Mooresville Residents Lured by Lakefront Living and More
More than 800 newcomers arrive here each year – some in search of jobs‚ others attracted by the area’s retirement options‚ the beauty of Lake Norman or the excellent school system.
The fact that several NASCAR racing teams have their headquarters here is part of the allure‚ says Terri Manning‚ a real estate agent who moved to Mooresville in 1997.
“We have a lot of people coming from the north‚ all wanting better weather and less taxes‚” Manning says. “People come here and see that things are moving forward instead of being stagnant. It is very alive here.”
Census figures show Mooresville’s population up from 9‚317 residents in 1990 to almost 22‚000 today. More than 51‚000 in all live in the greater Mooresville-South Iredell region.
The boom is resounding throughout the region’s economy‚ as well. In 2005‚ $352 million in new investment came to Mooresville and 1‚300 jobs were created – both setting records for the region.
Such vigorous business activity is especially welcome in the area‚ which has seen some of its staple industries‚ such as textiles and tobacco‚ move overseas.
Community leaders took a pro-active approach to countering those job losses‚ partly by forming a non-profit development corporation to build new industrial parks‚ explains Melanie O’Connell Underwood‚ executive director of economic development for the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce.
In Boom Town USA‚ The 7 1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns‚ author Jack Schultz ascribed Mooresville’s comeback to its willingness to embrace “the teeter-totter factor” and make small shifts that turned a negative into a positive.
“It was the foresight and the work of those leaders that changed the destiny of our community‚” Underwood says.
Today‚ a number of multi-use commercial and residential centers are springing up. Among them is Langtree at the Lake‚ a $750 million development being constructed along Interstate 77 with condos‚ offices‚ a hotel and businesses. Another is Legacy Village‚ a 450‚000-square-foot development‚ with a mix of commercial and residential uses. The giant Lowe’s home improvement company also recently added 730‚000 square feet to its headquarters.
The growth trend is even earning nationwide recognition. Site Selection magazine recently named Mooresville-Iredell County the country’s Top Micropolitan Area for the second year in a row. The award recognizes small towns for their ability to attract new development and expansions.
Working to keep up with the growth is the Mooresville Graded School District‚ where completion of the new East Mooresville Intermediate School is being followed by construction of another new middle school. Eventually‚ the old Mooresville Middle School will merge with the high school‚ serving grades nine through 12.
Educational excellence is one of the factors that draws many‚ including real estate agent Manning‚ to Mooresville‚ and it’s a quality-of-life feature that local leaders are eager to maintain.
Even though the district has grown from about 1‚200 students to 5‚200 since 2000‚ “we still consider ourselves a small school district‚” says Boen Nutting‚ the district’s director of human resources and public information.
“We still know each other. Our superintendent is still in every single classroom during the school year. We are still putting children first.”
The district earns praises for its highly qualified staff.
“We are able to attract the cream of the crop when it comes to attracting teachers in our classrooms‚” Nutting adds.
Facilities for older residents are also expanding. The South Iredell Senior Center doubled in size last year to support the growing population of retirees.
“We’re seeing more and more newcomers moving to this area‚” said Tina Czarnecki‚ program coordinator at the Senior Center‚ which occupies the lower level of Mooresville’s Charles Mack Citizen Center. “They are moving to be close to family or close to grandchildren or just to be in the South.
