Zócalo Public SquareHere Are the Biggest Reasons Why the Southwest Keeps Expanding – Zócalo Public Square https://legacy.zocalopublicsquare.org Ideas Journalism With a Head and a Heart Mon, 21 Oct 2024 07:01:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Here Are the Biggest Reasons Why the Southwest Keeps Expanding https://legacy.zocalopublicsquare.org/2015/05/30/here-are-the-biggest-reasons-why-the-southwest-keeps-expanding/ideas/up-for-discussion/ https://legacy.zocalopublicsquare.org/2015/05/30/here-are-the-biggest-reasons-why-the-southwest-keeps-expanding/ideas/up-for-discussion/#respond Sat, 30 May 2015 07:01:37 +0000 Zocaloadmin https://legacy.zocalopublicsquare.org/?p=60670 In places where the average temperature climbs to 105 degrees in July, it’s easy to understand the importance of air conditioning. Was it cooler and more comfortable living that drew people to the Southwest over the last 70 years? Or was it the cheap land? The friendly business climate? The growth is especially striking in cities like Phoenix, which more than doubled its population between 1940 and 1980. And it’s a trajectory that doesn’t appear to have slowed down: A list of the top 10 fastest growing states compiled from Census data last year includes five in the Southwest: Colorado, Utah, Texas, Nevada, and Arizona. In advance of the Zócalo event, “Should Phoenix Exist?”, we asked a panel of experts: What is the single most important factor in the explosive growth of the Southwest over the last 70 years?

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]]> In places where the average temperature climbs to 105 degrees in July, it’s easy to understand the importance of air conditioning. Was it cooler and more comfortable living that drew people to the Southwest over the last 70 years? Or was it the cheap land? The friendly business climate? The growth is especially striking in cities like Phoenix, which more than doubled its population between 1940 and 1980. And it’s a trajectory that doesn’t appear to have slowed down: A list of the top 10 fastest growing states compiled from Census data last year includes five in the Southwest: Colorado, Utah, Texas, Nevada, and Arizona.

In advance of the Zócalo event, “Should Phoenix Exist?”, we asked a panel of experts: What is the single most important factor in the explosive growth of the Southwest over the last 70 years?

The post Here Are the Biggest Reasons Why the Southwest Keeps Expanding appeared first on Zócalo Public Square.

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