Sorry, Jersey: N.C. is 10th-biggest state
Published: Fri, Dec. 22, 2006 12:00AM
Modified Fri, Dec. 22, 2006 03:16AM
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closeFuhgeddaboudit, y'all. North Carolina overtook New Jersey in population earlier this year, the U.S. Census Board announced today, re-elevating the Tar Heel State into the top 10.
That may not surprise North Carolina suburbanites who sometimes feel as if they live close to the last stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. A humming state economy, cheaper homes and lower local taxes lure thousands of Jerseyites each year.
They're part of a broader influx. Last year, North Carolina grew by 184,000 people, roughly the size of Winston-Salem.
THE BIG NUMBERS
8,856,505: North Carolina's estimated population as of July 1, 2006
184,046: Net gain from 2005
8,724,560: New Jersey's 2006 population
21,410: Net gain from 2005
32,732: New Jersey residents who moved to North Carolina between 1995 and 2004
(U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE)
THE 2006 TOP 10*
1. California: 36,457,549
2. Texas: 23,507,783
3. New York: 19,306,183
4. Florida: 18,089,888
5. Illinois: 12,831,970
6 Pennsylvania: 12,440,621
7. Ohio: 11,478,006
8. Michigan: 10,095,643
9. Georgia: 9,363,941
10. North Carolina: 8,856,505
*The only change from last year was North Carolina's moving up from No. 11.
(U.S. CENSUS BUREAU)
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"Everybody in my neighborhood is from somewhere else," said former New Jersey resident Mary Johnson, now of Wake Forest. "Really, nobody is from Raleigh."
Population growth will help our bureaucrats get a bit more federal money for Medicare and other subsidies, but all those extra people require more schools and bring more cars to our traffic jams.
Get used to it. By 2030, the Census Bureau expects North Carolina to pass Georgia, Michigan and Ohio with nearly 12.3 million people.
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