LITTLE MOUNTAIN, S.C. — The small Newberry County town of Little Mountain sits right above Chapin.
And just like their neighbor south of them, they're seeing a boom in growth.
Ever since the start of the pandemic, Little Mountain, South Carolina has seen quite the burst of activity.
"Every year we get people from different areas moving here and we are very excited and we welcome them into the community. It's a thriving community. We are a small town, yet we are very much a village. We have the ability to live here, you can walk to an elementary school, you can walk to two churches, you can walk to a medical clinic, you can walk to a dental office," Jana Jayroe, Little Mountain mayor said.
Jayroe says people are attracted to the possibility of having a large yard, a village-like, small town neighborhood and a slower pace of life.
She explains their population has certainly grown from the U.S. Census showing about 250 people in 2020.
"We have since then annexed twice and we have had many houses come close to us and I know there are, I think it's eight new houses have been built in town," Jayroe said.
Jayroe adds that four new businesses are opening in the next few months.
According to Data USA, Little Mountain has had 17.2% population growth in just one year.
Local business owner Kimber Lowrey says she loves talking to new folks and locals in town.
"In the mornings we open at 7 a.m. and people come through for coffee and I have my moms. There are many schools here, moms, teachers, nurses, doctors coming through. You see the same one, you know their kids, you know when they're having babies and stuff like that, it's just, it's a great, I can't say anything bad about my customers, they've been so amazing to us," Lowrey said.
Lowrey says she's opening a restaurant service inside her antique coffee shop next week.
Big things are happening in the little town of Little Mountain.