The High Cost of Housing in Sedona:

Opinion |

Photo by Sherman Trotz

It doesn’t take much looking around to see that Sedona has a housing problem. You hear it everywhere at the grocery store, at the coffee shop, and from friends who suddenly have to pack up and leave town because the rent went up again. Families are being squeezed out, and workers are stuck commuting long distances just to keep their jobs here.

What used to be a small, tight-knit community has turned into a place where only those with serious money can afford to settle. For the rest of us, it feels like the walls are closing in. Rentals that were once halfway reasonable now cost more than a mortgage. Homes that were built for families are being scooped up as short-term rentals, leaving fewer and fewer places for actual residents to live.

The impact goes deeper than just money. When people who grew up here can’t stay, when teachers, firefighters, and service workers can’t afford to live in the town they serve, Sedona loses a piece of itself. The culture, the community, the everyday life that made this place special, it all starts to slip away.

What makes it harder is the feeling that no one in power has the urgency to fix it. The conversation comes up every so often at city meetings, but then it fades away with no real progress. Meanwhile, families are leaving, businesses can’t keep staff, and the gap between the image of Sedona and the reality of living here keeps getting wider.

There’s no easy fix. Everyone knows that. But ignoring it won’t make it go away, either. At some point, Sedona has to decide if it wants to be a living town for real people or just a playground for those who can afford it. Right now, it feels like we’re headed in the wrong direction.

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