Metro Gainesville among country's fastest-growing areas

WASHINGTON - Eight of the country's 10 fastest-growing cities are in the south - and metro Gainesville is one of them.

Gainesville is the country's fourth-fastest growing metropolitan area, based on rate of growth, according to figures released Thursday morning by the Census Bureau.

The population of metro Gainesville - which is defined by the Census Bureua as all of Hall County - grew by 4.5 percent in the year ending last July 1, to just over 180,000. The population of the city, itself, based on the latest Census Bureau estimate is 33,340. At the time of the 2000 census, it was 25,578; the Census Bureau's 2003 estimate put it at 29,578.

The report shows Atlanta, in terms of raw numbers, is number two on the list.

The figures reflect a continuing population shift to the South and West.

The Atlanta metro area saw the second-largest population jump with just over 151,000 new residents, according to the Census Bureau estimates.

Dallas-Fort Worth added more than 162,000 residents between July 2006 and July 2007, more than any other metro area. Phoenix was third with more than 132,000, and was followed by Houston, Riverside, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Austin, Texas; Las Vegas and San Antonio.

And in the past seven years, the Atlanta region added a little more than a million people more than any other region in the country. The metro area's population is now more than 5.2 million.

``The Atlanta area is viewed as a place of opportunity,'' said Mike Alexander, research division chief of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

And census projections show Georgia could gain about four million people by the year 2030.

Consistent job gains among small companies has been the growth engine for the region, said Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Metro Atlanta saw a net growth of 55,000 jobs last year, he said.

In terms of percentage population gain, Gainesville ranked fourth nationally, with a 4.5 percent population gain. Palm Coast, Fla., was first, with a 7.2 percent growth rate.
.......

On The Net:
Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov

(The Associated Press contributed to this story).