HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — We're launching a new series called "Boomtown," to take a look at the growth in Houston County over the years and what might happen to the community in the future.
2020 Census forms will start showing up in mailboxes in March. Data from the last two Censuses showed big growth in Houston County, where the population grew almost 40% in the last 20 years.
That growth prompted a lot of changes, including new houses, businesses, and road projects.
Google Earth images of Houston County in 1984 show a lot of green space and undeveloped areas. Those same areas look a lot different in satellite images taken throughout the next three decades leading up to the present. Many of those empty areas throughout the county now show neighborhoods, businesses, and other developments.
PHOTOS | Houston County growth over the years
Census numbers only further prove that growth.
According to the U.S. Census website, Warner Robins saw close to a 10% jump in population over the last decade, with 2019 estimates passing 75,000 people. More than 3,000 new housing units also showed up between 2000 and 2017.
In Perry, the population almost doubled from 2000 to 2018, growing from 9,602 to 17,377 people. Census numbers also show more than 2,300 new housing units.
The trend is similar in Centerville, where the population grew by close to 3,400 between 2000 and 2017, and housing numbers almost doubled.
The U.S. Census site does not track data specifically for the Bonaire and Kathleen communities, but the growth is evident even with a glance at Google Earth images over the last three decades.
Join us next Thursday, Feb. 13 for our next "Boomtown" story, as we take a look at the changing and growing identity of Houston County.
BOOMTOWN WARNER ROBINS
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