By Mike Bodeen · 23 August 2021
Fastest Growing Cities are Phoenix and… Buckeye?
Can Anything Good Come out of Buckeye?
As our local temps begin to make their move upwards again in late August, we know our “Chamber of Commerce” weather is right around the corner. Halleluiah! As an aging boomer, (though I only feel that way some days), I’ll take the heat to avoid the cold. Or, if moving to California finds the country’s best climate, I’ll have to say: No thank you. Been there. Done that. Bought the Tee Shirt, but I won’t take the Kool-Aid!
We’ve written a fair amount recently that “housing demand” is not as much our problem as the “lack of supply.” But if we’ve got a lack of supply problem, which we do, then that problem will get further exacerbated as demand continues to grow. And make no mistake, demand will grow.
Per the U.S. Census Bureau count, over 300,000 people were added to Maricopa County between 2010 and 2020 making the County the 5th largest County in the country, surpassing Philadelphia as the nation’s largest city. Not only that, the city of Phoenix, was the fastest-growing “large city.”
And Buckeye, which has been jokingly referred to as East L.A., is no laughing matter these days. Buckeye’s population rose 80% during the Census decade to more than 91,000 folks, making it the fastest growing city in all the U.S.
And did you know that the current and future Interstate 11 will be going through a Tonopah/Buckeye corridor connecting Mexico through AZ northward all the way to Canada? An interesting read about I-11 is linked here.
Oh, and some dude named Bill Gates bought 25,000+- acres 4 years ago, near Buckeye (hence, near I-11) to develop a “Smart City” called Belmont. Check out this article.
And there’s more. Idaho based KORE Power company is building a 1 million square foot facility in Buckeye producing the first U.S. owned lithium-ion battery plant in the country. It will employ 3000 full-time employees when it opens in 2023. Check it out here.
It doesn’t look like we will easily solve the demand problem as state/city wide growth continues unabated. But the supply issue can be addressed. The question is, “at what cost?”
And there’s more, but no room. See you next week.