Poll:Who else would've preferred for Arizona's largest metropolitan area to be in North Central Arizona? (Phoenix: transplants, how much)

[LuvHighDesert]

Phoenix and Tucson grew to be the size they are today because of water from the Colorado river. However lets be honest, if we could vote where we'd rather have Arizona's major city be, i'm sure most would pick up north in the more scenic, less hot climate environment.

Flagstaff might be alittle too cold for it to win the majority vote in this situation however no doubt Flagstaff is more lush and scenic than Southern AZ.

So my question to this poll is, if you could pick up Phoenix and surrounding sprawl then move it anywhere in Arizona that you desire, where would it be?

I'd pick Sedona

[GSR13]

I'd opt for the Prescott/Chino Valley area but it might be tricky with there not being quite enough space.

[JGMotorsport64]

I prefer it this way. We've taken the hot and flat part and polluted it with transplants while leaving the best parts of the state wide open. It's for the better.

[LuvHighDesert]

To me the flat wide open part of Arizona is 1 1/2 hours east of Phoenix. But i see your point how you'd want the nature parts unurbanized.

[AZ Manager]

Originally Posted by LuvHighDesert

Phoenix and Tucson grew to be the size they are today because of water from the Colorado river. However lets be honest, if we could vote where we'd rather have Arizona's major city be, i'm sure most would pick up north in the more scenic, less hot climate environment.

Flagstaff might be alittle too cold for it to win the majority vote in this situation however no doubt Flagstaff is more lush and scenic than Southern AZ.

So my question to this poll is, if you could pick up Phoenix and surrounding sprawl then move it anywhere in Arizona that you desire, where would it be?

I'd pick Sedona

Phoenix is the size that is it because it is the capital, had it not moved around after the civil war it would likely still be in Tuscon. During the Civil War the state, with freshly drawn borders, had a northern and southern capital (Prescott and Tuscon). After the civil war the official capital moved from Prescott to Tuscon to keep an eye on the Confederate sympathizers and stayed there for a decade or so before moving back to Prescott. A decade after that and the decision was made to move it to Phoenix because it is the middle point between the two previous capitals. Had very little to do with resources, though the farming land helps, and zero consideration for the climate as it was purely logistical. At least when I was in grade school 20-25 years ago they used to teach AZ history.

I wouldn't want to move it anywhere since Phoenix is the perfect location with amazing weather 9 months out of the year (not sarcasm I was out today working in the sun). If you did try to cram these cities in another spot you would see issues like in CA as people don't exactly fit too well in more mountainous terrains (I also love the sprawl since I've got a good 20 feet between me and my neighbors property (about 40 feet to their house) and 60 feet behind me (120 feet to that house). Hell holes like New York, parts of Cali, and other large coastal cities (and the Phoenix downtown eventually) are perfect examples of why sprawl is just a better design, IMO at least.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

I think Nogales or Kingman should be bigger

[Hschlick84]

The southern AZ border should have gone further south all the way to the Gulf of California coast.

[WilmaWildcat]

Arizona is a large state area-wise, and a central location is good; Phoenix also has a regular supply of surface water, which helped it grow to a decent size. Eighty thousand Hohokam were not wrong. There are remote areas in Arizona, where it's already time-consuming for legislators and constituents to get to the capital even with a central location.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

I think Nogales or Kingman should be bigger

It's always fascinated me how much Nogales changes when you cross the border. The AZ side is sprawled out and small, the Mexico side is dense and built up.

[BIG CATS]

Prescott. Perfect temps.