When will Phoenix surpass Houston as the 4th largest city? (sale, foreclosure)

[sweetclimber]

For that 1 guy here who is pro Phoenix and in the words of Deniro in the movie the untouchables "you got nothing!!!!" Phoenix = Fresno, Bakersfield while Houston = Dallas, Boston, Atlanta. That is why Phoenix will never get close to Houston in anything (except the number of meth labs, which phoenix is far ahead in!)

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by borborygmi

It's not in my mind, it's in the minds of those who rank national universities for the USNews- considered the benchmark, and the one most top-notch employers & grad school admissions boards pay attention to. Doesn't matter what I think. But what they think counts. And they don't think much of ASU, apparently. Or U of A either, for that matter.

I've hired many engineers and technical people in my day and sat on panels for many more. I can tell you that a Stanford or MIT undergrad degree might get noticed, but it made no difference in getting hired. It's all in the interview; the degree is just the admission ticket. The issuing institution, whether Texas, AZ, or MIT never mattered one iota in the final selection in my discipline.

Graduate degrees did matter a bit more because some schools have programs that are nationally recognized. For example, the University of Arizona has an international reputation for leadership in the field of Hydrogeology so employers can expect well-prepared applicants in that field coming out of UofA.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by borborygmi

It's not in my mind, it's in the minds of those who rank national universities for the USNews- considered the benchmark, and the one most top-notch employers & grad school admissions boards pay attention to. Doesn't matter what I think. But what they think counts. And they don't think much of ASU, apparently. Or U of A either, for that matter.

USNews is the same source that ranked Thunderbird and ASU's schools in the top in the country and world. I wouldn't call any school in Texas elite and I wouldn't call ASU elite, but I would call Thunderbird elite.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by sweetclimber

For that 1 guy here who is pro Phoenix and in the words of Deniro in the movie the untouchables "you got nothing!!!!" Phoenix = Fresno, Bakersfield while Houston = Dallas, Boston, Atlanta. That is why Phoenix will never get close to Houston in anything (except the number of meth labs, which phoenix is far ahead in!)

Actually, not true, meth labs were a problem in Mesa (not Phoenix) but that was a decade ago. Today, the production of meth has shifted to Mexico and rural America. You should read up on this. Phoenix is actually the most policed state for meth, keeping rate of production lower here than cities in the Midwest and South...including Texas cities.

[borborygmi]

You wouldn't consider Rice or Baylor elite universities? I think you'd be solidly in the minority there. And FWIW, MD Anderson, affiliated with UT, is about as elite as it gets when it comes to medical research and treatment, particularly in the realm of cancer and soft tissue malignancies. And their facility is in Houston.

Ponderosa, I understand your point when it comes to more specialized hiring. The point I'm making is the same as yours, essentially- that a "name" does get you noticed. What you then do with it is up to you. Obviously, it's very individual specific, and when it comes to the actual interview process other personal qualities come into play. I've met some incredibly socially challenged and lazy individuals who graduated from "elite" universities, and I've met some very engaging and hard-working people who graduated from not-so-elite places, if they graduated at all.

Like you said, the degree is just the admission ticket. But initially in the process, especially if you're applying for an ultra-competitive job or grad program against thousands of other people, that can be a big advantage. The initial attention-grabber is the foot in the door you might get from having an "elite" university's name on your resume. Without it, you might not get separated from the rest of the pile, and you might not get that initial interview.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by azriverfan

Houston can't compare to Phoenix in terms of image.

I was trying to resist posting in this, but I'll have to bite.

I have never been to Phoenix, but the image I get from it is that it's like a hotter, drier, super-sprawled version of San Antonio without the culture - no urban core, still feels like a giant suburb rather than a proper city, even by Sun Belt standards. That the food sucks, that people there can live that close to Mexico without knowing how to cook proper Mexican food, and that the people are backwards and more preoccupied with racial tension and immigrant-phobia than the worst of the talk-radio cattle that populate the Houston burbs. That the NFL had to hold them hostage with the Super Bowl in order to get Arizona voters to approve MLK as a state holiday just over a decade ago. That basically everything that sucks about Houston is sevenfold in Phoenix, without the stuff that's good.

Now, should I come to visit, I think I'll put all that aside and make my own observations. But I just wanted to let y'all know what the scoreboard reads over here.

[borborygmi]

Originally Posted by _Charles_

Phoenix is light years friendlier and more livable than Denver. And I base this statement on a lifetime of first hand experience.

Phoenix has been and remains OZ to me.

Interesting that Denver was just named one of the 5 friendliest cities in the U.S. (click here):

The 5 friendliest cities in America - TODAY 101 - MSNBC.com

Phoenix, well... wasn't. Not disagreeing with your personal experience, just pointing this out as somewhat ironic.

[cjester]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

Every city with a teaching hospital is getting some biotech investment right now. But the leading metros for biotech R&D and VC are Boston, SF, SD, and Seattle.
Houston is tied to oil like Detroit is to cars. Better weather and much more immigration than Detroit, plus more int'l trade and air service than other sunbelt metros. But it doesn't attract domestic migration the way Atlanta, Phoenix, Charlotte, and Las Vegas do.

Your are right about teaching hospitals being tied to biotech. But in Houston Biotech has reached an unimaginable level!
These days, the medical center skyline rivals and will soon surpass that of downtown Houston. Home to 75,000 professional life science jobs, the medical center expects to add another 50,000 new positions over the next few years to keep pace with its booming growth. If one includes (at least 150K to 200K) spin off jobs generated by these direct jobs, they would add up to more than a quarter of a million NEW jobs generated by the Medical center in Houston within the next few years.
Article : Biotech Aims High in the Lone Star State Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - Biotechnology from Bench to Business

[jd433]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I was trying to resist posting in this, but I'll have to bite.

I have never been to Phoenix, but the image I get from it is that it's like a hotter, drier, super-sprawled version of San Antonio without the culture - no urban core, still feels like a giant suburb rather than a proper city, even by Sun Belt standards. That the food sucks, that people there can live that close to Mexico without knowing how to cook proper Mexican food, and that the people are backwards and more preoccupied with racial tension and immigrant-phobia than the worst of the talk-radio cattle that populate the Houston burbs. That the NFL had to hold them hostage with the Super Bowl in order to get Arizona voters to approve MLK as a state holiday just over a decade ago. That basically everything that sucks about Houston is sevenfold in Phoenix, without the stuff that's good.

Now, should I come to visit, I think I'll put all that aside and make my own observations. But I just wanted to let y'all know what the scoreboard reads over here.

Boy for never having gone there this guy sure does know how to sum up Phoenix. This is a great comparison. GOOD JOB!!!
I do think that he was a little overboard however to be fair. But yes Phoenix is well compared as a larger version of Fresno or maybe even a little tinge of El Paso you know a big dry dusty flavorless giant suburb of tile rooftops with rocks and dirt. A stucco and concrete jungle. A large portion of it run down and riddled with illegals. A cultureless expanse of transplants with no sense of community. A sprawling generic cookie cutter village of endless redundance. All you see is the same shopping center and master planned community over and over again. Its a colorless empty ghost town with very little to do at all. It's a work and go home type of place that is monotonous and grinding. It's a lifeless pointless meaningless nowhere land. This place was better off being left as a cotton field. They had no business breaking the ground in order to put up their featureless architectually void dull drab developements sprawling for ridiculous distances in all directions. Phoenix is Bedroom Community dependant and freeway lacking. It reeks of John F. Longs slums. It is one big giant FOR SALE SIGN! wich is really an SOS flag for all the homes sinking into foreclosure and cluttering the landscape with abandoned houses over ran with weeds and broken windows. Phoenix has no right trying to compare itself to such a city as Houston which is a "World Class City"

[blueeyz911]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I was trying to resist posting in this, but I'll have to bite.

I have never been to Phoenix, but the image I get from it is that it's like a hotter, drier, super-sprawled version of San Antonio without the culture - no urban core, still feels like a giant suburb rather than a proper city, even by Sun Belt standards. That the food sucks, that people there can live that close to Mexico without knowing how to cook proper Mexican food, and that the people are backwards and more preoccupied with racial tension and immigrant-phobia than the worst of the talk-radio cattle that populate the Houston burbs. That the NFL had to hold them hostage with the Super Bowl in order to get Arizona voters to approve MLK as a state holiday just over a decade ago. That basically everything that sucks about Houston is sevenfold in Phoenix, without the stuff that's good.

Now, should I come to visit, I think I'll put all that aside and make my own observations. But I just wanted to let y'all know what the scoreboard reads over here.

Originally Posted by jd433

Boy for never having gone there this guy sure does know how to sum up Phoenix. This is a great comparison. GOOD JOB!!!

OMG! I know. What a genius. Never been to Phoenix- yet knows all about it. Whatever. Comparing Phoenix to San Antonio is ridiculous. I have been to San Antonio and let me just say I was not impressed.