2.2 Population Changes
Growth patterns and the quick pace of new and emerging technologies and markets infuence economic development strategies and patterns, neighborhood and community structure, urban growth, transportation patterns, and infrastructure needs. Evidence can be seen in shifts away from manufacturing and industrial jobs to service- and technology-oriented jobs (Jacobsen and Mather 2010) and the growth of innovation hubs and cluster-based economic development strategies (NGA 2013) . Other indicators include commuting patterns that have changed signifcantly over the last three decades, with more people driving alone and longer distances between home and work and fewer using carpools or walking to work (Jacobsen and Mather 2010) . Several reasons have been cited for this trend, including increases in car ownership, job growth in subur- ban and surrounding areas, and an increase in the need to combine trips between home and work with stops at the day care, grocery store, and other locations (Ungemah et al. 2007; Jacobsen and Mather 2010) . With continued population and development growth, we can expect continued changes to land uses and a persistent need for conservation and protection of important natural resources. Between 2000 and 2010, North Carolina gained almost 1.5 million residents to reach a total population of 9.5 million (Tippett 2013) . Over this same period, North Carolina was the 6th fastest growing state in the nation. Its growth rate was 18.5%, nearly double the national rate of 9.7%. While its growth rate will slow, the state as a whole is projected to gain roughly 1 million residents each decade through 2014 and rise from being the 10th most populous state to the 8th by 2040. Te number of state residents is projected to be approx- imately 10.6 million in 2020 and 11.6 million in 2030, an increase averaging 400 new resi- dents per day (NCOSBM 2015) . Population growth around the state’s major urban centers has been signifcant. For exam- ple, population growth in the Charlotte metropolitan area was about 32% from 2000 to 2010, which is about three times the national growth average (Chesser 2015) . During this same period, Union County, adjacent to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County urban area, had a 63% growth rate—the highest rate in North or South Carolina during that period (Chesser 2015) . Projections indicate growth trends will continue around large urban centers while rural and less populated areas may experience low growth or population declines. Figure 2.1 depicts projected population growth rates for 2030–2035 in North Carolina by county (OSBM 2015) , and supports predictions that growth will center around major metro- politan areas. Data for the Raleigh-Durham urban area shows that nearly 70% of the population growth in this urban area occurred in Wake County (USDHUD 2013) , which includes the Cary, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, Morrisville, and Apex municipalities. Available housing in the area was projected to meet only 6% of projected demand based on expected population
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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