The Triangle region of North Carolina, which encompasses Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill is developing rapidly. Raleigh is currently one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, ranking twelfth in the country, growing by 38.85% from 1990 to 2000 (US Census). The growth has spread from Wake, Durham and Orange counties into the bordering Chatham, Johnson and even Alamance counties. Our project investigates many of the social implications of sprawl, focusing especially on the changes occurring to Chatham County as it transforms from a rural, agriculturally based county to suburbs.
The Triangle region of North Carolina, which encompasses Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill is developing rapidly. Raleigh is currently one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, ranking twelfth in the country, growing by 38.85% from 1990 to 2000 (US Census). The growth has spread from Wake, Durham and Orange counties into the bordering Chatham, Johnson and even Alamance counties. Our project investigates many of the social implications of sprawl, focusing especially on the changes occurring to Chatham County as it transforms from a rural, agriculturally based county to suburbs.
There has been an extreme loss of forested land in North Carolina. Much of the South has been economically strapped and opened up to developers for industrial, commerical and residentail developments. Between 1982 and 2002, North Carolina lost 2,568,700 acres of cropland and forestland, while it gained 1,849,800 acres of developed land. The maps on the left show the changes that have been occurring for centuries.