolina, made the
list of the top twenty metro areas, posting the largest numerical
population gains. The area added more than 47,000 residents during the
period. Wake County in North Carolina, where the population grew
by almost 25,000 and now is more than 1 million, was on the list of the
top 20 counties nationwide with the largest numerical population gains. In North Carolina, Mecklenburg County now has 1.03 million residents, about 10,000 more than Wake County. Greenville
County remains the largest county in South Carolina with about 492,000
residents, followed by Richland County with 407,000 and Charleston
County with almost 390,000.
