Poll - Which metro area do you think is most comparable to Phoenix? (Tucson: waterparks, how much)

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Las Vegas is not surprising, and I'm guessing people are including the Inland Empire with Los Angeles, however, one thing that surprises me after this poll being up for a while is the relative lack of votes for the Florida options. I did expect those to get more votes, which is why I included them in my poll. Is humidity the reason for the lack of votes?

Humidity, beaches, boating, Caribbean culture, gators. I don't see daily life here having many parallels to Florida, other than both being a retirement and winter destination.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Humidity, beaches, boating, Caribbean culture, gators. I don't see daily life here having many parallels to Florida, other than both being a retirement and winter destination.

Green, flat and cheek to jowl humanity from the northern border to the Keys.

[WilmaWildcat]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

The blandness of the Inland Empire ...

I graduated high school in Colton, which is now a suburb of San Bernardino; SB is a well defined metro area. SB is one of the oldest cities in CA. (Colton is actually the home of the Earp family.) SB itself is not as populous as Phoenix, of course; but its metro contains 4,224,851, and there are lots of cultural aspects. San Bernardino county is already the largest county in the US; add to that Riverside county, and there is lots to do. Palm Springs is unique, for example. All the areas around the old aguas calientes and Santa Rosa mountains are quite interesting indeed; historic and prehistoric. They know it, and there is lots to take advantage of. I can recommend a fun read about the area: Louis L'Amour's "The Lonesome Gods."

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

The blandness of the Inland Empire is in reference to the general development of the area: it's vastly suburban, low density, and not much in the way of an urban vibe (see Riverside & Moreno Valley as two prime examples). Its population is pretty close to that of the Phoenix metro area, but there is no true core city. It's basically a huge collection of outlying L.A. suburbs.

I don’t think it’s the blandness it’s the design of the metro. Phoenix operates like a collection of large satellite cities with Phoenix at the middle. The IE is similar.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by WilmaWildcat

I graduated high school in Colton, which is now a suburb of San Bernardino; SB is a well defined metro area. SB is one of the oldest cities in CA. (Colton is actually the home of the Earp family.) SB itself is not as populous as Phoenix, of course; but its metro contains 4,224,851, and there are lots of cultural aspects. San Bernardino county is already the largest county in the US; add to that Riverside county, and there is lots to do. Palm Springs is unique, for example. All the areas around the old aguas calientes and Santa Rosa mountains are quite interesting indeed; historic and prehistoric. They know it, and there is lots to take advantage of. I can recommend a fun read about the area: Louis L'Amour's "The Lonesome Gods."

There are some scenic natural spots around there which are quite interesting: everything from tall mountains to low desert valleys. What I meant by the blandness is the general architectural design of the Inland Empire. The vast majority of it is low density suburban sprawl, despite some unique history in San Bernardino, and a few high scale resorts in Palm Springs. You know very well that most people use the Inland Empire as a pit stop on the way to L.A. or San Diego because it's not a true destination.

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

I don’t think it’s the blandness it’s the design of the metro. Phoenix operates like a collection of large satellite cities with Phoenix at the middle. The IE is similar.

True, but that doesn't mean we have to continue to be that way. Phoenix has a bit more to see & do on a big city/cultural level than the Inland Empire, but it still is overshadowed too much by L.A., and that's largely because we've allowed ourselves to be.

[Mac58]

When I think of San Bernardino I think of two things. Smog and the Hells Angels. When I think of Riverside I think of the fact my father moved us out of there in '62 because the smog was getting so bad.
Wilma Wildcat obviously knows the area better than I do, but the IE has an image problem Phoenix Metro doesn't. Nobody goes on golf vacations, Bachelor parties, girls weekends or Spring Training in San Berdoo/Riverside. Palm Springs, Coachella, yes.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Mac58

When I think of San Bernardino I think of two things. Smog and the Hells Angels. When I think of Riverside I think of the fact my father moved us out of there in '62 because the smog was getting so bad.
Wilma Wildcat obviously knows the area better than I do, but the IE has an image problem Phoenix Metro doesn't. Nobody goes on golf vacations, Bachelor parties, girls weekends or Spring Training in San Berdoo/Riverside. Palm Springs, Coachella, yes.

The smog can be bad over there, but I think that's mainly because of weather conditions. It's worse during certain times of year (mainly summer), and especially when there is calm, stagnant air along with a heavy marine layer from the coast. Phoenix has a smog problem as well, but ours is mostly a combination of vehicle exhaust, industrial pollution, and dust. It used to be called "smust" instead of "smog".

As far as the image problem, the Inland Empire is rather unimpressive as far as attractions go. No theme parks, no movie studio tours, no pro sports, no beaches, no real urban vibe, not many high paying jobs, not a great deal of fine dining. This is why it's treated a lot like a pit stop on the way to L.A. or San Diego. Phoenix has somewhat of an image problem in the sense that it's the 5th largest city in the nation, but lacks some of the things I mentioned above in comparison to L.A. or even San Diego to a certain extent.

[ibarrio]

Las Vegas and Los Angeles suburbs of the Antelope and Santa Clarita Valleys. Maybe the newer parts of El Paso and Albuquerque (Rio Rancho)

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

The smog can be bad over there, but I think that's mainly because of weather conditions. It's worse during certain times of year (mainly summer), and especially when there is calm, stagnant air along with a heavy marine layer from the coast. Phoenix has a smog problem as well, but ours is mostly a combination of vehicle exhaust, industrial pollution, and dust. It used to be called "smust" instead of "smog".

As far as the image problem, the Inland Empire is rather unimpressive as far as attractions go. No theme parks, no movie studio tours, no pro sports, no beaches, no real urban vibe, not many high paying jobs, not a great deal of fine dining. This is why it's treated a lot like a pit stop on the way to L.A. or San Diego. Phoenix has somewhat of an image problem in the sense that it's the 5th largest city in the nation, but lacks some of the things I mentioned above in comparison to L.A. or even San Diego to a certain extent.

Phoenix of course lacks beaches and no major theme park and those are both for what I’d consider very obvious reasons. We have a pretty awesome selection of water parks, which is expanding and a proposal for a massive theme park near CG. Within a short drive you’ve got the 2 valley zoos, 3 aquariums, out of Africa, and Bearizona up in Williams. Yeah there’s no no Disney or six flags but the lineup is pretty good.

As for studios it was nearly devoid but now we have Bob Parsons Sneaky Big, that’s a big win if you ask me. And definitely not something most would expect to find here.

Downtown Phoenix is changing really rapidly, we counted 6 cranes this weekend and the street level urbanity is evolving quickly all over Roosevelt, Evans Churchill and the downtown core. I’m most excited about this improvement and looking forward to seeing a few more major projects begin in the next 6-12 months.

I agree we still have an image problem but I can’t help but point out where the gaps are closing.

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

I was wondering, if any metro area would you think is most comparable to Phoenix, which would you think it is?

I would probably say Atlanta, GA since it is spread out in a large area.

Not Atlanta--an apples to oranges comparison. Atlanta is spread out and automobile-centric, like Phoenix, but Atlanta is a much more dynamic city and is in another tier of cities than Phoenix, for now.

I'd compare Phoenix to these:

Los Angeles (much larger, obviously on a different level, but I've always said that Phoenix is like 1/3 the size of LA without Hollywood and the beach ) )
Las Vegas (a smaller city but desert city as well and growing quickly like Phx)
A few others that are good, but smaller comparisions:
San Diego
Albuquerque
Denver
Salt Lake City