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It’s also ranked as the 62nd fastest growing county in the country.
“Here in Bell County, the numerical change of 11,281 is like adding another city of Belton to the county in one year,” County Judge Jon Burrows said. “But none of these figures concerning Bell County surprise me. This is what we have been experiencing for years.”
The census bureau numbers count growth between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007.
The growth rate here was 4.2 percent.
Two Louisiana parishes, St. Bernard and Orleans, are the fastest growing in the country, with a growth rate of 42.9 percent and 13.8 percent respectively.
According to the census estimates, all but one of the nation’s 10 fastest growing counties were located in the South or West. The fastest growing county in Texas was Rockwall County, with a growth rate of 8.2 percent. Rockwall County is the smallest county in the state, and is a suburb of Dallas.
“We believe Temple is growing as fast or faster than the rest of Bell County,” said Lee Peterson, president of the Temple Economic Development Corp. “Temple’s growth stems from increased demand for medical services, transportation and distribution and our industrial base. People today may live in a city different from where they work.”
Burrows said that over the years Temple has planned for steady, consistent growth and has achieved that.
“The city fathers put in place a number of economic generators that have served Temple well,” he said. “Its industrial park and its location with major rail and major highways crossing through make it the perfect location for industry - and not just any industry, but significant industry. Wilsonart, Paxtiv and now Toyota are just a few obvious examples of how successful this deliberate planning by Temple has been. Now the Bioscience Institute is opening the door to the next generation of growth.”
In addition, he said, “Bell County is a pleasant place to live and raise a family. Our cost of living is attractive. Our cost of housing is among the most attractive in the country.”
Peterson added: “Our proximity to major metro areas provides opportunities for people to visit and decide that they would enjoy life here. Location to world-class health care certainly interests many. Many Army retirees make Central Texas their home and many find their place of work as well if we can provide good jobs.”
Temple has always been pro-growth and has viewed growth in the tax base as both desirable and necessary, David Blackburn, city manager, said.
“Desirable in the sense that we want our community to grow, both in terms of size and quality and diversity,” he said. “Necessary in the sense that the alternative, no growth, will create, in the long term, an unsustainable and undesirable community.”
With growth, though, come challenges, the judge, Blackburn and Peterson acknowledged.
“We have to be constantly planning at least 10 to 20 years ahead for infrastructure needs, both in new facilities and the maintaining of existing facilities,” Burrows said. “We have to plan well in advance for needs that must be approved by the Legislature, such as additional courts and judges. We have to keep pace with technology so we can do things faster and better with fewer people.”
In Temple, Peterson suggests that the city must “continue to provide the infrastructure to allow our growth to be planned and organized so we don’t see major problems with traffic and too much congestion.
“Water and waste water need to be available both for industry and residential,” he said. “To accomplish that, we need to continue to grow both our business and industrial base and residential housing.”
Temple’s growth rate has been manageable, Blackburn said, noting that, “rapid growth rates can create more opportunities for demand on services and infrastructure to lag behind available resources trying to meet those demands.
“Of course,” he added, “no growth can create a more untenable situation in terms of needs and demands and resources.”