Arizona Dreamin’
Golfers enjoy a sunny day backdropped by houses in the Veraddo development 25 miles west of Phoenix. The Phoenix metropolitan area is a magnet for people from the Golden State for two reasons: good real estate prices and jobs. (Wally Skalij / LAT)
Estella Campos sits with her son Emiliano, left, as talks to Melissa Campos and her daughter Hailey, center, and Christy Dailey during a family outing at Cottonwood Park in the Veraddo development . The Phoenix area has nudged Las Vegas aside as the No. 1 destination for people fleeing the Golden State and its soaring home prices. (Wally Skalij / LAT)
Melissa Campos sits with her daughter Hailey during a family outing at Cottonwood Park. Tax returns for 2005, the most recent data available, show that a net 11,375 households representing nearly 29,000 people moved from California to Maricopa County in 2004. (Wally Skalij / LAT)
Kyle Campos plays softball with family at Cottonwood Park in the Veraddo development 25 miles west of Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / LAT)
Megan Duplain walks back to her golf cart backdropped by houses in the Veraddo development. The median home price in the Phoenix area in February was $253,000. (Wally Skalij / LAT)
Joe and Patricia Ornelas hold their daughter Penelope on Main Street in the Veraddo development. The Ornelas family moved from Alhambra for a cheaper cost of living. (Wally Skalij / LAT)
