More people moving to the Valley
Jun 8, 2012, 6:45 AM
PHOENIX — After a slowdown during the recession, the influx of people moving to the Phoenix area seems to have resumed.
The American Moving and Storage Association ranks Phoenix second on its list of top cities where people are moving. Washington is No. 1. The list is compiled by data from the nation’s top nine moving companies.
Michael Orr of Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business believes the survey.
“The fact that somebody else is reporting independently the fact that more people are moving to Phoenix backs up what I’m seeing in the housing market,” said Orr.
The survey noted cheaper real estate and more opportunities for employment in education, health, tourism, manufacturing and business services among the reasons more people are coming here.
Valley realtor Gene Urban said the weather is also driving people to move here.
“People talk about the summers being hot,” said Urban. “The winters are cold everywhere else. We can get out of the hot with a swimming pool and the air conditioning. You really can’t get out of the cold.”
Urban said that many people who are moving here are more likely to have to rent rather than buy a place because of the shortage of homes for sale.
For every home for sale here, there are about 20 people ready to buy it, especially for homes priced under $150,000.
The survey listed Chicago as the top spot that people are leaving to come to the Valley, followed by Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Dallas, Anaheim, Calif., Denver, Canada, Detroit and the Los Angeles-Long Beach area.
