How has the Phoenix / Tempe region changed in the last year

[SageCats]

I was curious about crime because every time I open up AZCentral.com or News12.com, it seems like things are happening on a more frequent basis. I don't know if it's just news reporting sensationalism or what. I was also wondering if this had anything to do with the influx of people (especially since 10K more people moved to the Phoenix area this winter than normal.)

I read about all of the construction going on in the West Valley in order to allow more people to commute into Phoenix and the East Valley. That's fantastic.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

[infocyde]

I know a lot of gentrification has taken place along University and Apache passed McClintock West heading towards Mesa. Those used to be the higher crime areas of Tempe and I'm sure the new construction there has pushed some of it out but not completely.

I lived in Tempe for a few years and was back in the area again a month back. I was amazed at all the new Construction kicking off. Over by the lake more mini-sky scrappers are going up. Just driving around there are so many new buildings in the little mini mall areas too.

I hope all the construction lasts.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by SageCats

I was curious about crime because every time I open up AZCentral.com or News12.com, it seems like things are happening on a more frequent basis. I don't know if it's just news reporting sensationalism or what. I was also wondering if this had anything to do with the influx of people (especially since 10K more people moved to the Phoenix area this winter than normal.)

I read about all of the construction going on in the West Valley in order to allow more people to commute into Phoenix and the East Valley. That's fantastic.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

More people often equates to more crime, that's the way it usually works.

If you're curious about crime there are different websites to search including this one http://spotcrime.com/az/tempe

The west valley is the fastest-growing area for residents but the jobs and better transportation are still lacking, I'm thinking that will change for the better though.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by SageCats

I read that a large influx of people moved into the region over the past 12 months. Is this influx higher than the usual number of people who move into the region? (I also noticed that real estate prices went up quite a bit over the last year compared to the year before.)

Phoenix remains one of the fastest growing metro areas in the nation, but the growth rate has slowed down a bit compared to the period from the 1960s through 1990s. We have to ask ourselves: what kind of people are moving here? Is it mostly the business oriented professionals who seek the higher paying career opportunities? Is it still mostly retirees & sun lovers? Or is it a combination of both? Since Phoenix is one of the larger cities & metro regions in the nation, I would much rather have a somewhat slower, but higher quality growth rate ... not just the ones who come here for the warm, sunny climate & want a cheaper place to live, but have no real goals in life.

As far as real estate, yes there has been a definite upswing in prices recently. So long as there isn't another "bubble", this is actually good because anybody who is a homeowner should want to see their home values increase. Being a city with cheap housing usually doesn't bring in the higher quality people. With that said, Phoenix should still be able to keep it's reasonable affordability. We don't have to be overpriced like California or New York, but we don't have to be cheap either.