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Fayette County's population

growth rate slowed last year to its lowest in years, while Coweta County's

numbers surpassed its neighbor to the east for the first time since the

1980s, according to estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

During the period from July

1, 2001 to July 1, 2002, Fayette County added just 2,033 people, the Census

estimated, for a growth rate of 2.1 percent.

Fayette's population was estimated

at 96,611 on July 1 last year. Coweta County's was 97,771, for a growth

rate of 3.7 percent over the previous year.

Fayette County Commission Chairman

Greg Dunn believes Fayette's growth rate is just about right.

"I think the growth rate

has kept up with our infrastructure," he said.

The County Commission has been

known in the past few years for slow groth policies, and the Census figures

seem to back up the county's policy.

Coweta added 3,699 people during

the period, the Census said.

Georgia's most populous county,

Fulton, registered near zero growth during the period, according to Census

estimates, even while residential construction continued at a healthy

clip in the south end of the county. The Census said Fulton had just 254

net population gain, to 825,431.

Fulton's stagnant growth was

mirrored in many of the state's largest urban counties. Both Columbus-Muscogee

County and Augusta-Richmond County lost population during the year, while

DeKalb and Chatham, like Fulton, had negligible growth.

But three Metro Atlanta "exurban"

counties, including one Southside county, continued to rank among the

top 10 fastest growing counties in the nation.

Henry County ranked third in

growth nationally, adding 9,280 people for a total of 139,699, or a rate

of 7.1 percent.

Forsyth County, north of Atlanta,

ranked fourth, adding 7,741 people, bringing its population to 116,924,

also a rate of 7.1 percent.

And Newton County, east of

Atlanta on I-20, made the list at No. 7 nationally, growing by 4,451 people

to 71,594.

Rockwell County in Texas, near

Dallas, recorded the fastest growth in the nation, at 7.9 percent.

Fayette County's growth was

still better than the state as a whole. Georgia grew by about 150,000

people during the period to about 8.5 million, the Census estimated, or

a rate of just 1.8 percent. That's significantly less than the record-setting

growth the state recorded in the late 1990s, and the first significant

slowdown in Georgia growth in more than a decade credited with the state's

struggling service economy, hit hard after 9/11 last year.

Chris Clark of the Fayette

County Development Authority said he wasn't surprised by Fayette's slow-growth

figures, citing the significant reduction in new housing starts in Peachtree

City as the community nears "build-out", and a county landuse

plan that restricts dense housing in unincorporated areas.

In fact, Clark said Fayette

County's lack of sewer service will continue to be the driving force in

controlling the rate of growth for years to come.

The county plan allows for

a rate of growth of about 3 to 4 percent a year, Clark said, and this

year's Census estimate is proof that Fayette's strategy is working.

Ironically, though, the population

estimate the development authority and other county agencies use for planning

purposes is significantly higher than the Census numbers, Clark said.

As of Jan. 1 of this year,

Fayette's population totaled 102,000, according to Clark's calculations.

He said the county uses similar methods as the Census to make the estimate,

including housing trends, demographics and economic factors. It also considers

the annual population estimates released by the Atlanta Regional Commission,

another compilation based on more speculation than hard evidence.

The ARC numbers for 2002, released

on April 1 this year, showed Fayette with 97,300 people. That estimate

reflects a growth rate of 3.3 percent from the previous year, higher than

the Census prediction.

Clark said Fayette's demographics

and a steady adherence to the land use plan in place should mean more

controlled, steady growth for years to come.

"We're really one of the

smallest counties in the state in land area, but because of the leadership

we've had and the type of growth we've sought out, we're in good shape

for the future," Clark said.

More detailed census figures

can be found at www.census.gov.