The numbers are in and came as no surprise: Northeast Georgia is still growing.

The 2010 census numbers released last week showed that seven of the state's 20 fastest-growing counties are in our region, including Hall, which now has nearly 180,000 residents and remains Georgia's 11th largest.

There's a reason for this: A quality of life that includes Lake Lanier and the mountains, outstanding colleges, parks and recreation facilities, a diversified business community and jobs, all a testament to wise leaders who laid the foundation years ago.

Gainesville grew to more than 33,000 residents, making it no longer the quaint small town it was just a decade or two past. Its population grew 23 percent over the last decade. That growth was dwarfed by Flowery Branch, home of the Falcons, which grew 116 percent to more than 5,000 residents. And Braselton topped that, swelling by more than 300 percent to more than 7,500.

These numbers only confirm what most of us knew as we sit in traffic on busy local highways, work our way through area supermarkets full of shoppers or send our kids to schools with trailers serving to provide extra classroom space.
People are choosing to live in our area in greater numbers, and have been for some time.

Now our area needs to maintain that forward-thinking approach to handle the population growth we already have and continue to manage our natural and made-made resources wisely as our neighborhoods, schools and businesses keep growing.

Hall County took an important first step recently when voters approved extension of the special purpose local option sales tax to pay for school improvements. While many argued eloquently over the need to end excessive taxation, the facts spoke for themselves, and local schools' critical needs were clear to the majority of those who cast votes.

No one likes to spend money. But when we're in debt, the roof is leaking, the plumbing is broken and the heating and air conditioning don't work, we reach for our wallets, however reluctantly, and take care of the problem.

The SPLOST vote is just one way our area continues to look ahead to future growth and not back to a past that we can never recapture. Today, our annual Progress sections in print editions of The Times provide a glimpse at that future in six topic areas: Health and Safety, Education and Government, Arts and Community, Sports and Leisure, Business and Industry and Poultry.

The stories show how local leaders in all sectors are seeking to stay ahead of growth with policies and practices that will keep our area's quality of life attractive to future residents and businesses. After all, in this competitive global economy, forward is the only direction; standing still is akin to moving backward while the rest of the world, nation and state pass us by.

This is how we hope Hall and other area counties will adapt its strategies to meet coming needs. For instance, the advancement of a plan to save and conserve the region's water resources will become a key topic in the years to come, even if the federal court ruling limiting water use from Lake Lanier doesn't come to pass in 2012. Whether legal rulings go in Georgia's favor, future droughts will still make it necessary to be more proactive in how we preserve the water we have.

Another example is transportation, where an upcoming vote for a regional sales tax for roads will require political leaders to work together across county lines. Such issues can't be solved easily by single government bodies, and must include a more integrated approach.

Cooperation is the only path to solutions for all. When leaders squabble and act to protect only their own turf, little gets done and growth overwhelms us.

Politicians also need to stop fighting the last war and realize new residents require the kind of amenities they have come to expect, even when budgets are tight. A forward-thinking community can't just fix potholes and pick up the trash; it needs libraries, parks and community centers that provide central gathering spots and lifestyle enhancements that will keep its residents satisfied. Those aren't just luxuries but necessities if we are to keep people coming here for the right reasons.

Beyond that, such improvements will continue to draw commercial interests to our area, a vital aspect of creating the proper balance. More businesses mean more jobs, a shared tax burden and money being spent here instead of neighboring counties, which boosts local government coffers for the needs to come.

To many local residents, growth is a bad word, symbolic of more people scrambling to grab up diminishing resources. It can and will be that way only if we fail to take control of it properly. Despite the desires of some, we can't put up gates at the county line or city limits. We either master the growth we have or risk letting it master us.

But with the right mix of policies and government cooperation, we can make our area's expansion work to improve our lives and enhance what we already have for future generations.