Paulding County boom excites some residents

Paulding County population on the rise

Back in 1990, Paulding County was home to just 81,000 residents. Today, that number has more than doubled, surpassing 183,000. With the population boom, comes new fast-food restaurants, shops and traffic. Most of the people who spoke to FOX 5 were happy about the growth, but want to make sure the county expands carefully.

PAULDING CO., Ga. - Paulding County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state — its population has increased by 75% since 2000 — and there's mixed reaction to the growth the county has seen.

What we know:

Back in 1990, Paulding County was home to just 41,000 residents. Today, that number has more than four times, surpassing 188,000 — and much of the growth is centered around Hiram.

With the population boom, comes new fast-food restaurants, shops and traffic.

What they're saying:

"I think it's about 30,000 a day that hits that red light. So I knew the numbers were going to be good," said Mark Sullins, who owns Big Doug's. "Carruth Parkway is fixing to boom and benefit us, my customers and my employees."

One longtime resident said he's happy about the growth, but he's worried about the number of rental homes in the county.

"We've got two on our street," said William Griswell, who has lived in Paulding County for 40 years. "A lot of times, they won't keep them up.

A study by Georgia State University found that 81% of single-family rentals in Paulding County are owned by large corporations.

Paulding County Commission Chairman Timothy Estes said he believes the county will continue to grow, but he wants to make sure it happens carefully.

"We put in place, there has to be a property manager, so it's actually controlled," said Estes. "We've had tremendous growth, and I'm excited to see that growth."