NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (KWWL)-- According to the US Census, North Liberty had the fastest growing population in Iowa between 2010 and 2020. The U.S. Census only reports the percentage increase for cities with 5,000 or more, so other cities with exponential increases like Tiffin are unreported. North Liberty had a 53% raise, while the other Eastern Iowa cities closest were Marion, Iowa City and Coralville which had less than a 20% raise. Behind North Liberty is Ankeny, Iowa, which saw a 48% population increase. In April 2010, the estimated population in North Liberty was 13,374 and by April 2020 the population was estimated at 20,479.

Mayor Terry L. Donahue says the population boom is hard to miss.

"When I first moved here in 1998, there was barely 5,000 people here," Mayor Donahue said.

"Now it's up to the point where we can serve 30,000 plus people," he continued.

The population demographic of North Liberty has shifted too, with nearly a third of the population under the age of 18. The mayor says this shift has changed the physical map layout for North Liberty.

SEE RELATED: What Eastern Iowa looks like, according to Census data

"The school system here has had to add one, two, three grade schools, a junior high, and North Liberty High School all in really a short period of time," he said.

"We've got so many off-street trails, so many wonderful parks here, we've got an amazing community center, all of those amenities are right in your backyard," City Planning Director Ryan Rusnak said.

"It's nice to know you're working for the community but you're also part of the community, I'm in there in the neighborhoods with my kids running around too," he continued.

Both North Liberty leaders don't think the population boom will be changing anytime soon.

""I don't see us slowing down, I see us continuing to grow and continue to be a very sought out place to live," Rusnak said.

And there's a certain area they have their eye on.

"We're getting close to being able to serve our southwest area for utilities so we look at that area as the next big area for big time development," Rusnak added.

The mayor hopes his council will continue to be adaptive to the changes for the city.

"Explore, experiment, don't be afraid to bring new ideas and let's see if we can possibly implement them for the benefit of the total community," Donahue concluded.

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North Liberty has fastest growing population above 5,000 in Iowa - kwwl.com