Jim Jacka, 85, of Tacoma proudly hangs his 12th Man flag on his manufactured home in the Village Grove complex in Mesa, Arizona, before the recent Super Bowl.
The Olympian tells MHProNews that in 1975, a group of men from Tacoma purchased a Mesa orange grove and converted it into a manufactured home community that quickly became a migratory destination for Northwest snowbirds. Today, it has 136 units adorned with cactuses, orange and palm trees, and rock beds.
“We have a lot of people from the South Sound area of Washington living here,” said Carol Mathewson, who along with her husband, Mike, splits time between Tacoma and Mesa. “And a lot of us are Seahawks fans.”
It’s been 12 years since the Arizona Department of Tourism studied the economic impact of snowbirds, but they’re certain the region that’s hosting Super Bowl 49 is home to legions of “snowhawks.”
It rained Thursday and Friday in Phoenix, but there’s a reason this is called the Valley of the Sun. Phoenix, located in the Sonoran Desert, usually gets less than 15 inches of rain each year. That’s what brought the Mathewson’s south. They visited friends at Village Grove and enjoyed the warm weather so much they purchased their own lot 4 1/2 years ago.
They live in Tacoma in the summer then drive to Mesa when the weather starts to get cooler and wetter in October. They fly home for the holidays, then return to Arizona through April. “We love both worlds,” Carol Mathewson said. They joke that they try to time it right so they never see rain. “It’s the dream,” Mike Mathewson said. “It’s just awesome.”
However, the pursuit of the endless summer has one major drawback: Snowbirds might migrate south for the winter, but Seahawks don’t. The Mathewsons and the estimated 25 Seahawks fans who live in Village Grove get together for games and order a special television programming package so they never have to miss the action.
Although the Seahawks didn’t win the Super Bowl this time, there is always a next time, the snowbirds feel. ##
(Photo Credit: The Olympian)
Article submitted by Sandra Lane to – Daily Business News – MHProNews.
