PERRY, Ga. — The City of Perry issued 450 building permits for single family homes in 2020.
Businesses closed and people lost their jobs all over the country last year, but despite all the uncertainty that came with 2020, Perry just kept on growing.
"My philosophy is if you're not growing, you're dying," says Bryan Wood, Perry's Director of Community Development.
Back in 2014, they issued just 190 permits.
In 2019, they had 476 applications, but he says 2020 might have been even higher than 450 if not for the pandemic.
"April and into early May, I think, was everybody was waiting to see what was going to happen with the economy," says Wood. "It certainly means there is an interest here. More people typically means more commercial development."
Beth Ann Schnaky says she thinks getting more people into the city is a great thing.
"More people means more customers for historic downtown Perry, which helps keep all the small businesses alive."
Her co-worker Maddie Alford agrees.
"I think it brings more people to learn about Perry, while keeping that small town feel."
Trish Cossart says a thriving residential area means a thriving downtown.
"It's great. It's exciting. We've really worked hard to make our downtown beautiful and vibrant," she says. "We are really looking forward to growth in 2021 and on into 2022."
Wood says building these new homes invests about $90 million into Perry.
"Seeing this residential development and subsequent commercial development I think really shows that Perry is a vibrant place."
He says most of these permits and this growth is happening in the northeast part of the city near Sandefur Road and over by Highway 127.