Growth gains and pains.

While Appalachian State University is about a lot more than football, gridiron success has clearly had a profound effect in raising awareness and popularity of the Mountaineers.

From 1986 to 2012, the team won 12 Southern Conference championships. Since stepping up to the Sun Belt Conference in 2014, it has won four more titles and ranked several times in the AP's top 25 best football teams in the nation.

But bigger conferences aren't pursuing the school because of Boone's small population and distance from a major city.

It's an amazing growth story: Since 2003, student enrollment has surged 44% to about 20,640, while the number of on-campus beds increased 26%. The expansion has been a bonanza for Boone apartment owners. Between 2009 and past December, the town added 119 multifamily buildings including 2,031 housing units. A survey of 38 off-campus projects showed virtually all--99.9%--of units were leased,, according to a study this year by Bowen National Research.

App State has replaced its aging dorms. A 2005 report shows the campus had 18 residence halls and nearly 4,900 beds. Now, completion of New River Hall slated for July 30 will give App State 20 residence halls with about 6,150 units. Four buildings totaling 2,300 beds have opened in the last two years, spokeswoman Megan Hayes says.

While on-campus housing provides only for about 30% of App State's total...