Jake Browning
reporter@thefranklinpress.com
Macon County’s population is forecast to be slow and steady over the next 25 years, reaching 47,556 by 2045, according to a new transportation plan in development by the Southwestern Commission.
The U.S. Census Bureau put Macon County’s population at 35,285 in 2018.
According to a comprehensive transportation report presented to the Macon County Board of Commissioners at its Nov. 12 meeting, there are no dramatic changes expected in the county’s growth over the next quarter-century.
From 1990 to 2017, Macon’s average annual population growth rate was 1.2 percent. The report predicts that rate to continue over the next 25 years.
Rose Bauguess, senior planner for the Southwestern Commission, said not to expect that growth to be perfectly linear, however, as population growth in any area tends to ebb and flow over time.
“In general, things are a little slow right now, but they’ll pick up again in time,” Bauguess said. “We’ll eventually start seeing more people fleeing urban areas to come somewhere a little bit quieter.”
The commissioners agree that growth will continue at a modest pace. Chairman Jim Tate said Macon County isn’t likely to experience any drastic increase in population over the next few years.
“Because Macon County has approximately half of its land either federally or state controlled, I do not expect to ever have a very significant population increase simply because we do not have the privately held land to absorb it,” Tate said.
Macon County, the Southwestern Commission and the NCDOT are collaborating on the plan.
The purpose of the plan is to make county and state officials more aware of infrastructural needs in Macon County’s transportation system. By comparing base traffic volume projections for the state against the historic growth rate of Macon County, officials can figure out how much to invest in expansion of resources up to 2045.
“Prior to developing traffic forecasts for the future year of 2045, NCDOT needs to make certain assumptions about Macon County’s anticipated growth,” reads a report issued by the Southwestern Commission. “Macon County’s Comprehensive Plan, demographic data, and local knowledge are used to develop the assumptions about future growth and how it will impact the transportation system. NCDOT has worked closely with the local CTP Steering Committee to verify population and employment trends, as well as geographic distribution of growth and development in the county.”
The commissioners voted to endorse the projections as presented by Bauguess. The next steps in the adoption of Macon County’s comprehensive transportation plan will be discussed at the next commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10.