***
NOT FULL YET
We’re No. 6! We’re No. 6!
Brand new data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests that metro Atlanta is not, in fact, full. The region actually added about 69,000 people between 2022 and 2023 — enough to pass both Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia and jump to sixth on the most-populous-metro-areas-in-the-country rankings.
Total population in the 29-county area: 6.3 million or so.
Check out the full story for county-by-county breakdowns. But here are a few tidbits about our booming region (and state) from the AJC’s dedicated data squad:
- Only Texas’ Houston and Dallas-Forth Worth areas added more folks than metro Atlanta over the same time period.
- Gwinnett County saw the largest population bump in the core metro area, adding about 7,000 people. It won’t be long before Gwinnett becomes Georgia’s second county with 1 million residents.
- Out in Jackson County, the Jefferson “micropolitan” region is the fastest-growing such area in the entire country. Major economic development projects like the SK Battery plant helped drive the surge.
- Long County, about an hour’s drive southwest of Savannah, is the nation’s second-fastest growing county.
Overall, Georgia now boasts north of 11 million residents. That’s the eighth most of any state.
Game to jump even further down the population rabbit hole? Start with these recent stories (as well as this delightful dispatch from Edgehill, population 24):
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.
***
CHARGES DISMISSED
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee nixed six of the 41 felony counts in the election interference indictment against former President Donald Trump and five of his co-defendants. The charges are related to allegations that the defendants urged elected Georgia officials to violate their oath of office by helping appoint pro-Trump electors.
McAfee said the allegations in the indictment lacked sufficient…
Read the full article here
