In 1996, Arizona experienced record population growth resulting from in-migration of people from other states. This growth centered on Maricopa County. Growth, however, was not unidirectional: for every three people that entered the state, two left (ASU Center for Business Research, 1998). The Morrison Institute (1998, 2004) found that many Arizonans felt that the Phoenix metropolitan area was growing too quickly, a perception that persisted into the 2000s. Although residents of Arizona attempted to introduce legislation to control population growth, none of these attempts were successful.
Read About It
Use the document analysis sheet and the photograph analysis sheet to uncover clues about the people that created the documents.
- How many people arrived in Arizona in the 1990s? How many people stayed?
- During what earlier decades did Arizona experience significant growth? How were these periods of growth different than the growth in the 1990s?
- Who created the documents linked above? What was their purpose in creating these documents? Whose voices are not represented by the documents above?
- Did you or your family come to Arizona in the 1990s? Do you think urban growth is good? Why or why not?
Visit the websites below to learn more. Based on this new information, have your answers to the questions above changed?