New Neighbors: Shifting Communities In The Valley Of The Sun

The New Neighbors project is a collaboration between KJZZ and the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting that looks at how the Valley of the Sun has changed since the economic downturn a decade ago. Today, we’re in the middle of a real estate and rental market boom, our cities are centralizing, and it’s all changing the face of our communities Valley-wide. Here, you’ll find the people who tell the stories behind this change.

Published: Oct.30, 2017
By Lauren Gilger, Carrie Jung and Christina Estes

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he New Neighbors project is a collaboration between KJZZ and the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting that looks at how the Valley of the Sun has changed since the economic downturn a decade ago. Today, we’re in the middle of a real estate and rental market boom, our cities are centralizing — and it’s all changing the face of our communities in the Phoenix area. Here, you’ll find the people who tell the stories behind this change.

New Neighbors

Part I
The Numbers Behind The Recovery
Post recession housing rebound has winners and losers.
Oct. 30, 2017 →

Part II
Who Can Afford to Live in Downtown Phoenix?
A small downtown area has been attracting major money.
Oct. 31, 2017 →

Part III
Gentrification: How Can You Tell A Neighborhood Is About To Change?
Rising home values spell larger neighborhood changes.
Nov. 1, 2017 →

Part IV
We Need More Affordable Housing, But Where Should It Go?
Where should affordable housing be built?
Nov. 2, 2017 →

Part V
As Our Cities Centralize, Are The Suburbs Dying?
What’s going on in the so-called suburbs?
Nov. 3, 2017 →

Part VI
Roundtable: Who Are Winners, Losers As Communities Shift?
The question of displacement.
Nov. 3, 2017 →

Tracking The Change

The Phoenix area was once the poster child for the housing market crash. From 2005 to 2010, median household income in the city plummeted about $7,000 a year. Today that picture is totally different. County wide, home prices have increased by 83 percent since 2011. But the economic recovery, especially in the housing market, can vary widely neighborhood by neighborhood.

We worked with the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting to track changes in household income, educational attainment, rental prices and home values. Hover over your neighborhood for more details about your community.

Hover over the map to see household income, rental prices, home values and more. The map above shows clusters of above-average change, when looking at specific metrics. Clusters have been identified using a Moran's I spatial autocorrelation analysis. Blue represents above-average home value change between 2011 and 2017. Purple represents above-average increases in rental prices between 2010 and 2016. Orange represents above-average change in median household income, and green represents above-average change in educational attainment (bachelor's degree and above), both using 2010 and 2015 American Community Survey data.

Sources: Household income change and educational attainment: American Community Survey | Rental price change: Zillow | Home value change: Trulia

Reporting: Lauren Gilger, Carrie Jung, Christina Estes
Senior Producer: Sarah Ventre
Editor: Al Macias
Digital: Jackie Hai, Jean Clare Sarmiento, Sky Schaudt, Kaleigh Shufeldt
Graphic Design: Ambar Favela