That may not sound very impressive but put another way, Currituck's growth was 98th greatest of all 3,141 counties in the nation. Besides, only five other North Carolina counties were ranked among the top 100. Dare County was not among them.

The five others were number 14 Union County (adjacent to Charlotte, the state's largest city and the country's 33rd fastest growing metropolitan area) with a population growth rate of 60.5% from 2000 to July of last year; Brunswick (home of southern Outer Banks beach resorts), 38th (46.4%); Wake, 45th (42.9%); Johnston, 66th (38.2%), and Hoke County (Fort Bragg) at 95th (34.2%).

The Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area, which includes Wake, Johnston and Franklin counties, had the biggest gain of any metropolitan area in the top 50 and jumped 10 spots from 59th to 49th in the nation with an increase of 41.2%.