The latest Census estimates show Augusta’s population grew by 127 residents in 2014, providing hope that it won’t have to surrender its title as Georgia’s second-largest city to Columbus by the end of the decade.
After losing 690 residents in 2013, Augusta’s population increased last year from 196,614 to 196,741 residents.
The slight boost would have been enough to overtake Columbus as Georgia’s largest city outside Atlanta, if it could have included the towns of Hephzibah and Blythe, which together have about 4,653 residents.
In 2013, the consolidated city of Columbus-Muscogee County, which includes no towns outside its incorporated limits, added 3,911 people and saw its population soar to 203,952 residents, but the celebration was short-lived.