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It's not a question of "if" but when will Phoenix surpass Houston in population? It's no secret that people want to move near the West Coast. The weather here is perfect aside from the hot summers but at least they are dry and not sticky like Houston and Florida.
So dry is good, huh? Are you aware that Phoenix is experiencing its driest year in history EVER so far? If we receive no more rain through the end of the year, it will be officially the driest year on record. Are you aware of the drought we're in right now, which has worsened gradually since it began 11 years ago? How about the dwindling water supplies in many areas of Arizona, and the urban heat island effect due to the sprawl which is making the Phoenix metro area hotter? Tell me how dry is "perfect" weather.
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Originally Posted by paulrigsby
We are within driving distance of LA, San Diego and Las Vegas for attractions whereas Houston natives can only really drive to New Orleans.
That's another thing I'm tired of hearing: how we're so close to California and Las Vegas for attractions. Hey, since we're the fifth largest city in the nation (and possibly the future fourth largest city), why doesn't Phoenix get some attractions of its own?! The NIMBYs need to quit opposing things like stadiums, amusement parks, and other big city amenities that will only improve the quality of life.
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Originally Posted by paulrigsby
The state has increasingly become more liberal and democratic and will likely become a Blue state in the next Presidential election. Houston is growing as well but it's still Texas and it has a very conservative and southern element that many don't like.
How would Arizona be any better by becoming a blue liberal state? That usually results in more socialism in the form of increased gun control, increased welfare dependent people, increased public education that doesn't work, more crime, more labor unions, and more taxation for the average citizen which we don't need & can't afford. Also, liberal minded people tend to favor amnesty for illegal aliens ... and God knows that this state is already overwhelmed with illegals as it is!
Houston's growth is very surprising to me. Having lived in both cities, I can't understand why Houston appeals to people. It has a large inland port and a more diverse economy, but in terms of quality of life, it is quite low. I'd imagine the growth there is a function of jobs in a relatively inexpensive place to live and fruitful illegal alien families. Phoenix's growth is based more on the desire to live here than the diversity of the economy. The metro Houston area is dominated by Houston with small satellite suburbs. You're either in Houston or you're not. Phoenix on the other hand has some of the largest suburbs in the nation with 7 cities over 100,000. That's unbelievable, isn't it?! Despite this, I don't think the suburbs are really siphoning off people from the city. The volume of increase is relatively the same everywhere, though the percentages will be higher in the smallest suburbs because of the math.
To answer the question, though, I predict Houston will be destroyed in the next 'attack' as I think that would have a huge impact on our country's energy industry, crippling us in ways that exponentiate beyond Houston's size. So, after that, Phoenix--a city that fortunately doesn't have national significance beyond its size--will become #4. Sorry to be so doom-and-gloom, but the future is pretty bleak (another thread altogether ).
Location: Sunny Phoenix Arizona...wishing for a beach.
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Originally Posted by car957
Won't happen. The economy in Houston is far more diverse than the economy in Phoenix. Houston is home to 45 Fortune 500 companies (those companies are ranked in the top 150) and not all of them are energy producers or petrochemical. The article mentioned by AZ Bear caused me to conclude that growth is what drove Phoenix's population.
And with all due respect Sheena, I'll take the humidity and the heat rather than residing in a convection oven 5 months each year. And we have spectacular thunderstorms.
Ohhhhhhhhhh hold on!!! I agree with the humidity thing trust me and my skin agrees too. I was talking about tornadoes and floods. I don't care for thunderstorms either.
It's not a question of "if" but when will Phoenix surpass Houston in population? It's no secret that people want to move near the West Coast. The weather here is perfect aside from the hot summers but at least they are dry and not sticky like Houston and Florida. We are within driving distance of LA, San Diego and Las Vegas for attractions whereas Houston natives can only really drive to New Orleans. Houston is flat whereas Phoenix offers hiking on it's mountains and snow skiing is just hours away. We don't have hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes or fires to worry about. The state has increasingly become more liberal and democratic and will likely become a Blue state in the next Presidential election. Houston is growing as well but it's still Texas and it has a very conservative and southern element that many don't like.
Do you think Phoenix will supass Houston in the next 12 to 20 years?
I do not believe that Phoenix will surpass any city ever again. I feel it has seen it's best days pass by. I love where I live (Scottsdale) but I am looking forward to moving elsewhere in the near future. Scottsdale will stay nice, but the city of Phoenix and the rest of the valley will have a hard time staying afloat. Did you not see that report in today's Arizona Republic? The future is dismal at best.
Location: Sunny Phoenix Arizona...wishing for a beach.
4,300 posts, read 14,957,136 times
Reputation: 813
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valley Native
So dry is good, huh? Are you aware that Phoenix is experiencing its driest year in history EVER so far? If we receive no more rain through the end of the year, it will be officially the driest year on record. Are you aware of the drought we're in right now, which has worsened gradually since it began 11 years ago? How about the dwindling water supplies in many areas of Arizona, and the urban heat island effect due to the sprawl which is making the Phoenix metro area hotter? Tell me how dry is "perfect" weather.
That's another thing I'm tired of hearing: how we're so close to California and Las Vegas for attractions. Hey, since we're the fifth largest city in the nation (and possibly the future fourth largest city), why doesn't Phoenix get some attractions of its own?! The NIMBYs need to quit opposing things like stadiums, amusement parks, and other big city amenities that will only improve the quality of life.
How would Arizona be any better by becoming a blue liberal state? That usually results in more socialism in the form of increased gun control, increased welfare dependent people, increased public education that doesn't work, more crime, more labor unions, and more taxation for the average citizen which we don't need & can't afford. Also, liberal minded people tend to favor amnesty for illegal aliens ... and God knows that this state is already overwhelmed with illegals as it is!
It's not a question of "if" but when will Phoenix surpass Houston in population? It's no secret that people want to move near the West Coast.
See my thread, If you won the lottery tomorrow: Newport Beach, CA, or north Scottsdale, AZ? If the results of this unscientific poll are even halfway representative of most Phoenicians, then your theory is disputed. Despite what some people may think, Phoenix is NOT "West Coast." Moving to Phoenix to be "near" LA and San Diego is like moving to Pittsburgh to be "near" Washington, DC.
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The weather here is perfect aside from the hot summers but at least they are dry and not sticky like Houston and Florida.
Perfect weather? Did you say perfect? It's the very end of October, and it is STILL hot as hell out every single day, with afternoon temperatures baking in the mid 90's. I was walking around this afternoon and it sucked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by paulrigsby
We are within driving distance of LA, San Diego and Las Vegas for attractions whereas Houston natives can only really drive to New Orleans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valley Native
That's another thing I'm tired of hearing: how we're so close to California and Las Vegas for attractions. Hey, since we're the fifth largest city in the nation (and possibly the future fourth largest city), why doesn't Phoenix get some attractions of its own?! The NIMBYs need to quit opposing things like stadiums, amusement parks, and other big city amenities that will only improve the quality of life.
I agree with Valley Native 100% on this one. It's a tired out, self-defeating claim. Do people in LA, San Diego, and Las Vegas market themselves as being only 6 hours away from Phoenix?
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Do you think Phoenix will supass Houston in the next 12 to 20 years?
If it does, it would only be because Houston sinks into the ocean after sea levels rise. I also agree with Valley Native that red/blue state has little to do with quality of life.
If we (PHX) don't get to work in diversifying our economy beyond growth we may well start losing population in a couple decades. The AZ Republic had a piece on the topic today. Nothing in the article was news, but I was surprised by the sobering observation that Detroit was the fastest growing city in America in 1954.
The growth in Detroit and the Growth in PHX are completely different.
People moved to Detroit as the American Automobile Industry flourished, creating job opportunities. Detroit went downhill because of overseas competition in that sector, downsizing, moving, outsourcing, etc. which left many unemployed and therefore impoverished people in that city.
Many people moving to Phoenix are retiring. They are contributing to the economy. Job opportunities are now available in a veriety of industries for non-retirees, due to population increase. I don't see a similar pattern to Detroit. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Last edited by BrandOnian; 10-29-2007 at 02:50 AM..
The growth in Detroit and the Growth in PHX are completely different.
People moved to Detroit as the American Automobile Industry flourished, creating job opportunities. Detroit went downhill because of overseas competition in that sector, downsizing, moving, outsourcing, etc. which left many unemployed and therefore impoverished people in that city.
Many people moving to Phoenix are retiring. They are contributing to the economy. Job opportunities are now available in a veriety of industries for non-retirees, due to population increase. I don't see a similar pattern to Detroit. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
The point of the newspaper article was that Phoenix needs to diversify its economic base. It can not rely on growth as its singular engine. It was not a comparison to Detroit. Just an observation that a city once on top of the pile failed to plan, diversify, and adapt and now is near the bottom of the heap. It can happen here too, I think, was the message.
The growth in Detroit and the Growth in PHX are completely different.
People moved to Detroit as the American Automobile Industry flourished, creating job opportunities. Detroit went downhill because of overseas competition in that sector, downsizing, moving, outsourcing, etc. which left many unemployed and therefore impoverished people in that city.
Many people moving to Phoenix are retiring. They are contributing to the economy. Job opportunities are now available in a veriety of industries for non-retirees, due to population increase. I don't see a similar pattern to Detroit. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Yes, you are mistaken (sorry). Please read through this study that was printed in the AZ Republic. There are any links to other parts of the story which you really need to read to get a grasp on the situation. I wouldn't say it's "dire" but Phoenix has definately seen it's best days and is already beginning the slow decent into a "has been" city.
It's not a bad place, but because of the lack of quality jobs and our poor education system (along with poorly rated universities) it's so far behind the right ball with all this growth, no one in their right mind will transfer their fortune 500 company here or even a fast growing company. We just don't have the educated population to support that. I'm sorry, but the facts speak for themselves. Arizona quickly falls behind the eight ball.
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).
It's dismal at best
