Results from North Carolina, due to be released later this month, are expected to show dramatic growth in Charlotte, the Raleigh area and the coast.
Overall, the state grew 15.1% in the 1990s, with its head count topping four million for the first time. South Carolina also became more suburban during the decade. Suburban counties grew by 18%, while urban counties grew 12% and rural populations were up by 13%.
Areas around Charlotte fueled the growth in many formerly small towns such as Fort Mill in York County. The county itself added 25% in the past decade to its population, according to the Census, making it the sixth fastest growing of the state's 46 counties. Beaufort, home to the resort community of Hilton Head Island, grew the most at 40%.
Other fast-growing counties included Horry and Edgefield, which grew at a 34% rate, and Lexington County, which had a 29% increase.
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David Wilkening
David Wilkening began his long journalism career as a police reporter for Chicago-area newspapers. He became a writer-editor for major newspapers in Chicago, Washington, Detroit and Florida. He has been a business editor, political editor and travel editor for newspapers and magazines. He tried for a while to be a political operative but did better as an adjunct college professor teaching English and journalism. He is the author of several books, both ghost-written and under his own name. He is also a widely published freelance writer who currently lives in Orlando.
