Stagnation and Lack of Growth in Tucson
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11/27/2017
According to the 2016 Census, Chandler and Gilbert are now equal to Tucson in population. Tucson comes in at 530,706 people. Chandler comes in at 247, 477 and Gilbert has 237,133. Mesa alone at 484, 587 people, is just a few thousand shot of Tucson. Scottsdale at 246,645 is almost half the size of Tucson.
The population of metro Phoenix is 4.66 million making it the fifth largest metro area in the nation. Phoenix tops the nation in population growth in 2017. Tucson meanwhile is not among the ten fastest growing cities in Arizona. It was eclipsed by most cities in the Phoenix area.
Tucson has accomplished its goal of controlling growth, if not encouraging negative growth. It is the poorest large city in Arizona with over 25% of people living below poverty, mainly because there are no jobs and salaries/incomes for Tucsonans are among the worst in the state. That decayed and dead look in Tucson is right on the mark. It is a reflection of how poorly the city is really doing. Yet, the mayor and city council continue to stand out in one way. Tucson is the most 'activist' of all Arizona cities, focusing on social issues at the expense of sustainable economic and urban growth. Tucson's performance coming out of the Great Recession is one of the poorest in the nation. The mayor and city council have a lot to be proud of. I'm all for social issues but not at the expense of economic vitality, much less survival. Tucson just doesn't get it. If you really want to promote social causes, it helps to come from a position of strength instead of being the worst performing city in Arizona.
Clive | Tucson, AZ