Talk:Phoenix, Arizona/Archive 1

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I'd really like to see a cite for this assertion:

>>>projected to become the third largest U.S. city by 2020.

I find it very difficult to believe that a city with only 1.321 million people will surpass the population of Chicago (2.896 million people in 2000) in the space of only 20 years. That would mean 1.575 million people would need to move to Phoenix in the space of 20 years - more than doubling the population of the city (that is, if Chicago's population remained stagnant. While Chicago isn't known for its recent population spurts, it's unlikely- with the current popularity of urban renewal and living- to lose enough people to make this Phoenix assertion any more likely). Considering that Phoenix is hemmed in by suburbs, limiting its potential for growth, and that such a level of population growth is pretty much unheard of even for the Sunbelt, I'd really like to see a cite on this alleged fact. If the fact is supposedly for the metro area, that would mean that Phoenix would somehow need to become more populous than the San Francisco Bay Area by 2020 - extraordinarily unlikely.

I've seen so many wacky "facts" lately - I almost wish Wikipedia required footnotes. User: Moncrief

Possibly...

I think that the high cost of housing in neighboring California could force a population migration into Arizona. Currently, Phoenix offers some of the most inexpensive housing in the nation and is growing culturally. It certainly has much to offer a person that would like to own their own home.