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STEELE CREEK NEWS
Steele Creek
Population Growth Outpaces Mecklenburg County, Census Shows
(August 13,
2021) The 2020 census counts for small area geography were released
yesterday, and they show the 2020 census population of Steele Creek
at 76,301, up 24,287 or 46.7% from the 2010 count of 52,014. The
rate of increase is lower than that of the previous decade when Steele Creek's
population doubled from 25,282 in 2000 to 52,014 in 2010.
Of Steele Creek's total population of 76,301, 59,155,
or 77.5%, was within the Charlotte city limits. Of Steele Creek's
total area of 45.8 square miles, 27.2 square miles, or 59.4%, was
within the Charlotte city limits as of January 1, 2020.
Mecklenburg
County grew by 21% from 919,628 to 1,115,482, so Steele Creek has been
growing at a rate two times that of the county.
As the maps below
show, the population has expanded into areas that were rural in
2000, and had been rural farmland for hundreds of years. The first map shows
dense population in many areas in 2020 that were sparsely populated in 2000.
For 2020,
residential development has filled in a number of areas:
-
Berewick and adjacent areas are more dense
- New apartments along Arrowood Road west of S Tryon Street
- Chapel Cove along Shopton Road W
- Areas south of RiverGate are more dense
- The Palisades and adjacent areas are filling in
Low population density areas include industrial areas
south of the airport and along Westinghouse Boulevard and the
RiverGate and Outlet Mall retail areas. A largely
vacant area south of Sledge Road is one of the few areas left in
Steele Creek where major residential development is planned and will
be filled in in the next few years.
In 2000, Steele Creek contained three densely populated areas:
neighborhoods along South
Tryon Street between Sugar Creek and Arrowood Road in the
northeast, neighborhoods along Sandy Porter Road and Brown-Grier
Road, and neighborhoods located on either side of South Tryon Street west
of Steele Creek down to Erwin Road, including Yorkshire and The
Crossings.
For 2010,
several additional areas showed dense population:
-
Berewick and Stowe Creek northwest of Shopton Road West
- Areas west of Steele Creek Road including Steele Creek
subdivision and Planters Walk
- Areas surrounding the RiverGate corner
- Ayrsley
- The Palisades, although not as pronounced as other areas
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Click on the map
above for a PDF version of the map.
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Click on the map
above for a description of the 2000 census population of Steele
Creek |
A major
difference between the 2000 and 2010 maps is the extent of the Charlotte city
limits. As new development occurred, Charlotte annexed most
of it
into the city. However, involuntary annexations are no longer
allowed, and the last major annexation was in 2011.
If Steele Creek were a city, it would be the 14th largest city in
North Carolina, just behind Gastonia (80,411), and above
Jacksonville
(72,723), Chapel Hill (61,960), and Huntersville (61,376).
Steele Creek increased from 3.6% of the county's population in 2000 to 5.7%
in 2010 and 6.8% in 2020.
New county commissioner and school board districts will be redrawn
before the 2022 election to divide the county's population in 6
approximately equal parts. If Steele Creek remains in tact in one
district, it will make up 41% of that district.
In the 2000 census,
the population density of Steele Creek was 540 persons per square
mile. For 2010, this increased to 1132 persons per square mile and
to 1665 persons per square mile for 2020.
The Steele Creek
population is about 1/3 White, 1/3 Black, 1/6 Hispanic, and 1/6
Other Races.
Racial/Ethnic Category |
Population |
Percent |
Steele
Creek Total (2020 Census) |
76,301 |
|
White alone |
26,592 |
34.9% |
Black or African American alone |
24,906 |
32.6% |
Hispanic or Latino |
14,406 |
18.9% |
Asian alone |
6,598 |
8.6% |
Population of two or more races |
3,058 |
4.0% |
Some Other Race alone |
553 |
0.7% |
American Indian and Alaska Native alone |
133 |
0.2% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone |
55 |
0.1% |
Steele Creek has few
large parcels of land available for development, but the population
should continue to grow as the city approves more apartments and
other dense development.
See also the
2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer.
To comment on this
story, please visit the
Steele Creek Residents Association Facebook Page.
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