Skyrocketing growth in the Charlotte region added nearly 145,000 people to the Queen City's population during the 1990s - a 37 percent increase.

Numbers from the 2000 Census released today show that Union County is among the fastest-growing in North Carolina, with its population swelling by a massive 47 percent.

And the state's Hispanic population grew nearly 400 percent, making it the state's fastest-growing minority group.

As expected, the state's growth during the '90s was concentrated primarily around its largest cities, in the mountains and along the coast. But the numbers show that the population gain was even more staggering than predicted in some areas, particularly the Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham suburbs.

Mecklenburg grew by 36 percent, and Cabarrus and Iredell by 32 percent.

Gaston County was the metro area's slowpoke, growing just 9 percent. But that's still faster than predicted.