Union County ranked 10th for Growth

Union County has graduated from being the fastest-growing county in the Charlotte region to being the fastest-growing in North Carolina.

And its population explosion ranks among the largest in the nation.

According to new estimates compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau,Union County"s population grew by nearly 13% from April 2000 to July 2002,rising to 139,611 from 123,677.

That"s roughly twice the population growth rate of each of its neighbors nearest Charlotte,including Mecklenburg,Iredell,Cabarrus and York counties,Census figures show.

Union"s rate of growth is the 20th fastest in the country,according to an analysis of the Census data by American City Business Journals,parent of the Charlotte Business Journal.

Union is the only county in the Carolinas to rank among the nation"s 25 fastest growing,the analysis shows. Its 12.9% population increase over the 27-month period compares with a growth rate of 9.3% in Chatham County,which ranks second statewide.

The fastest-growing county in South Carolina is Beaufort,home of Hilton Head Island,which grew by 5.8%. York County ranks second among the Palmetto State"s 46 counties,growing by 5.6% to 173,755 residents.

Loudoun County,Va.,had the country"s largest percentage spike,with its population increasing by 20.3% as suburban sprawl radiated outward from Washington.

The nation"s top 10 growth counties also include four in Georgia -- Forsyth,Henry,Newton and Paulding,all on the outskirts of Atlanta.

Union"s rapid rise

Locally,Union"s growth rate is nearly double that of Cabarrus,which ranks 10th in the state,with a population increase of nearly 7%.

Iredell ranks 13th among North Carolina"s 100 counties,with a population increase of 6.1%,and Mecklenburg ranks 14th,with an increase of 6.1%.

Union"s rapid rise in population may be simply the result of the county"s proximity to jobs in the Queen City,says David Black,Charlotte Regional Partnership director of research.

Some observers speculate that the trend has been aided by affordable housing in Union,especially along the U.S. Highway 74 corridor that connects Monroe,the county seat,to Charlotte.

Whatever the reasons behind the county"s population increase,it"s having a clear impact.

"This kind of growth certainly presents us with some challenges," says Chris Plat,director of business and economic development for the city of Monroe. "Still,I"d rather be facing those challenges than be in a county with a declining population."

The chief concern of rapid residential growth is that it will outpace the community"s ability to pay for schools,roads and other services. Industrial and business growth is also needed,experts say,to keep the tax base expanding to cover such costs.

"Commercial (expansion) is not keeping up with our residential growth," says Charlene Broome,executive director of Vision 2020,a long-range Union planning group.

Finding the right mix

Union county commissioners established Vision 2020,a citizens-based group,in 1999. At the time,the county"s tax base was 71% residential and 29% commercial and industrial.

The mix is now 75% residential and 25% commercial and industrial,Broome says. "We"ve actually gone backward" from Vision 2020"s goal of having a 60-40 split of residential and commercial development,she says. "The growth has been great,but it does have its costs."

In a recent presentation to county commissioners,Vision 2020 officials said Union will need to generate $13 million in new revenue this year to cover the cost of new schools,libraries and other needs. Yearly law enforcement expenses in Union have grown 260% during the past 10 years,rising to $9.8 million,the group"s report states. Annual county school expenses have increased 241% during that period,growing to $17.8 million.

Broome expects the trend to continue. This past year,she notes,the school system added 1,500 students.

While commercial development has not kept pace,the county"s work force has remained employed.

Union"s unemployment rate stands at 4.9%,the lowest rate in the Charlotte region,according to the latest figures from the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

The next-lowest countywide unemployment rate in the region is 5.4% in Mecklenburg.

There are several factors in that low rate. One is that Mecklenburg is a large source of jobs for people who live in Union. Plat also points to the county"s diverse business base.

"We don"t really have the traditional North Carolina industries that many counties have," he says. "There are very few textile companies and no furniture (manufacturing). So we have not been struck as hard by the economic downturn as some of the other counties in the region."

Emphasis on attracting industry

Local officials want to keep it that way. The recent Vision 2020 report recommends that the county step up its economic-development efforts.

Broome says the county can learn from the success the city of Monroe has had with its Monroe Corporate Center,a city-owned business park near Monroe Regional Airport.

"We need to make economic development a top priority," she says.

And as residential growth continues,Plat foresees another,related priority. "We need to protect our commercial and industrial property from being encroached upon" by housing developments,he says.