Agenda - 06-04-1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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kg North Carolina is not characterized by large urban centers and the rural counterpart to this pattern in Orange County is the dispersed pattern of small population communities. This rural-urban balance is apparently preferred and maintained by many newcomers to the County.. Patterns of employment and residential location support this rural/suburban environment. Research Triangle Park serves as the primary rural focus to this pattern of decentralizing population. Its impact has been significant an commer- cial and industrial expansion Within and outside its borders. It will probably continue to exert the single most important influence tied to the population growth in Orange County. The extensive rural highway system maintained by the state augments this pattern of decentralization through the facilitation of commutation within Orange County and between Orange County and employment centers in Durham and the Research Triangle Park. Orange County is the only SMSA County in the Triangle J region to suffer a net loss due to commutation patterns, emphasizing its relative attractiveness in terms of a place of residence for persons taking advantage of employment opportunities outside the County. To what degree future availability and costs of energy will affect this pattern is yet unknown. The construction of proposed I-40 extension may contribute a local influ- ence to the settlement pattern by again facilitating easy commutation. However, its location and existence is a matter of eentroversy at this time. It is clear that certain intangible factors are the key to this pattern of population decentralization relative to employment. They include the availability of recreational and higher educational opportunities in Orange County and the general attractiveness of the County as a place of residence. The point when these intangibles become less important in the residential location decisions of persons migrating to the County will have tremendous impact on the County's growth.. The pattern of residential decentralization in rural areas has serious implications for the vitality of the agricultural sector. Residential growth pressures mei- result in forcing the land out of production either as a result of rising land values and nuisance suits brought by residents in the vicinity of farm operations or by creating the economic context in which farmland owners recognize the economic gain to be realized through farmland conversion. POPULATION PROJECTIONS Once current population figures have been established, attention should turn to the calculation and analysis of future population projections. These projections provide an important framework for estimating the extent of future impacts on human, economic and natural resources resulting from increase demand for the use of land. Methodology Estimates of population growth in each of the townships over the next 20 years were made by extrapolating from past population trends. nprAnAinm