The Sherrills Ford of today is not the same one Kendra Eades grew up in. When she drives around the area, Eades spots pieces of land once owned by family and friends now built up with homes and commercial properties. Around every curve, red dirt is turned up as construction crews lay foundations and frame buildings. The area steadily grew for over two decades, but recent years, and especially the last six months, have shown a sharp spike in growth, Eades said. The population of the area has grown three times faster than the rest of Catawba County, and building permits are five times what they were 10 years ago.