According to new numbers from the US Census, Kendall County was the fastest growing county in the nation between 2000 and 2007. The county’s population grew almost 78 percent during that time.

Driving through Kendall County, you’ll see a lot of open farmland, the Fox River and plenty of parking at commercial stores. Some officials say people move to Kendall for that simpler life. Loyola Professor Ken Johnson says people are moving in from surrounding counties and very few people are moving out.

JOHNSON: Many of the things that people move to Kendall County to get away from, congestion, traffic. They’re going to confront right in the place where they’ve moved to if they haven’t already they will in the next few years.

Johnson says the cost of expanding infrastructure like building schools and roads won’t be cheap. Officials in the county say they’ve already felt the effects of a larger population and are planning accordingly. They welcome new comers saying the extra population attracts more development.