This is the second installment in our new Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. In the coming months, we’ll be visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face, from population loss to flooding to aging utility infrastructure.

East of Raleigh, the once sleepy suburb of Wendell ranked as the fastest-growing town in North Carolina between 2020 and 2021, with a population that increased by 16% in a single year. Signs of growth are everywhere you look in the Wake County town. It’s a prime example of what the rapid growth of North Carolina’s metro areas means for the once sleepy towns on their outskirts.

To learn more about why Wendell is suddenly one of the state’s fastest-growing towns, and the challenges that brings, WUNC spoke with Mayor Virginia Gray and Mayor Pro Tem Jason Joyner.