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EXISTING CONDITIONS <br /> <br />It is necessary to understand all aspects of a community, both past <br />and present conditions, in order to accurately study and plan for <br />its future. A general overview of the existing land use in the <br />North Central Area will aid in this understanding. The overview <br />also allows planners to better determine how this planning area <br />fits within the County and its surrounding region. <br /> <br />As the name of this area plan suggests, the North Central area is <br />at the very northern and central edge of Cabarrus County directly <br />east of and along the borders of Concord and Kannapolis, and <br />northwest of the Town of Mt. Pleasant (see Map __.). This study <br />area is made up of Townships 5 and 6 (New Gilead and Rimertown) as <br />well as a minimal portion of Townships 4 and 11 (Kannapolis and <br />Central Cabarrus). The area makes up 13% of the County's total <br />acreage. <br /> <br />Interstate 85 runs north-south along the northwestern edge, NC <br />Highway 49 North is the southern .boundary, and NC Highway 73 East <br />crosses the lower portion of the planning area. Other major <br />thoroughfares providing access to Concord, Kannapolis, and Rowan <br />County include Old Concord-Salisbury Road, Irish Potato/Cold <br />Springs Road, and Gold Hill Road. <br /> <br />This is a sparsely developed and predominantly rural residential, <br />and agricultural area. It is very evident in the center portion as <br />winding small county roads provide a scenic view of a hilly, wooded <br />landscape intermittently interrupted by large acre farms and <br />pastures. The majority of dense develoPment lies at the very edges <br />closer to Kannapolis and Concord and along the major thoroughfares. <br /> <br />According to the 1990 Census, only 5.2% of the County's 98,935 <br />population resided in this area, while land area accounts for 13% <br />of the County. Seventy-five (75%) percent of the population here <br />is over the age of 18 which tends to be the average for the rest of <br />the County. The population projections for 1995 and 2000 for <br />Townships 5 and 6 in the North Central area are 5,481 to the <br />County's 106,068 and 5,833 to the County's 112,805 which is still <br />5.2% of the total population. Growth rates are expected to <br />increase in other areas of the County (especially the west and <br /> <br /> <br />