Is $1,200 a Month “Affordable” When Getting a Home in Amarillo

I saw a post on social media from Mayor Nelson talking about the new housing development we're getting in Amarillo. I got a good chuckle out of it.

She highlighted the fact that we've got an Amazon distribution center coming, the Texas Tech Vet school coming, SSI Food Manufacturing coming, and existing businesses are expanding. This means we need more homes.

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She also used the term "affordable homes" when talking about this new development. Is $1,200 a month affordable?

Where did I come up with the number $1,200? It was on the sign Mayor Nelson was standing in front of in the picture attached to the social media post. You can live in this new development "starting as low as $1,200 a month."

Don't believe me? Check it out.

It isn't that I'm necessarily against the $1,200. If people want to live in that development, they have to pay the price of admission. I just wouldn't go so far as to call that "affordable."

Especially considering that there are many of us who saw most of our savings and our financial stability take a big hit in 2020.

Speaking of 2020, for pretty much the cost of a "stimmy" (economic impact payment or stimulus check) a month, you can say you've got a home in the new development. You'll also need insurance and utilities, which aren't "cheap."

That's just scratching the surface.

The whole thing made me think of a US president speaking on the greatness of American manufacturing while standing in front of a sign that says "made in China." The optics of it are...unfortunate.

It's nice that the city is growing and expanding, and I'm not saying that new housing developments are bad. I just got a giggle out of hearing that "affordable" in Amarillo starts "as low as $1,200 a month."