The city with the second largest population expansion in the east is Winterville.

The Office of Management and Budget put out the stats Thursday that show Winterville increasing in population from 2000 to 2008 by nearly 87 percent. The current population is nearly 9,000.

Winterville's mayor says he feels many people like living close to Greenville without having the congestion of a big city. The city has also seen a large annexation increase over that time period.

Mayor Doug Jackson believes there is one major reason why so many people are choosing to call winterville home. "The first thing I would say is the tax rate. In 1907 the tax rate for Winterville was 40 cents per $100. Now it's 45 cents."

The town with the largest population increase in the east is Princeville in Edgecombe County.