Distant Suburbs Falling Hard and Fast

Distant suburbs, or exurbs, of metropolitan areas across the US are feeling and strongly experiencing the impact of the recession and sharply rising fuel prices faster than comparably to other areas. Here in the Mountain states, there are several notable exurbs that are and will feel this impact. Among them are Mesquite, NV; Pahrump, NV; Green Valley, AZ; Queen Creek, AZ (among many exurbs of the greater Phoenix area); Edgewood-Moriarty, NM; Castle Rock, CO (among many exurbs of the Denver/Colorado Springs region); Evergreen, CO (among many mountain exurbs in Colorado); Payson-Spanish Fork, UT (among many exurbs of the Salt Lake City/Provo region); and Ontario-Nyssa, OR (among many exurbs of the Boise area). These particular suburbs are about one-half hour or more by driving distance to the major employment centers in their regional area even in good driving conditions. Rising fuel prices threaten the continuation of any growth in these exurb communities, putting tremendous strains on local governmental budgets which will result in the cutback of maintenance and construction of infrastructure, other services, needed programs, and public employment. Local businesses in these exurbs will see a decline in revenues and profits due to strict tightening of local citizens' personal budgets and the continued likely increase and occurrence of home foreclosures and virtual disappearance of any new home construction. Many businesses will fail and chains will simply close down their locations in the exurbs. Home sales will be in a depressed state in these exurbs which will cause a greater decline in home values than closer in suburbs and metro cores. This ever-growing spiral will put a damper on and possibly all but end any growth or expansion in these exurbs and beyond them. Many if not most of these exurbs are now experiencing the beginnings of a long and painful markedly sharp downturn and decline that may never be reversed to conditions that existed until very recently. The solution for sprawl in the Mountain states region may have been discovered: high gasoline fuel prices and a painfully shallow widespread recession. Unfortunately with these solutions come alot of pain and hardship for many in a wide variety of ways. The areas where growth is the best places to have happen and prosper will be in the close in suburbs and center cores of older, established cities where a wide range of mass transit and alternative transportation is available. the boomburbs. The Mountain states region has a number of these types of locations as is true across the nation.
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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1945db80-334c-11dd-8a25-0000779fd2ac.html
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