CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More families are moving to the Tar Heel State, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The state’s permanent resident population increased by 140,000 people from July 2022 to July 2023, according to data from the Office of State Budget and Management. 

The Census Bureau’s numbers also show many people are choosing the bigger metropolitan cities, such as Charlotte and Raleigh, to call home. 

But the growth is also being felt in some nearby cities and towns within close driving distance to the metro areas. 

Albemarle, a city described as having small town charm, is the county seat of Stanly County. 

The town of almost 17,000 residents is located less than an hour’s drive from Charlotte. 

Lindsey Almond serves as The City of Albemarle Economic Development Director, a department working to develop and improve the city’s economy for residents, business owners and future neighbors.

Almond is proud to be in a role that’s working to help her hometown flourish and grow. 

“I was raised in Albemarle, graduated from Albemarle High School,” Almond said. “Within the last 15 years, I have noticed incremental, positive change, not only downtown but the community as a whole.”

Almond said over time, leaders have been responding to the significant, but manageable, growth in the city. 

“Our growth has been manageable, between 3 to 5% population growth within the past few years,” Almond said. 

Over the last four-year period, Almond said the city has had over $36 million in public and private investments come into its downtown, which has helped them to revitalize the area. 

“We’ve added over ten new businesses to our downtown, obviously small businesses, entrepreneurs, and over 40 new jobs added. To some, that may not seem like a lot, but for a community of our size, it shows the investment and progression,” Almond said. 

Almond said the actions city leaders are taking is a reflection of what residents and business owners want to see downtown and the surrounding area. 

“A few years ago, the city engaged the community in a survey,” Almond said. “The community survey told our city council that downtown development and beautification projects were very important to them.” 

Almond said since that survey, the city has continued to respond to the needs of the community. 

An example of redevelopment is the Historic Albemarle Hotel, which now serves as apartment units and Christine’s Wood Fire restaurant.

“Years ago, it was boarded up. This is an over $10 million investment, twenty-nine apartment units, at about 96% capacity,” she said. “Also important to the downtown is the streetscape plan we instituted a few years ago. It helps create an inclusive space where people feel they can come congregate and creates a sense of continuity in the downtown,” Almond said.

Albemarle leaders are also working to meet growing housing needs.

Data provided by the city shows from 2019 through 2023, Albemarle had 805 housing units constructed for an average of 161 units per year. This represents the highest level of residential construction the city has seen in any five-year period. 

So far, in 2024, the city said it has already permitted over 200 new units through the first six months of the year.

The city’s growth has been catching the eyes of business owners who’ve been making a name for themselves in the larger metropolitan areas. 

Ryan Bybee is the owner of Christine’s Wood Fire. The business recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in downtown Albemarle. 

Bybee said his team hadn’t originally planned on opening a restaurant in Albemarle. 

“Christine’s Wood Fire, it’s the fifth restaurant in our group,” Bybee said. "I came thinking, ‘I’m not going to open a restaurant in Albemarle.’ [Then] I come here and I’m blown away by what’s happening in downtown. You can feel the growth."

Bybee said he’s been seeing noticeable growth in the city since he was a child. He added he and his team are excited to see what lies ahead for their ‘small-town’ city. 

“We’re going to do great things here,” said Cody Fincher, executive chef at Christine’s Wood Fire. “You come in from Charlotte where nobody knows anybody’s name. Out in Charlotte, I’m a nobody but here it feels like I’m at home. I truly love it.”

“Long term goal for us is that we become a destination that expands beyond Albemarle, that helps bring people here, so they realize it’s a community where they can come and raise their families,” Bybee said.