Abstract:
Every hour adds twenty-one new citizens to the state's population. By 2030, the population is projected to reach twelve million, making North Carolina the seventh most populous state in the nation. Population pressures are straining the state's infrastructure and threatening future economy and quality of life. This article examines what the state must improve in education, clean water and sewage, transportation, and housing in order to meet this population growth. Failure to act will mean North Carolina will be larger in 2030, but not better.