Garner, nestled just south of downtown Raleigh, was the 10th-fastest growing town in the country last year, according to new data from the Census, which looked at cities and town with populations of 20,000 or more.
Why it matters: Known for being the home of country singer Scotty McCreery and a giant Amazon distribution center, Garner has long seen slower growth than some of its southern Wake County neighbors, like Apex or Holly Springs, The News & Observer noted.
Zoom in: Garner's population grew 10.4% last year to 39,345 people.
And since the pandemic, it's population has grown by more than 25%.
Other takeaways from the Census' latest look at the growth of cities:
🤏 Raleigh should cross 500,000 residents this year. Last year, it came in at just under 499,825 — a figure that was up 6.8% from 2020.
🥉 Durham did cross the 300,000-resident mark, with 301,870 people. That was up 6.4% from 2020 and puts it within 5,500 people of passing Greensboro to become North Carolina's third-largest city.
🏙️ Charlotte is now the country's 14th-largest city with a population of 943,000.
