Phoenix, Arizona in the days of the population boom

You really don't hear the phrase "population boom" much anymore, but when I was a kid, it was a very popular subject. I didn't grow up in Phoenix (which did more than just boom after World War II, it exploded), but even in the established neighborhood where I grew up, in Minneapolis, I remember our high school having "temporary" buildings in the parking lot, and even the church next door was used (the conference rooms, not the main church) for overflow students (like me!). And from what I've heard of Phoenix, it was just beyond crazy as the population boomed.

Speaking of booming, I'm a Baby Boomer. Nowadays people my age are simply called "Boomers", and it spans from being born after World War II up through the mid-1960s. So even though I'm younger than most "Boomers", I'm still in that category, and I do have vivid memories of the predictions for the future when the planet would get so crowded that we'd run out of food, and have to eat "Soylent Green" (a very popular movie in 1973 about the population boom).

As someone who grew up in a tiny house in Minneapolis that was jammed with people, including my parents, three brothers and me, I really had no idea that living like that wasn't the norm. Even back then, cars were always parked on the neighborhood streets, in addition to being parked in garages, although since I didn't drive much then I didn't really notice a parking problem. I learned to thread through congestion, how to parallel park, how to merge onto freeway ramps that were very short, and that had a LOT of cars, even back in the 1970s. And then I moved to Phoenix and was amazed.

I was nineteen when I moved to Phoenix, and I'd never seen so much open space in my life. The roads were (and are) gigantic, wide, and you don't ever need to parallel park. I was amazed by what I called "the luxury of space". Of course, people who had grown up there didn't see it the same way that I did. The space had been rapidly filling up, and the luxury of space was going away.

My goal was to someday buy a house in the suburbs, which I did, with such low density of population it was just ridiculous (and it still is to me). Like I said, I grew up in such a densely-populated area that I was one of those people who used turn signals, and didn't stop in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. But as I gaze at the wide open spaces of my neighborhood, even now in 2020, I wonder why worry? It's not crowded - you can leave your truck running with both doors open in any street in my neighborhood and not inconvenience anyone. Population boom?

But of course, it's a matter of perspective. Many of the people that I've known who grew up in the wide open spaces have a very different viewpoint than mine. Many of them pine for the days when there would only be an occasional vehicle going by, instead of "rush hour". Some of my friends have amassed enough wealth to go buy acres of land, and surround themself with space, lots of space, where they will gaze out at their mountain views in their golden years, straining to hear the distant sounds, like chipmunks, I guess.

Speaking for myself, I realize how influenced I was by the population boom stuff of the '60s and '70s. Or maybe I've just never liked crowds. I've done my part for population control, by not having any children, although I haven't gone as far as the bumper stickers that I used to see in California in the '80s that said, "Save the Planet, Kill Yourself".

I'd like to someday be the owner of
The first house on the moon
There would be no neighbors, and no population boom.
You might say that all I do is dream my life away
I guess it's true, 'cause I'm stone in love for you.

Stone in Love with You, 1972

---

If you like pictures of old-time Phoenix, please become a member of History Adventuring on Patreon. I share a LOT of cool old photos there, copyright-free, with no advertising. Your support makes it happen! Thank you!

Click here to become a Patron!