Bill Tiller, a former developer in Columbia County, has seen the community blossom in the past decade. Mr. Tiller and other residents have seen their area go from farmland to burgeoning suburbia in just a few short years. MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

He can recall a time when Evans was mostly undeveloped farm land. He was around when Evans had only one high school and people such as former school superintendent John Pierce Blanchard helped turn the Columbia County school system into one of the most admired in the state.

Now he's a keen observer of the westward migration along Washington Road that has turned this unincorporated community of nearly 20,000 into the county's fastest-growing and richest area. As a longtime developer in the county, he helped play a major role in the growth.

"And we may not have seen the end of it," Mr. Tiller said. "No telling where it will be in 10 years."

The growth has meant numerous subdivisions and commercial developments. A new $13 million courthouse annex that is almost complete, along with an $8 million library scheduled to open in the next couple of years, will turn Evans into the "hub of Columbia County," county Commissioner Jim Whitehead said.

But the growth has not been without problems. The most recent is the controversy surrounding the construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter that some residents say will change the nature of what prompted them to settle there.

"We intended this to be a lovely residential area," said Martha Beattie, the treasurer of the Country Place Homeowners Association. "We were not prepared for Wal-Mart, but we could not do anything about it coming."

Reach Sylvia Cooper at (706) 823-3228or sylviaco@augustachronicle.