As fond as I am of the City of Phoenix, a recent disheartening article on AZ Central.com reveals that people may actually be leaving the city. Although the numbers seem to be a possibility, I do question the validity of the numbers. Some of the evidence that the articles states includes the increased number of foreclosures, the decline in water hookups and other public services, the decrease in crime, in addition to some other contributing factors.

The reason why I question the article is that there is no supporting evidence that the population is not spreading to some of the other outlying areas and we are experiencing more room and home sharing. I would be interested to learn if places like Gilbert, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria and Surprise are continuing to experience growth.

Let’s circle back to the article for a second… It does say “The City” and it is indeed referencing city statistics which means that the population is not necessarily leaving the State of Arizona. However, one item of note is that they estimate there are a few hundred to several thousand people that may have left the City of Phoenix. In the grand scheme of things,  with over 1.5 million residents (as of the last U.S. Census) several thousand may be a drop in the bucket.

For those of you that have left, you are always welcome back, and those of you that have moved to places like Gilbert, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria and Surprise, be proud that our metro area is 4.1 million strong; making this the second largest metro area to Los Angeles, California.