S. Fulton cities growing fastest, led by Chattahoochee Hills

Cities in south Fulton had the highest rates of population increase in the county during the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Chattahoochee Hills and Fairburn grew 39% and 29%, respectively.

Voters approved the city of South Fulton for cityhood in 2016. Since 2010, the community’s population has increased 16% and had an estimated population of 99,000 people in 2019.

Other Fulton County cities have also grown considerably since 2010. Atlanta has grown 21% and continues to have the highest population in the state at 500,000 people.

Sandy Springs, the second-most populous city in Fulton County, grew from about 93,000 in 2010 to nearly 109,500 people in 2019, a 17% increase.

Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said much of the growth came from real estate developers when the Great Recession ended circa 2009. City officials have worked to manage the growth, Paul said. Downtown Sandy Springs has new luxury residential communities including City Springs, which was designed to be the city’s focal point.

“We’ve worked really hard on providing a high quality of life for our citizens with the Performing Arts Center and the city center over the last few years,” Paul said. “We’ve tried to sustain and absorb the growth.”

Other North Fulton cities have experienced steady growth in the past decade. Milton increased its population 21% to nearly 33,000.

Alpharetta had a population of 67,213 in 2019, an increase of 17% since 2010. But, before the pandemic, Mayor Jim Gilvin regularly said that number doubles on weekdays due to corporate employees commuting into the city for work.

Johns Creek and Roswell experienced population increases of about 11%.

East Point and Mountain Park had the lowest percentage increases in population. East Point had a 3% increase from the start of the decade to 2019. Mountain Park’s population grew 4%.