Why is southern Utah like Disneyland? Despite long lines, high prices, people flock there

[MULTIZ321]

Why is southern Utah like Disneyland? Despite long lines, high prices, people flock there.

Why is southern Utah like Disneyland? Despite long lines, high prices, people flock there

St. George, nestled at Utah’s southwest corner, is experiencing large growth despite the pandemic, creating housing market tension and infrastructure concerns.

www.deseret.com

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Richard

 

[MrockStar]

Freedom, sunny skies, Bible belt, low taxes, low taxes ?

 

[bbodb1]

The California Exodus continues.....

 

[DaveNV]

This article isn't complete enough. St. George is surrounded by Washington County, and city limits are blurred between St. George and a number of suburban communities. The busiest St. George shopping area is in the adjacent community of Washington, Utah. Growth overall in the area has been exploding for years, although recent growth has been absolutely exponential. The county's population is approaching 200,000, more than double what it was 20 years ago. The expansion is unbelievable. Doesn't sound like much, in big city terms, but to experience it, you'd swear you were in Los Angeles. We have visited the Southern Utah red rock country for decades, starting back in the early 1970s. What was always a sleepy little town in the desert SW corner of Utah seemed like a great place to retire. When time came to actually consider retiring there, the prices, crowds, and growth had taken it off the list.

Mesquite, Nevada, where we retired last year, is about 40 miles from St. George, Utah. Always considered a kind of "poor man's St. George," Mesquite is a viable option for those who can't afford to pay St. George prices. Cost of living, taxes, and housing prices are better in Nevada than in Utah - or at least they used to be. Things are changing, fast. Mesquite is still a smaller town, but the overflow from St. George is apparent here, as well. People who head to St. George often find themselves stopping in Mesquite, (or returning to it), because it's more of what St. George used to be.

The effects are glaring: As of this morning, there are only 15 homes actively for sale in Mesquite. The rest are already Under Contract. Of those 15 resale homes, eight are located in the Sun City community I live in. So that means for anyone under 55 or those who don't want to live in Sun City, they have only seven homes to choose from, if they want to buy here. Rental homes are virtually nonexistent, and it's very difficult to find housing here.

I've been watching the real estate market here, comparing what is to what was: The specific floorplan we purchased isn't being built any longer, so the only way to get it is through resale. Two homes of this plan are currently in escrow - one sold for $70K more, and one for $100K more than we paid for our home last year. There is one currently listed for sale, not as nice as our home, and it's listed for $60K more than we paid. The market here is just insane.

Timing seems to be everything. We feel lucky to have gotten in before things went over the edge. Check back with me in five years.

Dave

 

[Cornell]

@DaveNV Sounds blissful to me. Congrats again.

 

[DaveNV]

@DaveNV Sounds blissful to me. Congrats again.

Thanks. We have absolutely no complaints. Bit by bit, it's getting better.

Dave

 

[MrockStar]

Glad you made it in there before the current land rush started.

 

[TravelTime]

This article isn't complete enough. St. George is surrounded by Washington County, and city limits are blurred between St. George and a number of suburban communities. The busiest St. George shopping area is in the adjacent community of Washington, Utah. Growth overall in the area has been exploding for years, although recent growth has been absolutely exponential. The county's population is approaching 200,000, more than double what it was 20 years ago. The expansion is unbelievable. Doesn't sound like much, in big city terms, but to experience it, you'd swear you were in Los Angeles. We have visited the Southern Utah red rock country for decades, starting back in the early 1970s. What was always a sleepy little town in the desert SW corner of Utah seemed like a great place to retire. When time came to actually consider retiring there, the prices, crowds, and growth had taken it off the list.

Mesquite, Nevada, where we retired last year, is about 40 miles from St. George, Utah. Always considered a kind of "poor man's St. George," Mesquite is a viable option for those who can't afford to pay St. George prices. Cost of living, taxes, and housing prices are better in Nevada than in Utah - or at least they used to be. Things are changing, fast. Mesquite is still a smaller town, but the overflow from St. George is apparent here, as well. People who head to St. George often find themselves stopping in Mesquite, (or returning to it), because it's more of what St. George used to be.

The effects are glaring: As of this morning, there are only 15 homes actively for sale in Mesquite. The rest are already Under Contract. Of those 15 resale homes, eight are located in the Sun City community I live in. So that means for anyone under 55 or those who don't want to live in Sun City, they have only seven homes to choose from, if they want to buy here. Rental homes are virtually nonexistent, and it's very difficult to find housing here.

I've been watching the real estate market here, comparing what is to what was: The specific floorplan we purchased isn't being built any longer, so the only way to get it is through resale. Two homes of this plan are currently in escrow - one sold for $70K more, and one for $100K more than we paid for our home last year. There is one currently listed for sale, not as nice as our home, and it's listed for $60K more than we paid. The market here is just insane.

Timing seems to be everything. We feel lucky to have gotten in before things went over the edge. Check back with me in five years.

Dave

How are you dealing with the summer heat in Southern Nevada? I would consider Arizona but the sweltering heat in the summer keeps me where I am. It’s hot enough in California in the summer. But the dry heat when it’s over 100 is a killer for me. I am from Florida and I can deal with humid heat in the summer because it was usually in the 80s, at least when I was growing up. With global warming, maybe Florida is hotter now.

 

[DaveNV]

How are you dealing with the summer heat in Southern Nevada? I would consider Arizona but the sweltering heat in the summer keeps me where I am. It’s hot enough in California in the summer. But the dry heat when it’s over 100 is a killer for me. I am from Florida and I can deal with humid heat in the summer because it was usually in the 80s, at least when I was growing up. With global warming, maybe Florida is hotter now.

Pretty well, actually. The heat here isn't unexpected, or terrible, and the humidity is quite low here. I've spent a lot of time in the desert southwest, so I knew exactly what we were getting into. We arrived in Mesquite at the end of June, and walked right into the hottest months of the year. On purpose. I figured if we could handle the heat then, the rest of the year would be more moderate, and easy to take. It has been.

The trick is to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day. People go out early and later, when temperatures are lower. Afternoons are kind of "siesta time." Our house has central a/c, and is very comfortable, day or night. Contrasted with ten months of rain we lived with in Washington, and weeks or months of gray skies, no sun, and daily temperatures requiring layers of protective clothing - I'll take the heat here. I've worn shorts and t-shirts just about every day since we arrived here. The heaviest layer of clothing I put on all winter was a flannel shirt. It's good here.

We're trying to put in a pool in our backyard, which will add a great balance to things. As the weather gets warmer, the wetter I'll get.

Dave

 

[TravelTime]

Pretty well, actually. The heat here isn't unexpected, or terrible, and the humidity is quite low here. I've spent a lot of time in the desert southwest, so I knew exactly what we were getting into. We arrived in Mesquite at the end of June, and walked right into the hottest months of the year. On purpose. I figured if we could handle the heat then, the rest of the year would be more moderate, and easy to take. It has been.

The trick is to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day. People go out early and later, when temperatures are lower. Afternoons are kind of "siesta time." Our house has central a/c, and is very comfortable, day or night. Contrasted with ten months of rain we lived with in Washington, and weeks or months of gray skies, no sun, and daily temperatures requiring layers of protective clothing - I'll take the heat here. I've worn shorts and t-shirts just about every day since we arrived here. The heaviest layer of clothing I put on all winter was a flannel shirt. It's good here.

We're trying to put in a pool in our backyard, which will add a great balance to things. As the weather gets warmer, the wetter I'll get.

Dave

The pool sounds great. I put our pool remodel on hold while we were adopting two kids. However, my younger daughter scraped her knee on the rough surface so I should call to get the pool remodel re-started.