Week 2 Blog Post

Hello! I am an international student so unfortunately lack the perspective that some of my American colleagues have regarding the city of Phoenix.  In my opinion, low income immigrants would choose to stay away from Phoenix since it is an expensive area.  They would live in the suburbs such as Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa. They also would not want to pick Tempe since Tempe is basically a college town.  I would not choose to move away from this place since it is so convenient for me.  I can wake up and be in school within half an hour.  The metro rail provides quick access to downtown if I ever feel the need to go there.  However, I don’t go to downtown since I have everything I need here in Tempe.  The model of gentrification is definitely here in Tempe.  The old people are moving to Chandler which seems like a good place to raise a family since it is quieter and away from the rush. According to Burgess model I would choose Zone Four as the place for my immigrant family.  Since this zone would have apartment complexes be a bit lively and have access to economic opportunities.  This is what I would choose since money would be tight and the place would have to be affordable.

The other thing that I think would impact my decision to live as an immigrant would be to see if people from my ethnic background were living in the same area.  Migrant families go through a phase of assimilation in which the foreign customs seem odd to them so they look for familiarity.  The people from back home give them assurance that there is someone out there who talks like them and reminds them of back home.  These people would also have gone through similar experiences and as such would be able to understand.  Thus in my opinion, the migrant family depending on their background might choose to live in a different place than would make sense financially.