42. Cemeteries

The Economics of Everyday Things

The verdant lawns promise everlasting rest — but what does it mean to sign a lease for all eternity? Zachary Crockett finds out where the bodies are buried.

  • SOURCES:
    • Terry Arellano, co-founder and president of Cemetery Property Resales, Inc.
    • Jeff Lindeman, C.E.O. and General Manager of Mountain View Cemetery.
    • Tanya Marsh, professor of law at Wake Forest University.
    • Maureen Walton, founder and president of The Cemetery Exchange.
  • RESOURCES:
    • "Los Angeles Burial Crypt Near Marilyn Monroe, Hugh Hefner on Sale for $2 Million," by Stephanie Nolasco (Fox 10 Phoenix, 2023).
    • "Why the Brooklyn-Queens Border Is Full of Dead People," by Keith Williams (The New York Times, 2017).
    • "Death in the City: What Happens When All Our Cemeteries Are Full?" by Ana Naomi de Sousa (The Guardian, 2015).
    • "Our First Public Parks: The Forgotten History of Cemeteries," by Rebecca Greenfield (The Atlantic, 2011).
    • "Selling a Burial Plot is a Grave Decision," by Erin Peterson (Kiplinger, 2010).
  • EXTRAS:
    • "How to Be Better at Death," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada