Chiropractic Care in St. George, SC

The U.S. population rose 2.7% over the past five years, from about 327 million in 2016 to almost 332 million people in 2021. Nearly all of the increase was because of immigration. Americans continue to go West and South, and those regions are where the nation’s fastest-growing cities are.

To determine the fastest growing large cities, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed population data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey one-year estimates. We listed all 20 metropolitan statistical areas with at least 15% population growth from 2016 to 2021. We added seasonally-adjusted December employment figures – used to calculate employment growth from 2016 to 2021 – from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Among the reasons why these cities are growing are booming local economies, lower cost of living, desirable places to retire, the vibrancy of the college-town experience, and warmer weather.

Almost half of the fastest growing U.S. metro areas are in the South, which is now home to 40% of the nation’s population. Three metro areas in Tennessee/Kentucky and two in North Carolina are on the list. (Find out if these are also among the cities that will grow the fastest in the next few decades.)

Outside of the South, Idaho and Utah also have rapidly growing metro areas. There are three Idaho big cities on the list – Coeur d’Alene, Boise City, and Pocatello. Idaho is benefiting from an influx of people fleeing high-cost California.

Utah landed St. George and Provo-Orem on the list. Each metro area boasts an unemployment rate of less than 2%. Both Utah metros had the highest employment growth of any metro region on the list for the 2016-2021 period.

In all but one of the metro areas on the list – Greeley, Colorado – the unemployment rates fell in the 2016-2021 timeframe.

Many of the metro areas on the list benefit from the vitality of being home to major universities in their cities, including Ames, Iowa; Gainesville, Florida; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Jackson, Tennessee; and Columbia, Missouri. (Here are cities with the youngest populations.)

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Jan. 10 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1789, the first nationwide U.S. presidential election was conducted. Electors chosen by the voters unanimously picked George Washington as president and John Adams as vice president.

In 1861, Florida seceded from the United States.

In 1878, a constitutional amendment that would give women the right to vote was introduced into the U.S. Senate. It wasn't until 42 years later that the amendment was enacted.

In 1901, oil was discovered at the Spindletop claim near Beaumont, Texas, launching the Southwest oil boom.

In 1920, the League of Nations came into being as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

In 1946, the first meeting of the U.N. General Assembly convened in London.

In 1957, Six dynamite blasts heavily damaged four black churches in Montgomery, Ala., and the homes of two ministers. No one was injured.

In 1984, the United States established full diplomatic relations with the Vatican for the first time in 116 years.

In 1994, Lorena Bobbitt went on trial for cutting off the penis of her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt. She was found innocent by reason of insanity less than two weeks later.

In 2003, North Korea announced it was withdrawing from the 1979 nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

In 2008, Edmund Hillary, who gained international fame as a member of the first climbing party to scale Mount Everest, died in Auckland, New Zealand, at age 88.

In 2013, President Barack Obama signed legislation designating Pinnacles National Monument in California a national park. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif.

In 2017, a federal jury sentenced self-avowed White supremacist Dylann Roof to death for shooting to death nine people at a historic Black church in Charleston, S.C.

In 2022, the U.S. Mint announced it began shipping a new quarter featuring poet Maya Angelou, the first U.S. coin to feature a Black woman.

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2023 with 355 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Mars and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include poet Robinson Jeffers in 1887; musician Ronnie Hawkins in 1935; historian Stephen Ambrose in 1936; Olympic decathlon champion Bill Toomey in 1939 (age 84); singer Jim Croce in 1943; singer Frank Sinatra Jr. in 1944; actor William Sanderson in 1944 (age 79); singer/songwriter Rod Stewart in 1945 (age 78); musician Donald Fagen in 1948 (age 75); X-rated film actor Linda Lovelace in 1949; boxer George Foreman in 1949 (age 74); singer Pat Benatar in 1953 (age 70); singer Shawn Colvin in 1956 (age 67); New Zealand screenwriter Fran Walsh in 1959 (age 64); actor Jemaine Clement in 1974 (age 49); rapper Chris Smith in 1979 (age 44); actor Sarah Shahi in 1980 (age 43).

On this date in history:

In 1789, the first nationwide U.S. presidential election was conducted. Electors chosen by the voters unanimously picked George Washington as president and John Adams as vice president.

In 1861, Florida seceded from the United States.

In 1878, a constitutional amendment that would give women the right to vote was introduced into the U.S. Senate. It wasn't until 42 years later that the amendment was enacted.

In 1901, oil was discovered at the Spindletop claim near Beaumont, Texas, launching the Southwest oil boom.

In 1920, the League of Nations came into being as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

In 1946, the first meeting of the U.N. General Assembly convened in London.

In 1957, Six dynamite blasts heavily damaged four black churches in Montgomery, Ala., and the homes of two ministers. No one was injured.

In 1984, the United States established full diplomatic relations with the Vatican for the first time in 116 years.

In 1994, Lorena Bobbitt went on trial for cutting off the penis of her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt. She was found innocent by reason of insanity less than two weeks later.

In 2003, North Korea announced it was withdrawing from the 1979 nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

In 2008, Edmund Hillary, who gained international fame as a member of the first climbing party to scale Mount Everest, died in Auckland, New Zealand, at age 88.

In 2013, President Barack Obama signed legislation designating Pinnacles National Monument in California a national park. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif.

In 2017, a federal jury sentenced self-avowed White supremacist Dylann Roof to death for shooting to death nine people at a historic Black church in Charleston, S.C.

In 2022, the U.S. Mint announced it began shipping a new quarter featuring poet Maya Angelou, the first U.S. coin to feature a Black woman.

A thought for the day: "As long as we are not ourselves, we will try to be what other people are." -- Burkinabè writer Malidoma Patrice Somé

South Carolina Gamecocks (7-8) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (10-5)

The Line: Kentucky Wildcats -19 / South Carolina Gamecocks +19 ; Over/Under: - (Click here for latest betting odds)

The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Kentucky Wildcats meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Rupp Arena. South Carolina comes into this matchup at 7-8 overall. The Gamecocks lost to Tennessee in their last game. As for Kentucky, they’re currently 10-5 and fresh off a Saturday loss to Alabama. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

South Carolina went 5-5 through their first 10 games, losing to Colorado State, Davidson, Furman, George Washington and UAB. Since then the Gamecocks are 2-3 with losses to East Carolina, Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

In the Tennessee matchup, the Gamecocks were down 43-21 by halftime. South Carolina fell further behind on a 42-21 second-half deficit and lost 85-42 in a blowout. Meechie Johnson was the only double-digit team scorer with 19 points.

Over on the Wildcats’ side, they were 7-3 after 10 games with losses to Michigan State, Gonzaga and UCLA. Kentucky has since gone 3-2 with wins over Florida A&M, Louisville and LSU alongside losses to Missouri and Alabama.

On Saturday versus Alabama, the Wildcats faced a 35-24 deficit after the break. Kentucky was drilled 43-28 in the second half and ended up losing big 78-52. Antonio Reeves topped the team in scoring with 20 points and four boards.

PICK: I’m going to stick with Kentucky. The line’s probably a little too thick to mess with, though. Both these teams are coming off rough blowout outings to very good ranked squads, so this matchup should be at least a little more comparable. That said, Kentucky hasn’t lost to a non-ranked team since way back on November 15 against Michigan State. The Wildcats are still scoring well despite the odd dud against a top-shelf team; they’ve hit 74 or more options in four of their last five games. As for South Carolina, they’re capable of some solid points totals when the matchup is right—the Gamecocks have hit 65 or more points in six of their last eight games. Still, I don’t think they’ll keep pace with Kentucky well enough to cover here.

You’d expect VIVA Chicken, a fast-casual Peruvian chicken chain, to be based in an urban center with a large Latino population such as Miami, or maybe Los Angeles or New York, but not Charlotte, N.C. But you’d be mistaken since VIVA Chicken launched in Charlotte, whose Latino population is about 10%.

Co-founder Bruno Machiavello, a native of Peru, arrived in Charlotte because his brother resided there, and Machiavello got a job as a chef in 1985 at George Couchell’s Showmars, a fast-causal fried chicken eatery. Couchell took Machiavello under his wing, showed him how to lead a restaurant team and prepare outstanding food.

Machiavello and partner Randy Garcia launched VIVA Chicken in Charlotte in 2013, taking out a $150,000 loan from Garcia’s father to capitalize it. It did so well that they repaid it in six months. Both are still involved in running the restaurants.

Since then, it has expanded to 16 restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Utah. All are company-owned; none is franchised.

A Peruvian fast-casual chicken chain, VIVA Chicken, has found a private equity partner that prefers slow-growth and has expanded into four states, with more to come.

Asked what the secret is to the success of the growth of VIVA Chicken, Machiavello replied, “It’s the passion we have for the food and service and our amazing team of great people. Everyone helps each other, from the office, to the kitchen, to the dining room.”

And they named it VIVA Chicken, Machiavello said, because VIVA in Spanish means “feeling happy and celebrating.” And they capitalized the letters for emphasis.

Machiavello obtained initial funding to open his second VIVA Chicken from Charlotte restaurateur Dennis Thompson. Then he formed a small investment group to open up a few more locations. In 2017 Main Post Partners, a private equity firm, entered and helped subsidize future outposts.

Savannah Davis, VIVA Chicken’s marketing and innovation director, said it chose to align with Main Post Partners because, unlike most private equity firms, “they don’t see quick return as their main priority. They understand VIVA Chicken’s concept, and they see the long game.”

Moreover, she added their role is to “help us understand the best business practices to make us successful.”

Machiavello describes his signature dish as Polla a la Brasa, which is based on his special spice mixture and preparation. It’s unique because of the “way it’s cooked in a rotisserie oven and the marination process,” he noted.

But it offers more than Peruvian chicken. It also sells wraps, salads, soups, gluten-free and vegetarian options and is known for its Peruvian street food, Peruvian fried rice and tacu bowls.

One of his main missions when opening VIVA Chicken, he said, was “educating consumers on Peruvian cuisine. It still, to this day, is not as common as other international options so finding that line between authentic yet approachable is where we try to position VIVA.”

To reach out to its audience, it offers free samples to new customers. “After they taste it, they fall in love with it,” exuded Machiavello.

Pre-covid, its business was about 49% dine-in and 51% to go, but currently it’s 29% dine-in and 71% to go, so it’s become mostly a take-out spot.

To adjust to increased off-premises business, Savannah Davis said it had to “pivot and put more resources and labor into take-out orders.” About 17% of its business derives from a variety of third-party deliverers.

Expansion is on the horizon. It intends to open a second Georgia eatery in Alpharetta in 2023, and plans on expanding by three to five new locations per year.

Asked whether franchising, often the fastest way to capitalize and expand a restaurant chain, was on the horizon, Davis replied that it wants to firmly establish all of its processes and protocols, before it considers franchising. “It’s not something we discuss, but for any restaurant that has multiple locations, franchising is an opportunity,” she said.

Asked what the keys are to the future success of VIVA Chicken, Machiavello replied, “Keep doing what we’re doing: serving the freshest food we have. And keep doing it with passion.”