Published March 27, 2008

Pickens one of 100 fastest growing counties in nation

According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures, Pickens County ranked as the 56th fastest growing county in the nation, and 14th fastest growing in Georgia.
These rankings are no small feat, considering the United States has 3,077 counties in all, and Georgia has 159 (topped only by Texas, which has nearly 100 more at 245).
However, these numbers are based on the percentage increase in population from July 2006 to July 2007, which means some counties on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 100 fastest-growing counties list that ranked below Pickens actually saw a larger number of new faces move in.
For example, in July of 2006 the population in Pickens was 29,232, and in July of 2007 the population was 30,488, which is a 4.3 percent change of 1,256 people. But Gwinnett County (which ranked 18th among fastest growing counties in Georgia and 95th nationwide – lower than Pickens) saw a smaller change in percentage growth at 3.5 percent over the year, but a significantly higher influx of people at 26,544.
Still, Pickens is growing at a higher percentage than the majority of the nation.
Denise Duncan, President of the Pickens County Chamber of Commerce, attributes the growth to “the quality of life Pickens County offers. I feel our community is something to be proud of -- its beauty, its people and its heritage, as well as its belief in upholding this quality of life.”
Commissioner Robert Jones also pointed to the attractive lifestyle in Pickens as being a major contributing factor to the new ranking.
“I think the growth is coming from individuals that are wanting a change in lifestyle,” Jones said. “Pickens offers a unique way of life. We have the benefits of the country, but we aren’t too far from the city.”
There is, however, debate as to whether or not this kind of growth is desirable for the future of the county. Duncan says there are mixed feelings in Pickens about the rapid population influx, but also says, “It can be very positive if done the right way. The Chamber has recently adopted the tag line, ‘Connecting Our Heritage with Your Future.’ With this statement we are saying, ‘We are open to the growth. We are open to people moving into our community. But at the same time, we do not want to lose our heritage or our quality of life.’”
Commissioner Jones says the growth could be a threat to the appealing lifestyle Pickens County offers, but he also says, “We are a bedroom (commuter) community, and we just aren’t going to have huge companies coming to Pickens. I mean, we aren’t going to have an Ikea plant in town. The majority of our businesses have one to five employees.”
Duncan expects the accelerated growth to continue in Pickens “until our infrastructure will no longer allow [it],” and says the city and county are taking these numbers into consideration when making long-term plans. “As far as the projected growth, I think it depends on the infrastructure we have in place as the growth continues.”
According to a March 20 Atlanta Journal Constitution article on the growth, Georgia had more counties than any other state in the nation on the U.S. Census Bureau’s top 100 list, coming in just above Texas. But considering Georgia and Texas have far more counties than the national average of 62 per state, this comes as no surprise.
For more about population growth in the U.S., go to www.census.gov.