Phoenix is the fastest growing city so...... (Scottsdale, Surprise: environment, relocate)

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by pynkpanther

oh...one more thing - we've got lots of know-it-all and slick people from "other places" coming here thinking they can speed things and people and customs along to suit their fast-paced lives they should've left behind...won't work. many deadly crashes have been caused by these people so don't be one of them. drive the 45 mph and enjoy the scenery.

oh...AND SUPPORT LOCAL FARMERS!!!!!!

Are you referring to Phoenix (the city/metro area), or Arizona in general? The reason I ask is that Arizona as a state is slower paced than somewhere like New York or California ... however, Phoenix is definitely faster paced than the state as a whole. Driving 45 MPH & enjoying the scenery is NOT something you want to do on a Phoenix area freeway when most everybody is zipping along at 65 MPH or more.

BTW, many deadly crashes are caused by inattentive drivers ... many of whom drive too slowly. The slow paced lifestyle you describe is more suitable for rural or small town Arizona. I certainly hope you didn't mean that Phoenix should be slow paced, because it simply won't work here due to the growth, and the car driven culture.

Originally Posted by cxray

And yes, it's sunny everyday.....that's a bad thing? Sorry but you can keep your hurricanes, tornadoes, snow storms, hail storms, ice rain, lightning and torrential downpours. Yeah, sunny weather is boring but at least it's predictable and I know I can plan my weekend on the golf course or take my family to a picnic without fearing rain; I can drive to work not fearing any type of threat from the elements....that's a good thing people!

It's more than just the monotonous factor ... it's becoming a serious water/health issue because of the 11+ year drought we've been facing. Remember the California wildfires last month? They were the result of hot, dry winds and the tinder dry conditions caused by the lack of precipitation ... a.k.a. too much sun & too little rain/snow. Those same kinds of fires are highly likely across the high country of Arizona next spring & summer if the rainless conditions continue ... and they've happened all too recently. Perhaps you don't recall the Rodeo/Chedeski Fire.

Sunshine every day & little rain is more normal for mid April to mid July ... not during the winter like it has been during the past few years. Average rainfall for the Phoenix area ranges between 7 & 10 inches annually. So far, we've only had 2.71 inches all year ... and no moisture in the forecast for anywhere in the state. Parts of northern AZ have been under water restrictions, and mandatory conseravtion measures could become more widespread if this upcoming winter is dry (which it looks to be according to the long range forecast).

So to answer your question about sun every day being a bad thing: the answer is YES, when it's constant with no moisture for record long stretches. That's not exactly normal, even for AZ standards. Do some research on climatology.

[joninaz]

I think people forget how YOUNG Phoenix is in terms of being a big city.

In 1950, New York had 7.8 million people. Chicago had 3.4 million people. Philly had 2 million. Phoenix had 104,000

Fast forward. New York is still around 8 million. Chicago and Philly have lost numbers. And Phoenix has jumped from being the 2nd smallest city in the country to the 5th or 6th largest in just a quarter century.

It's quite remarkable in the history of civic growth. Even more so when you consider we didn't have a mass migration born from a mineral rush (San Fran, Nevada, Denver), an oil boom (TX, OK), or the development of a major port (bay area, Seattle, Houston, FL, etc), nor any major confluence of transport (CHI, ATL). There's never been a dominant industry (Hollywood, Vegas, Silicon Valley, Penn Steel, VA coal, etc.) and there's still no one factor that's a major POD (point of differenciation) that separates us from any other.

It actually makes little sense. But for some reason, millions upon millions have shown up here in a relatively short time. Long enough to build houses and shops, but still young in terms of building truley civic-defining attributes.

Yet we compare oursleves to NY and question our arts scene. We wonder why our music clubs aren't on par with L.A., or our Chinese food with San Fran. There's been a recent debate on here about the type of industry in PHX versus Houston, as if that city hasn't had a big head start in discovery, coupled with their perfect gateway to the oil/chemical/energy industires.

In the life of city/states, we're the young teenager. Maybe pre-teen... still trying to find oursleves. We stress about comparing ourselves with older siblings, who are now young adults. The parents, such as NY, have 300 years of growth. Meanwhile they get stressed trying to meet or beat their 600 year old cousins in London, Paris, etc.

We're moving in the right direction.

[GirlinAZ]

Originally Posted by phxsd

Why do there seem to be so many people hating on phoenix over message boards? I mean with Phoenix already has such a large amount of residents with people still flooding in, it seems like people would have nothing but good, or at least decent things, to say about phoenix. Is it just that people move there in hopes of reaching California but settle for az in the meantime? I'm just curious, I've driven through and it seems like a nice place to live to me and I'm planning on giving phoenix a try starting in January -from mississippi- and if all goes well stay there....If not then maybe I'll try California out. I'm a 20 year old male who will be taking college classes so house median price range, job market, and things of that sort aren't really important to me. also I won't be living there in the summer unless I feel so inclined to stay there as I wont be tied down by classes which end in early may. So with these things aside, does phoenix still just not measure up? or would someone in my situation enjoy phoenix and needn't pay any attention to the majority of these negative phoenix forums?

Consider the Tempe area if you are going to be going to school. There are a lot of people your age and they seem to be nicer there, IMO.

I don't like it here because the weather is too hot for too long. I also don't like the type of people that live near me. This place is very different from very many places and it takes some getting used to I suppose. I came from the Midwest where we knew our neighbors for a mile radius. Everyone was nice to each other-realy neighborly. People here aren't going to go out of their way to introduce themselves to you-if you want that you will have to do it-and that may not even work. It all depends on what you want, what you can deal with, what you expect. To me, the heat is just overwhelming and I can't physically take it much longer. It is hard on me. I wish I had a summer home somewhere-I would be able to deal with winters, if summers weren't so bad. Oh, and I am a liberal and like to be amongst other like minded people, which are hard to come by in my neck of the woods. Just some food for thought.

[Guerilla]

Originally Posted by joninaz

I think people forget how YOUNG Phoenix is in terms of being a big city.

In 1950, New York had 7.8 million people. Chicago had 3.4 million people. Philly had 2 million. Phoenix had 104,000

Fast forward. New York is still around 8 million. Chicago and Philly have lost numbers. And Phoenix has jumped from being the 2nd smallest city in the country to the 5th or 6th largest in just a quarter century.

It's quite remarkable in the history of civic growth. Even more so when you consider we didn't have a mass migration born from a mineral rush (San Fran, Nevada, Denver), an oil boom (TX, OK), or the development of a major port (bay area, Seattle, Houston, FL, etc), nor any major confluence of transport (CHI, ATL). There's never been a dominant industry (Hollywood, Vegas, Silicon Valley, Penn Steel, VA coal, etc.) and there's still no one factor that's a major POD (point of differenciation) that separates us from any other.

It actually makes little sense. But for some reason, millions upon millions have shown up here in a relatively short time. Long enough to build houses and shops, but still young in terms of building truley civic-defining attributes.

Yet we compare oursleves to NY and question our arts scene. We wonder why our music clubs aren't on par with L.A., or our Chinese food with San Fran. There's been a recent debate on here about the type of industry in PHX versus Houston, as if that city hasn't had a big head start in discovery, coupled with their perfect gateway to the oil/chemical/energy industires.

In the life of city/states, we're the young teenager. Maybe pre-teen... still trying to find oursleves. We stress about comparing ourselves with older siblings, who are now young adults. The parents, such as NY, have 300 years of growth. Meanwhile they get stressed trying to meet or beat their 600 year old cousins in London, Paris, etc.

We're moving in the right direction.

The reason is cheaper housing than the monster state next door. That is where the majority of your new residents are coming. Jobs and businesses came along with the new people.

Also, Houston was a pretty small city back in the day, too. It only had 44,000 people in 1900, and both Dallas and San Antonio were larger than it.

[phxsd]

Phoenix may have not had a gold rush, be a major port, or an oil boom and although sunshine all year long may not be good for the climate, I think thats what people want and thats why they are moving there. I live in Mississippi but I've traveled a lot throughout my life and people make fun of me here for NOT having a southern accent and trying to eat healthy. I go to school at ole miss and its the worst experience of my life, 100% fraternity sorority town and if your not in one then everyone literally despises you. Out of everywhere I have been I think the south is the most unfriendly place and people talk about how friendly people are down here and its just not so, the people that go out of their way to say hey are the last people you want to talk to. I think its a little weird when the neighbors come over to say hey in their overalls and offer some pie, then their kids ride their four wheelers through your yard....and I live in the third largest city in MS. Phoenix may get hot, but in reality you have to choose between hot or cold, otherwise you get both most of the time. In MS its already low temps in the 30's and in the summer we have high temps of 110 with 90% humidity, plus it rains at LEAST once a week. we have no extended period of perfect weather, as most states don't. But in Phoenix you get perfect weather in the winter, and chicago perfect weather in the summer. Would anyone in these places really rather live somewhere like MS, TN, or Montana for the seasons, because the midwest and the south are the only places that have distinct ones but thats ALL they have. The only thing phoenix seems to be really lacking in is the arts scene, but trust me they seem to be expanding on that much more than such metropolitan areas as memphis TN and tampa FL. I dont know the quality of the music clubs in Phoenix, but be such a large area most bands do make stops in phoenix. It seems to me that a lot of people do move to phoenix to be closer to their hopes of making it to california, and the people that complain about being stuck in phoenix are the ones that couldnt make it to california so they just stay in phoenix and bicker because there is no where else they can go that would make up for cali. and I think the reason is growing so much is that some people give phoenix a try, and some people who moved with this cali dream realize that phoenix really isn't that bad and CA is within driving distance so they are content with phoenix and realize they are getting the most for their money with central location and no harsh winters. California is hectic and overpriced, but i think it would be fun for someone in my position to live there for a little bit so I'll probably give it a try after I spend a semester in Phoenix. It really seems just too much of a burden unless you have great finances to actually buy a house and settle down there, also that state is at so much risk for natural disasters. I think the best way to meet people is to go somewhere where people with your common interest congregate. I skateboard, so all I do is go the skate park when I travel to a new city and instantly make new friends and go from there. My sister is in to poetry and art so when she moved to austin,tx she perused about the coffee shops and almost instantly had more friends there then she did here in MS. Truth is, all you and your neighbors have in common is probably just that your neighbors and going out of your way to introduce yourself will probably only serve as another random conversation to add to the books.

[ryneone]

Originally Posted by joninaz

I think people forget how YOUNG Phoenix is in terms of being a big city.

In 1950, New York had 7.8 million people. Chicago had 3.4 million people. Philly had 2 million. Phoenix had 104,000

Fast forward. New York is still around 8 million. Chicago and Philly have lost numbers. And Phoenix has jumped from being the 2nd smallest city in the country to the 5th or 6th largest in just a quarter century.

It's quite remarkable in the history of civic growth. Even more so when you consider we didn't have a mass migration born from a mineral rush (San Fran, Nevada, Denver), an oil boom (TX, OK), or the development of a major port (bay area, Seattle, Houston, FL, etc), nor any major confluence of transport (CHI, ATL). There's never been a dominant industry (Hollywood, Vegas, Silicon Valley, Penn Steel, VA coal, etc.) and there's still no one factor that's a major POD (point of differenciation) that separates us from any other.

It actually makes little sense. But for some reason, millions upon millions have shown up here in a relatively short time. Long enough to build houses and shops, but still young in terms of building truley civic-defining attributes.

Yet we compare oursleves to NY and question our arts scene. We wonder why our music clubs aren't on par with L.A., or our Chinese food with San Fran. There's been a recent debate on here about the type of industry in PHX versus Houston, as if that city hasn't had a big head start in discovery, coupled with their perfect gateway to the oil/chemical/energy industires.

In the life of city/states, we're the young teenager. Maybe pre-teen... still trying to find oursleves. We stress about comparing ourselves with older siblings, who are now young adults. The parents, such as NY, have 300 years of growth. Meanwhile they get stressed trying to meet or beat their 600 year old cousins in London, Paris, etc.

We're moving in the right direction.

Not to take anything away from its growth but its in large part due to the fact that those city's are older and landlocked they have built out there city Phoenix is now land lock but there is still a lot of wasteland to fill with homes yet give it twenty years and it numbers will be in the same bout as Dallas. Growing but barely. The metro will still be growing but not the city itself.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by phxsd

Why do there seem to be so many people hating on phoenix over message boards? I mean with Phoenix already has such a large amount of residents with people still flooding in, it seems like people would have nothing but good, or at least decent things, to say about phoenix.

I'm pretty sure that for every two people who move here, one person moves out. So while the population is growing substantially, it's a revolving door. Phoenix has a "vacation-like" climate-- when you first move here, it feels like you're on vacation, and everything is new, fresh, and exciting. I think it takes at least 3 years of living here year round to really know if this is a place you want settle down long term.

Is it just that people move there in hopes of reaching California but settle for az in the meantime?

Yes. Others might disagree, but I believe that most people would rather live in California if affordability was not an issue. Not everybody, keep in mind, but most.

I'm just curious, I've driven through and it seems like a nice place to live to me and I'm planning on giving phoenix a try starting in January -from mississippi- and if all goes well stay there....If not then maybe I'll try California out. I'm a 20 year old male who will be taking college classes so house median price range, job market, and things of that sort aren't really important to me. also I won't be living there in the summer unless I feel so inclined to stay there as I wont be tied down by classes which end in early may. So with these things aside, does phoenix still just not measure up? or would someone in my situation enjoy phoenix and needn't pay any attention to the majority of these negative phoenix forums?

Sure, why not go for it? Especially if you're saying you don't have to live here in the summer (I'm assuming you'll go back to your family?)-- I don't see any reason why you shouldn't move here and try it out.

Originally Posted by cxray

I agree. I love it here and I have no idea why so many people bash it. If you hate it here, WHY ARE YOU HERE? Please leave, we will not miss you. You will make both yourselves and the people who like it like myself here very happy. We don't need you. There are more than enough people that would love to take your place. Seriously, I wish more people would defend this city and instead you have a bunch of whiny and irritating fools posting here.

First question, right off the bat, cxray-- have you lived here for at least three years? If the answer is yes, then continue reading. If the answer is no, then you have no right to complain about complainers.

The summers are the most overhyped aspect of this city. The people who whine about the summers are usually overweight people or people from places like Wisconsin that are used to cold temperatures.

I'm not sure where you're from and what you're comparing Phoenix to, but you have it all wrong. Some of the most militant people here who claim the weather here is perfect are from Wisconsin-- and Michigan-- and northern Illinois-- precisely from those "cold weather" states. They've gone straight from one extreme to the other, and think they've found heaven-- when there's a whole world in between.

The rest of us certainly don't like the heat but we realize it's much more tolerable than a bad winter and would take that over humidity plus heat like Houston or Miami.

I agree, Phoenix heat is better than Houston or Miami. But that's not saying much. And guess what? In the last calendar year, I've experienced both the infamous blizzard Denver had last December (went back to visit family for a few weeks) where the snow was stuck on the ground for several months, as well as the summer here when we had over a month straight of 110+ degree temperatures. I can confidently say that Phoenix has it worse. Oh yeah, did I mention that cold and snowy Colorado has the fittest population (lowest obesity rate) in the nation? After Colorado, the next 4 or 5 states with the fittest populations are the New England states, surprisingly.

I've seen some homely looking girls turn into knockouts when they move to Phoenix. They walk around and see all the beautiful women and feel they have to compete so they join gyms, get tan and start eating healthier. Plus, there are swimming pools everywhere and there are girls in bikinis everywhere. Again, I wouldn't exactly call this a harsh winter and that's what this is.....our version of winter.

I agree, the girls here look great... when they're in their early 20s. But then when they get in their 30's and 40's, they start looking 20 years older than they really are, with wrinkles everywhere. There's nothing like the sun to rapidly age the skin and give you skin cancer. The fountain of youth won't last long if you plan on living in the desert for a long time.

December, January, February and March offer perfect weather.

I agree-- although this year seems to be WAY hotter than normal. But the nice months here are when the days are the shortest, so there's not even much time to enjoy them. San Diego, on the other hand, has perfect weather 12 months out of the year. Summer in the Rocky Mountains or in the Sierra Nevada is a delight that blows away the low desert's "perfect" winter. Summertime in Seattle is also wonderful.

And yes, it's sunny everyday.....that's a bad thing?

Yes. The idea that sunny=happy is a northern myth. It makes sense that if you live in a place that gets cloudy and rains alot, when the sun comes out it feels great. But when it's day after day after day it's no big deal anymore.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I'm pretty sure that for every two people who move here, one person moves out. So while the population is growing substantially, it's a revolving door. Phoenix has a "vacation-like" climate-- when you first move here, it feels like you're on vacation, and everything is new, fresh, and exciting. I think it takes at least 3 years of living here year round to really know if this is a place you want settle down long term.


Yes. Others might disagree, but I believe that most people would rather live in California if affordability was not an issue. Not everybody, keep in mind, but most.


Sure, why not go for it? Especially if you're saying you don't have to live here in the summer (I'm assuming you'll go back to your family?)-- I don't see any reason why you shouldn't move here and try it out.


First question, right off the bat, cxray-- have you lived here for at least three years? If the answer is yes, then continue reading. If the answer is no, then you have no right to complain about complainers.


I'm not sure where you're from and what you're comparing Phoenix to, but you have it all wrong. Some of the most militant people here who claim the weather here is perfect are from Wisconsin-- and Michigan-- and northern Illinois-- precisely from those "cold weather" states. They've gone straight from one extreme to the other, and think they've found heaven-- when there's a whole world in between.


I agree, Phoenix heat is better than Houston or Miami. But that's not saying much. And guess what? In the last calendar year, I've experienced both the infamous blizzard Denver had last December (went back to visit family for a few weeks) where the snow was stuck on the ground for several months, as well as the summer here when we had over a month straight of 110+ degree temperatures. I can confidently say that Phoenix has it worse. Oh yeah, did I mention that cold and snowy Colorado has the fittest population (lowest obesity rate) in the nation? After Colorado, the next 4 or 5 states with the fittest populations are the New England states, surprisingly.


I agree, the girls here look great... when they're in their early 20s. But then when they get in their 30's and 40's, they start looking 20 years older than they really are, with wrinkles everywhere. There's nothing like the sun to rapidly age the skin and give you skin cancer. The fountain of youth won't last long if you plan on living in the desert for a long time.


I agree-- although this year seems to be WAY hotter than normal. But the nice months here are when the days are the shortest, so there's not even much time to enjoy them. San Diego, on the other hand, has perfect weather 12 months out of the year. Summer in the Rocky Mountains or in the Sierra Nevada is a delight that blows away the low desert's "perfect" winter. Summertime in Seattle is also wonderful.


Yes. The idea that sunny=happy is a northern myth. It makes sense that if you live in a place that gets cloudy and rains alot, when the sun comes out it feels great. But when it's day after day after day it's no big deal anymore.

I agreed with every word you said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I agree, the girls here look great... when they're in their early 20s. But then when they get in their 30's and 40's, they start looking 20 years older than they really are, with wrinkles everywhere. There's nothing like the sun to rapidly age the skin and give you skin cancer. The fountain of youth won't last long if you plan on living in the desert for a long time.

Great post! But, don't forget how women get the leathery-look chest with sun spots! Truly a gross sight!

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I am leaving California for the area. We chose Surprise on the West side. In my travels during the past five years I have grown to love the area and can't wait to be a permanent resident. maybe if people complain they should go elsewhere. You do always have those that want to ramble on about the terrible place that they live. Tell me of another area that has an NFL team, (LA doesn't have that.) an NBA team, a baseball team, a stock car track, a zoo, lots of fun things to do, and centrally located from many other attractions. There is a lot of great things to do and see in the Valley of the Sun. Why wouldn't people want to live in the area. Too top it off if you have the right education there are plenty of jobs that pay a nice wage. Everyone is looking for Masters level credentials and they are willing to pay for it. For the cost of housing and the short commutes, if you are lucky, the area is a great place to live.