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Crazy to me how expensive my home state of AZ has gotten in the past few years. Growing up my friends and I believed it would remain cheaper than other states d

Crazy to me how expensive my home state of AZ has gotten in the past few years. Growing up my friends and I believed it would remain cheaper than other states due to the hot weather, but homes prices have trended very high in the last few years for many of the more desirable areas. I feel like AZ used to be in the top ten for lists like these.

qball 4y ago
>Growing up my friends and I believed it would remain cheaper than other states due to the hot weather Interestingly, Arizona in particular is famous for its "snowbirds"; Canadians (and likely those living in the northern US states as well) tend to buy houses there to get more than 4 hours of sunshine in the winter.
neilv 4y ago
How are people in Arizona thinking about climate change? Does it seem rational (for people planning to live at least a few more decades) given the current state of science? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Arizona https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Arizona
- Ancalagon 4y ago
  There are many opinions, and I don't know the science well enough to tell you what the outcome will be long term. One town recently had its water supply cut off. But as far as I understand this wasn't so much because the town was running out of water but because the parent city it took its water from was growing very fast and needed that water for its new residents. There was something in the contract that allowed the parent city to do this. The Phoenix metro in particular has very advanced water recycling tech, most of the water that is taken in gets reused as long as its not used for irrigation (admittedly likely the majority of the water use in the city). Long term this means water will become more expensive, and the many golf resorts and hotels will probably need to change their lawns to fake turf or close up entirely. Most residences don't actually use that much water for irrigation, as a lot of the landscaping is desert-based already. Recent heavy rainstorms have lead some to believe the Sonoran desert may actually get wetter as climate change happens. And with this the state is planning to use its aquifers to store the water from those storms for the dry years. The Colorado river is low, but I believe Arizona has higher water rights than e.g. California. Meaning Southern California would lose its main water supply before the Phoenix metro would. On the other hand, I actually know at least one couple that decided to leave a couple years ago because of their concerns over water and climate change. There's also concerns regarding the water use of the exploding chip manufacturing industry being built there. These companies will require a lot of water and be able to pay the premiums even over residents.
- treeman79 4y ago
  Remember that climate politicians are buying properties on the beach. They have no actual concern.
malshe 4y ago
If AZ used to be in the top 10, it has certainly fallen down a lot as it is now in 40s. Interestingly, Boise also shows up near AZ cities, which I guess happened due to the Californians moving there during the pandemic.
- Ancalagon 4y ago
  Yup. I own a home in AZ and the prices have doubled in 6 years. Despite interest rate increases, they haven't really come down. Most of that is immigration from CA I'm assuming.

qball 4y ago

>Growing up my friends and I believed it would remain cheaper than other states due to the hot weather Interestingly, Arizona in particular is famous for its "snowbirds"; Canadians (and likely those living in the northern US states as well) tend to buy houses there to get more than 4 hours of sunshine in the winter.

neilv 4y ago

How are people in Arizona thinking about climate change? Does it seem rational (for people planning to live at least a few more decades) given the current state of science? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Arizona https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Arizona

Ancalagon 4y ago
There are many opinions, and I don't know the science well enough to tell you what the outcome will be long term. One town recently had its water supply cut off. But as far as I understand this wasn't so much because the town was running out of water but because the parent city it took its water from was growing very fast and needed that water for its new residents. There was something in the contract that allowed the parent city to do this. The Phoenix metro in particular has very advanced water recycling tech, most of the water that is taken in gets reused as long as its not used for irrigation (admittedly likely the majority of the water use in the city). Long term this means water will become more expensive, and the many golf resorts and hotels will probably need to change their lawns to fake turf or close up entirely. Most residences don't actually use that much water for irrigation, as a lot of the landscaping is desert-based already. Recent heavy rainstorms have lead some to believe the Sonoran desert may actually get wetter as climate change happens. And with this the state is planning to use its aquifers to store the water from those storms for the dry years. The Colorado river is low, but I believe Arizona has higher water rights than e.g. California. Meaning Southern California would lose its main water supply before the Phoenix metro would. On the other hand, I actually know at least one couple that decided to leave a couple years ago because of their concerns over water and climate change. There's also concerns regarding the water use of the exploding chip manufacturing industry being built there. These companies will require a lot of water and be able to pay the premiums even over residents.
treeman79 4y ago
Remember that climate politicians are buying properties on the beach. They have no actual concern.

malshe 4y ago

If AZ used to be in the top 10, it has certainly fallen down a lot as it is now in 40s. Interestingly, Boise also shows up near AZ cities, which I guess happened due to the Californians moving there during the pandemic.

Ancalagon 4y ago
Yup. I own a home in AZ and the prices have doubled in 6 years. Despite interest rate increases, they haven't really come down. Most of that is immigration from CA I'm assuming.