‘Boondocking’ Communities See Surge of New Arrivals as Housing Prices Soar

A flag stands vigil outside an old recreational vehicle, one of many that populate the nomadic lifestyle community known as "Slab City" outside of Niland, Calif., on Feb. 13, 2022. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

QUARTZSITE, Ariz.—At age 63, Tom, a retired clerical worker, wasn’t planning to live out his golden years in the back seat of an old beater car in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.

Living alone on a fixed income, Tom said he was just getting by on Social Security until housing prices in Phoenix began to climb in 2021.