Independent Banker - January 2024 - 45

Cities' growth at a glance
The U.S. population is churning between regions.
Between July 2021 and July 2022, relocating residents
brought significant growth to the cities we feature here:
Nampa, ID
Lehi, UT
Georgetown, TX
Cape Coral, FL
City
Cape Coral, FL
Lehi, UT
Nampa, ID
2021 population 2022 population % change
Georgetown, TX 75,620
203,975
79,917
106,525
86,507
216,992
84,373
110,951
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
14.4
6.4
5.6
4.2
ask what's going on, it just makes such
a huge diff erence, " Wright says.
Changing demographics
The growth in Lee County, where
Cape Coral is located, has included
quite a few younger people. While the
fabled " snowbirds " or retirees are still
prevalent, the county is increasingly
attracting year-round residents.
Sanibel Captiva Community
Bank has responded to the younger
demographic by shifting more dollars
to digital advertising and targeted
email campaigns. Amy McQuagge,
VP, director of marketing, says
social media is a critical part of the
marketing mix. " We've discovered
that engaging with our customers
and community via social media
has strengthened and humanized
our brand by highlighting our
community work, featuring
our people and showcasing our
relationships with customers, " she
says. " Our followers have increased
by over 700% in the past fi ve years. "
McQuagge adds that the
community bank uses social media
to promote its more than 400
nonprofi t partners.
" We will leverage our marketing
power to help them promote their
organization or cause, " she says.
" [Our] followers and fans are
diff erent from theirs, so it increases
their reach. It's been an eye-opener
in how we can help them. "
Finding home in
Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown, Texas, county seat of
Williamson County, grew a whopping
14.4% from July 2021 to July 2022,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
This makes it the fastest growing U.S.
city among those of at least 50,000
people, for the second year in a row.
The rapid expansion of Georgetown
and Williamson County for close to a
decade drew $4 billion-asset VeraBank
of Henderson, Texas, to the area.
VeraBank had enjoyed steady
growth in east Texas, but the
community bank's leaders saw the
boom times happening in central
Texas. " We determined to go where
the growth was, " says Brad Tidwell,
president and CEO. So, in 2018,
VeraBank bought Union State Bank,
which had a branch in Georgetown.
The Georgetown market, with its
high rate of home building, proved a
good fi t for VeraBank. The community
bank has about 28% of its loan
portfolio in single-family mortgages.
Like other markets in the U.S., the
housing market in Georgetown has
slowed recently, but it's still quite
healthy. " It's slowed from boom to
really good, " Tidwell laughs. " It's still a
good market to be in. "
Georgetown's population growth
has also spawned an increase in retail
and commercial development. " Ten
years ago, this was primarily more of a
consumer and retail market, " Tidwell
explains. He adds that both consumers
and businesses are looking for a solid
lineup of products and services. " It is
really a very solid market. "
Investing for the future
As part of its growth strategy, VeraBank
has invested heavily in technology. In
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