In Maricopa, Ariz., a Paradise Found and Lost
Builders rushed into this one-time agricultural crossroads during the housing boom. They put up beige stucco houses on winding streets, with names like Heavenly Place and Good Vibrations Lane. They lured young people who couldn’t afford homes in nearby Phoenix or its costly suburbs. The population soared to 37,000 last year from 1,400 a decade ago, making Maricopa one of the nation’s fastest-growing towns.
Now, it’s become a dead end for some of those people.
“We’re trapped,” says Tracy Campbell, as she watches her 2-year-old daughter romp on a playground.