Caledonia is a small town that thinks big.
Over the past 20 years, the town has seen an explosion of growth, drawing families from Columbus and the nearby Air Force base with its top-notch schools.
The town, which had a population of 1,015 in 2000, has grown to the point where it has had to build another well and a water treatment facility to meet demand, said City Water and Sewer Department Superinten-dent Benny Coleman.
“We were at the borderline limit of what we could pump to satisfy the needs of the customers,” he said.
When he took over as superintendent in May 2003, the department was billing 1,615 customers, Coleman said. In July 2010, the department billed 19,035 customers.
The town paid more than $4 million, including almost $1.2 million in stimulus funds, for the new well and treatment facility, which should be finished by the end of the year, Coleman said.
The school system, he added, is what has attracted people to the community.
Caledonia School, which has an elementary, middle and high school, has had more than 400 students join its ranks since 2004, said Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Mike Halford.
“That tells me young families are moving into the town and building houses to stay,” he added.
Caledonia Elementary was named a star school this year for its test scores and growth, Halford said.
The influx of new students has classes bursting out of their classrooms, he said. Construction is in progress now to give the elementary and middle schools four new classrooms each.
“That campus has taken a completely new look because of the growth of the city,” Halford said.
Caledonia Mayor George Gerhart said business is also popping, with small businesses joining established companies like Caledonia Gas Storage company, which pays hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes to Lowndes County and $20,000 annually to the town.
About four to six businesses have started up in the Caledonia community within the last year, including a daycare center and a home decor store, Gerhart said.
“I think things are going really well right now considering the shape of the economy,” he added.
The town has in recent years added a YMCA, a popular park, several large church buildings and a health clinic, to name a few.
While the town is growing, Gerhart said, the community outside the town limits is growing even faster as developers turn farmland into subdivisions and lots for houses.
Columbus-based Mark Frady Construction is constructing an upscale subdivision called Cobblestone Village, he said. Other developers are also moving into the area with their eye on building rental houses.
“If you can”t rent out here, there”s something not right,” he said.
According to the U.S. Census, there were a total 395 housing units in the town in 2000.
Longtime Caledonia resident Walt Willis said it was “unreal” how many houses have been built in just the last two years.
“There are houses out here we wouldn”t have had a few years ago,” he said.
He added: “Our growth has slowed just like everyone else is, but we”re still growing.”
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