2020 Georgia Urban Area Populations from US Census Bureau (Atlanta, Columbus: crime, credit)

[Atlanta-Kid]

Originally Posted by masonbauknight

The US Census Bureau just released its 2020 urban area figures, generally published two years after the official decennial census.
Takeaway 1: The definition of "urban area" became stricter in 2020: Inhabited areas now must be in closer proximity (1.5 miles or less) to other residential areas compared to 2010. As a rule, this made it more difficult than before for an urban area to post an increase in population or a percentage gain over 10 years.
Takeaway 2: Nonetheless, urban Gainesville was the winner in Georgia, more than doubling in population since 2010. Gainesville now has almost the same urban figure as Columbus. Ten years ago, Columbus and Savannah had very similar urban populations.
Takeaway 3: Urban Augusta, Athens, and especially Savannah grew at higher percentage rates than urban Atlanta did.
Takeaway 4: Warner Robins moved ahead of Macon in urban population, while Athens moved ahead of both Warner Robins and Macon.
Takeaway 5: Albany has lost a significant number of residents since 2010.

The 2020 Georgia top ten:

1. Atlanta, 4,999,259 (+483,840 residents or +10.71% since 2010)
2. Augusta, 431,480 (+44,697, +11.55%)
3. Savannah, 309,466 (+48,789, +18.71%)
4. Columbus, 267,746 (+14,144, +5.58%)
5. Gainesville, 265,218 (+134,372, +102.69%)
6. Athens, 143,213 (+14,459, +11.22%)
7. Warner Robins, 141,132 (+8,023, +6.02%)
8. Macon, 140,111 (+7,741, +5.62%)
9. Albany, 85,960, (–9,819, –10.25%)
10. Valdosta, 77,085 (+316, +0.41%

I really believe that investing in some sort of expressway connection to Albany would help
From Columbus-Cordele- and or Tifton

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by Atlanta-Kid

I really believe that investing in some sort of expressway connection to Albany would help
From Columbus-Cordele- and or Tifton

I-185 needs to be extended to South Georgia from Columbus.

[cdw1084]

Originally Posted by Atlanta-Kid

So Macon really isn't a major city anymore...

Atlanta is the only major city in GA. Macon is 2nd tier, along with Augusta, Savannah, and Columbus.

[masonbauknight]

Originally Posted by cdw1084

Atlanta is the only major city in GA. Macon is 2nd tier, along with Augusta, Savannah, and Columbus.

Macon is falling out of the 2nd tier, which I think was Atlanta-Kid's point. Macon has probably already entered the 3rd tier with these 2020 MSA and Urban Area stats. Athens is on schedule to join the 2nd tier.

[Atlanta-Kid]

Originally Posted by cdw1084

Atlanta is the only major city in GA. Macon is 2nd tier, along with Augusta, Savannah, and Columbus.

Ah
I was speaking major as in 2nd Tier- thank you for the proper verbiage.
It seems as though Athens has stepped above Macon

[midgeorgiaman]

Originally Posted by masonbauknight

Macon is falling out of the 2nd tier, which I think was Atlanta-Kid's point. Macon has probably already entered the 3rd tier with these 2020 MSA and Urban Area stats. Athens is on schedule to join the 2nd tier.

I disagree. Macon and Warner Robins are far closer and intertwined than the other 2nd tier cities and their CSA counterparts. Macon (Bibb County) is a small county where those looking for better schools don't have to move far and Robins AFB(the largest employer in the midstate) is in Houston and keeps WR from being a full bedroom community. I know the technical definition by the Census keeps Macon and WR from being one metro, but they are essentially one--- far more connected than Auburn/Opelika is to Columbus or Hinesville to Savannah.

Honestly, seeing Macon grow in population was a positive as the family set has in many cases given up on the city due to school perception. Macon remains the sole owner of cultural amenities in the area---in the traditional ideals of a city vs suburb (arts, sports, community events, high-level medical care, non-chain restaurants and non-chain shopping), Warner Robins residents have to come to Macon for many non-surburban things.

So I guess, all of that is to say, Macon is not a tier behind cities like Columbus and certainly not Athens. Columbus and Macon are very similar and Athens is completely different.

[cdw1084]

You guys got to take these UA numbers with a grain of salt. For instance, there's no way that one can believe that Gainesville is above Macon and in a tier with Columbus. Athens entering the second tier may sound more like it. Warner Robins, despite it's UA population is not 2nd tier either.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Atlanta-Kid

I really believe that investing in some sort of expressway connection to Albany would help
From Columbus-Cordele- and or Tifton

Originally Posted by Columbus1984

I-185 needs to be extended to South Georgia from Columbus.

Unfortunately, as far as many people in the state are concerned (including seemingly many in Georgia state government), the current 4 and 5 lane GA-520 surface highway route between Columbus and Albany, the current 4 and 5 lane GA-300 (the “Georgia-Florida Parkway”) surface highway route between Cordele and Albany, and the current 4 and 5 lane US-82 surface highway route between Albany and Tifton are the expressway connections between Albany and the cities of Columbus, Cordele and Tifton.

In the current environment where the state’s political focus is increasingly on metro Atlanta, North Georgia and Coastal Georgia and seemingly very few other parts of the state beyond those areas, the expansion of the aforementioned routes to 4 and 5 lane surface highways in decades past very likely unfortunately is going to be the only meaningful transportation infrastructure investment that an area like Albany and Southwest Georgia are going to get.

With Georgia state government being highly unlikely to make anymore significant transportation infrastructure investments in Albany and Southwest Georgia, the relatively much more attainable goal that likely would be able to help that region is increased investment in growing a postsecondary educational institution like Albany State University to be a much stronger economic force in the region.

Though, admittedly, Albany and Southwest Georgia seem to be at a growing disadvantage compared to most of the state’s other regions, particularly in an environment where most of the people and investment are going to metro Atlanta and North Georgia, and Coastal Georgia… With areas like Augusta, Columbus and Houston County soaking up most of what growth remains after metro Atlanta, North Georgia and Coastal Georgia suck it all up.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by cdw1084

I wonder if they're going to combine Gainesville and Metro Atlanta into one MSA since it appears that Gainesville benefited from the upper part of Gwinnett County.

Gainesville hasn’t just benefited from much growth spilling directly over into southern Hall County from neighboring Gwinnett County.

Gainesville has also benefited greatly from being in a very prime location on the shores of Lake Lanier (the primary water source for much of metro Atlanta) in the Northeast Georgia foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along an Interstate highway spur (Interstate 985) that provides direct access to what at times has been one of the fastest-growing large major metropolitan areas on the planet in nearby Atlanta.

Gainesville has also benefited greatly from being located northeast of the Atlanta metropolitan area and having good access to the fast-growing markets of the Carolina Piedmont and the heavily populated markets of the Mid-Atlantic/Northeastern U.S. by way of road and freight rail.

Because of its location, Gainesville enjoys the unique position of being its own metropolitan area with its own sphere of influence in the Northeast Georgia Mountains region while also being considered to be a key exurban part of the greater Atlanta metropolitan region.

South Hall County (especially in the part of the county with Flowery Branch street addresses where the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility is located) is pretty much far outer-suburban/exurban Northeast metro Atlanta, while the most northern parts of Hall County do not consider themselves to be part of metro Atlanta and consider themselves to be part of the greater Northeast Georgia Mountains region.

Originally Posted by cdw1084

You guys got to take these UA numbers with a grain of salt. For instance, there's no way that one can believe that Gainesville is above Macon and in a tier with Columbus. Athens entering the second tier may sound more like it. Warner Robins, despite it's UA population is not 2nd tier either.

I know that it definitely may be difficult for some people (particularly in other parts of Georgia) to believe that Gainesville could be above Macon and in a tier with Columbus when it comes to urban area population.

But (like much of the Northern Crescent suburbs and exurbs of the greater Atlanta region) the growth in the Gainesville area has been very robust for at least about the last 3 decades but often has been completely bonkers since the start of the pandemic.

That’s because of the presence of Lake Lanier (which is much of metro Atlanta’s main water source) in the Gainesville area, which has emerged as an increasingly dominant hub of industrial economic activity for the Northeast Georgia Mountains region over the past 3 decades or so.

(Gainesville proudly proclaims itself to be “The Poultry Processing Capital of the World” because of the numerous chicken and poultry processing plants located in the Gainesville area and surrounding Hall County.)

Gainesville (not necessarily unlike an area like Houston County in Middle Georgia decades before it) also has benefited greatly from having some extremely powerful political connections (who often have been half-jokingly referred to as the “Hall County Mafia”) at the state and federal levels who have been able to steer large amounts of investment into the Gainesville area.

Former Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and outgoing Georgia Senate President pro tempore Butch Miller (along with former high-ranking US Congressman Doug Collins) all hailed from the Gainesville area and would use their power and influence to guide state and federal investment dollars into the area.

Because of the area’s prime location in the Northeast Georgia foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on Lake Lanier, and because of the area’s extremely powerful political connections, Gainesville continues to get numerous high-profile economic development projects steered into the area by state officials at a noticeably robust clip.

The I-985 corridor through Hall County continues to explode with industrial development (warehouses and manufacturing facilities).

And many real estate agents in the Gainesville area report selling many houses to a noticeable number of newcomers from California, many of whom were affluent buyers who would pay all cash to purchase homes in Hall County after selling their California homes for record amounts during the height of the pandemic from Spring 2020 to Spring 2022.

The development patterns in Gainesville and Hall County are also exceedingly low-density in character… That’s unlike in an urban like Columbus, whose relatively significantly higher-density development patterns on the Georgia side of the area are almost severely constrained to an area within about 10 miles of the Chattahoochee River because of the presence of the physically expansive Fort Benning military reservation just outside of the city.

And the most recent census estimates for 2021 are showing Hall County (home county of Gainesville) to have a higher population than Muscogee County (home county of Columbus) by about 1,752 residents (207,369 residents in Hall County compared to 205,617 residents in Muscogee County).

The 2021 census estimates also show Hall County as having 50,607 more residents than Bibb County (207,369 residents in Hall County compared to 156,762 residents in Bibb County, which has a consolidated city-County municipal government with Macon).

It understandably may be difficult to believe that the Gainesville area may be larger than more established areas like Columbus and Macon. But the growth in the Gainesville area definitely is for real.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by alex_hodo

all population growth is not necessarily a great thing

True.

But significant population losses in an area very often don’t signal good things, either.