Guilford County Board of Commissioners Chairman Skip Alston recently delivered the 2026 State of the County Address.
The theme for this year’s address was One Guilford: Listening, Leading and Planning for Tomorrow.
Officials said they collected input from more than 900 residents in the spring, which helped shape the county’s five priorities for the future: Healthy and striving people, lifelong success, safe and resilient communities, sustainable and vibrant communities, and operational support and physical sustainability.
According to Alston, 86,000 people are expected to move to Guilford County over the next 20 years.
“We cannot wait until the classrooms are crowded, the housing is out of reach, our services are stretched too thin before we start planning," he said.
The county is currently expanding treatment and recovery services for substance abuse, as well as constructing new schools.
Alston also spoke about economic investments, including JetZero’s aircraft manufacturing facility, that will bring thousands of jobs to Guilford.