(FORTUNE Magazine) – If you think Wal-Mart is growing fast, check out its hometown of Bentonville, Ark. As the number of emissaries visiting Wal-Mart has grown, so has the local economy. Since the 1990 census, the population is up 135%. New businesses don't have to get a license, so "keeping track of new ones ain't easy," says Laura Suiter of the Chamber of Commerce. But according to the city, 39 new restaurants and nine new hotels have sprung up in the past five years. Meanwhile, housing developments are flourishing (5,500 additional units in the past ten years), with construction crews working 18-hour days to keep up with demand. "There's construction everywhere," says city planner Troy Galloway. Last year a 1-cent sales tax was approved for a $200 million, five-year improvement plan, which includes widening roads to handle new traffic. Safe to say the road to Bentonville is getting mighty crowded. --Christopher Tkaczyk