Greenville knocks Asheville out of top 10 biggest NC cities

Here’s the story from the Greenville Daily Reflector:

Greenville grew to North Carolina’s 10th largest city in 2007, according to data released earlier this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Greenville’s population as of July 1, 2007, was 76,058, up from 60,476 when the decennial census results were released in 2001. That is a nearly 26 percent increase in seven years.

“I don’t think it was a surprise,” said City Manager Wayne Bowers, “because anyone who lives in Greenville sees the growth on a daily basis.” The census numbers are an official confirmation, he said.

Greenville ranked 13th among the state’s municipalities in 2001. This latest survey puts its population above Asheville (73,875 in 2007) and Jacksonville (74,614 in 2007). Of the state’s 10 largest cities, only Greenville and Wilmington (99,623) have fewer than 100,000 people.