Groveland, Georgetown are sprouting

Staff Reports

July 02, 2009 12:02 am

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NEWBURYPORT — The populations of Groveland and Georgetown are among the fastest growing in the region, according to estimated figures released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Groveland is adding 19 percent to its population since 2000. It now stands at 7,198.

Not far behind is Georgetown, which has seen a 16.1 percent growth, to 8,629 residents.

That puts the population growth in those towns at levels normally seen in the fast-growing sections of the Southwest.

By comparison, the populations of Amesbury and Newburyport have barely grown since the 2000 census was taken. Newburyport grew about 1.9 percent, to 17,542. Amesbury registered the smallest growth in the region, just .5 percent, which puts the population at 16,584.

The figures reflect the approximate population on July 1, 2008, and are based on data like birth and death certificates. The nation's official head count is taken every 10 years.

The Census Bureau considers the 10-year count to be far more accurate than the annual estimate because it relies on an army of data collectors and more comprehensive collection techniques than are used in the estimated census.

Georgetown has seen developments sprout across its landscape over the past few years, most visibly an over-55 neighborhood and a large apartment complex next to Interstate 95.

"It's a nice town with a good reputation for good schools, and it's ideally located between Route 95 and Route 495, with Route 97 running through it," said Tillie Evangelista, a Planning Board member and former selectman. "There's an abundance of commuter traffic, at least 20,000 cars a day going through the (Georgetown) Square."

Georgetown also has the kind of financial statistics that attract new homeowners — fairly high home values ($422,000 on average), and moderate tax bills ($4,213, ranking it 113th highest in the state and among the lowest tax burdens in the Greater Newburyport area).

Evangelista said Georgetown has struggled to keep up with the growth. It enacted a growth-control bylaw that limits the number of homes that can be built; it is searching for new sources of water; it is trying to make sure that the schools are large enough to handle an anticipated rapid growth in the student population; and it is trying to ensure that new businesses move to town to support the tax base.

"With more population comes a lot of services that need to be provided," she said.