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Which desert cities are best/most beautiful/most livable?
On the top of my hand I can only come up with three of them: Las Vegas, Phoenix (if that's a city or big village I don't know) and Tucson. Are there any more of them?
Please share your experiences with any desert town/city and what you thought about it (positives and negatives).
Which desert cities are best/most beautiful/most livable?
On the top of my hand I can only come up with three of them: Las Vegas, Phoenix (if that's a city or big village I don't know) and Tucson. Are there any more of them?
Please share your experiences with any desert town/city and what you thought about it (positives and negatives).
PEACE!
Tucson.
Yes, there are more. Albuquerque and Chihuahua and El Paso and Mexicali, the latter two for a binational metropolis (and it's growing incredibly fast, already El Paso/Tucson/Albuquerque sized, the California side is called "Calexico" and there's lots of those typical Native American casinos around that area, from my drive on I-8 from Tucson to San Diego in 2008). I also would've included Juarez but I'll wait until they get their crime issues even further down to ordinary levels (they've made HUGE strides in the last year and a half, crime fighting implementations have been wildly successful).
I picked Tucson, you'd have to go there and spend some time in the Sonoran Desert around it to understand. Peaceful, calm, quiet, incredibly beautiful, and did I mention peaceful? I also love the history of the Western United States (more so than anywhere else really, very articulate indigenous culture and history), and the Gadson Purchase was one of my favorite (underrated) chapters in Western history, just as the Louisiana Purchase was also a very important chapter in American history, and also underrated on this forum. The Gadson Purchase, for anyone that like to study logistics (particularly freight) is interesting to say the least. Then there are also the remnants of the lost civilizations that had colonized and made the deserts of Arizona their home before the Europeans came along and re-colonized it to fit the image of their colonization.
I also like birds/Avian, wildlife, and planes/Aviation. Tucson has a great plane museum/exhibit (and a gritty cool airplane graveyard across the street from the museum/exhibit), and lots of Native American reserves where they have multiple species of birds (all over the place between Phoenix and Tucson actually), and the wildlife is also unique (think some of the rarest species of big cats out there) and love the tan scenery with cacti (along with very very very emerald lush, this is the only other type of terrain I like). In general, really like Arizona's scenic points, as a state, quite diverse geographically and everything is an ease to get to (incredible road system).
After Tucson, I'll go with Mexicali and El Paso. Phoenix, however, is definitely the desert southwest's capital for both the American and Mexican sides. Easily at that.
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 04-07-2014 at 04:58 PM..
OP of the three you listed I would avoid Las Vegas. To me it's too touristy and after a week or so I would get bored. Phoenix is probably a better choice just because it has a lot of offer, cheap, and low COL. If you like Tuscon then you will probably like Albuquerque, the cities are quite similar in size, COL, population, and economy(although I'd say ABQ is a bit better). Albuquerque has an advantage over Tuscon in weather, the summers in Tuscon can be quite unpleasant(Phoenix too). The winters in the desert cities are fantastic but ABQ can be "colder" then the others.
Maybe check out El Paso and if you're looking for a smaller desert city check out Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Flagstaff.
Los Angeles and any of the cities surround it are probably going to have to lead the list. After all without huge infusions of imported water, almost the entire LA Basin would revert to desert.
I think Phoenix is. My second home of Tucson would be second IMO. The desert is prettier in Tucson, but the city in Tucson is well... dirty. Just run down, that's all. However, there are places near the Phoenix metro, and somewhat in the metro, where you can see the desert very easily. Other than the botanical gardens in Phoenix, I like to visit Superstition Mountains or drive slightly north by the Cave Creek/Anthem area, which is a pretty desert area.
If you decide to visit Tucson, if you go west just on the other side of the Tucson Mountains in Tucson Mountain Park, there is a beautiful desert area that gets some AMAZING sunsets. But all desert towns get amazing sunsets, they get a wide array of colors that we can thank the excessive amount of dust for.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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If you can take the heat and want the best range of employment and job opportunities then go with Phoenix. Also what sets Phoenix apart from other cities in the desert Southwest is the landscaping and moreso in places like Scottsdale. The Valley has a large variety of desert vegetation and irrigated green lawns and golf courses. Cities like Tucson and Albuquerque use more gravel and xeriscaping. Phoenix also puts you only two hours away from places like Flagstaff and Sedona which are great for beating the heat as it can be 25-30 degrees cooler up there in a beautiful forested mountain area and great hiking. Flagstaff is a fun little college town and Sedona has awesome scenery and hiking. Phoenix also offers suburbs with all kinds different vibes like Scottsdale, Tempe, and Chandler.
If you want four seasons with fairly short and balmy winters (though subject to cold swings) and nice long summers with more tolerable heat than Phoenix and 300+ days of sun a year then Albuquerque would be your answer. The climate here is very agreeable as most days are nice days. Albuquerque is a great jumping off point for roadtripping as one could go skiing in Colorado or go hike in the Grand Canyon and make an easy weekend out of it. New Mexico also has more of the old school Southwest element. Santa Fe is only an hour up the road, lots of artistry and cool historical aspects up. One thing about Albuquerque though is its pretty isolated as far as cities and urban stimulation goes. The next major city is either Denver or Phoenix and both are about a 6 to7 hour drive.
I like Tucson and enjoyed my visit there. It's a college town that has a bit of that eclectic vibe found on the west coast and also has somewhat of an old pueblo feel. It's in a beautiful valley surrounded mountains and saguaro cacti covered hills that is essentially a postcard scene of quintessential Arizona.
El Paso is a very friendly city and has a nice high desert mountain setting. It feels more like New Mexico than Texas though there are definitely hints of Texan character around. Its downtown feels historic but both it and the city leave something to be desired. In spite of it being overall very safe in feeling there is no getting around the elephant in the room of having the basket case that is Juarez just over the river.
I won't comment on Vegas except I've been three times and every time I'm there I want to leave after about 48 hours.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 04-07-2014 at 06:41 PM..
Los Angeles and any of the cities surround it are probably going to have to lead the list. After all without huge infusions of imported water, almost the entire LA Basin would revert to desert.
This is incorrect. The Basin is not desert at all, it is a coastal plain formed by various rivers and streams. Yes LA does not have enough local water for its massive population, but that does not make it a desert. The Inland Empire is some desert, and northern LA County (Antelope Valley) is desert.
This is incorrect. The Basin is not desert at all, it is a coastal plain formed by various rivers and streams. Yes LA does not have enough local water for its massive population, but that does not make it a desert. The Inland Empire is some desert, and northern LA County (Antelope Valley) is desert.
Yep. The Los Angeles basin (and the San Fernando, San Gabriel and San Bernardino valleys) have a Mediterranean climate, semi-arid.
The true desert climate is in the Antelope valley and Coachella valley.
As far as most beautiful you've got to pick which desert, the Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Mojave, or Great Basin. They all have their own flora and fauna, as well as signature land forms, sorta.
As far as which desert cities are best? Well, this is CD, best is meaningless unless you specify for who and in what way.
Most livable? I'd say that's COL, and that's a safe bet in the SW. Phoenix can be a higher COL than ABQ or Tucson but the job situation is better. Though, in PHX there's still dirt cheap rent and affordable homes if you look in the right places.
This is incorrect. The Basin is not desert at all, it is a coastal plain formed by various rivers and streams. Yes LA does not have enough local water for its massive population, but that does not make it a desert. The Inland Empire is some desert, and northern LA County (Antelope Valley) is desert.
Sorry, but when the monks came to the area in 1700s, Los Angeles was a desert. If abundant water wasn't diverted to the area, with a few exceptions along the LA River and a few of the streams, the area would return to its former state.
William Mullholland made LA the city that it is.
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