Has Phoenix established itself as the #2 city of the western US? (moving, best)

[timothyaw]

Originally Posted by locolife

I disagree, I live in Tempe and meet friendly people all the time, I was walking my bike down the south mountain summit road a few weeks ago, I had a mechanical issue that I couldn't fix with the tools I had. It was dark on a week night, not a lot of cars but 2 stopped and offered to help, including driving me down and even to give me a jacket (as it was pretty damn chilly). When we first moved into our neighborhood the weeds we're a total disaster in the front yard, a neighbor two houses down saw us working away and came down to help us, we've returned a few favors with yard work over the years since then.

Spending a lot of time on the trails around the various preserves in the valley, I've met so many friendly people out hiking or cycling, any time I've had a flat or other bike issue nearly every person that passes asks if I need any help. People have given me spare tubes or let me use a tool they happen to have that I wasn't carrying at the time. I've returned the favor countless times now as well. We met some new friends at a spring training game last weekend, a couple we sat next to in the grass. We connected when they offered to take a photo for us...

I don't consider this an unfriendly place at all. Maybe some folks give off less friendly vibes and perceive it as a problem with the place?

I agree with this as I've encountered mostly very friendly people here. People just say hello on the streets, in restaurants everywhere. Remember a lot of people are from the Midwest, where there are a lot of friendly people as well.

[singlegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by timothyaw

I agree with this as I've encountered mostly very friendly people here. People just say hello on the streets, in restaurants everywhere. Remember a lot of people are from the Midwest, where there are a lot of friendly people as well.

Maybe it's the area where I live but I rarely ever experience that kind of friendliness. It's not totally unfriendly or hostile but not what you described either.

I keep hearing how a lot of people came here from the Midwest but a greater percentage are from California.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

I'd rank the west/mountain big metros like this:

10 Salt Lake City, UT
9 Sacramento, CA
8 Las Vegas, NV
7 Portland, OR
6 San Diego, CA

5 Denver, CO
4 Phoenix, AZ
3 Seattle, WA
2 San Francisco-San Jose, CA
1 Los Angeles, CA

I would put Las Vegas higher than #8 because of the heavy tourism. Other than L.A. & San Francisco, it's more globally recognized than all the others on the list ... so much in fact that it has been dubbed "the entertainment capital of the world". Where Vegas lacks is big business outside of the gambling/entertainment sector, and much of the city away from the Strip area looks & feels more like a suburb. But they more than make up for it in what they're well known for. This is why Vegas draws millions of visitors every year, and has more international flights than even Phoenix has.

Originally Posted by Maroon197

It’s been neat to see Phoenix developing more urban spaces over the past decade; it’s been less neat to see the entire metro become traffic choked 7 days a week. Housing costs have been skyrocketing everywhere in the US, but the costs in Phoenix now significantly outpace what this place offers as a metro. Prices in San Diego have gone nuclear, but Phoenix now costs about what San Diego used to cost when people accused it of being totally unaffordable to the average person.

I've enjoyed seeing a more noticeable increase in housing prices, more like what it should be. The Phoenix area is still not as expensive as some places. The fact of the matter is: we were too inexpensive for too long, and that really did nothing positive for us as a metro. Cheap housing tends to attract people who are cheap minded, and looking for a cheaper quality of life. It doesn't bring in the ambitious types or the movers & shakers who grow successful businesses, and make things happen.

[ShampooBanana]

I'd personally put the order like this:

Los Angeles
Bay Area

Seattle
Denver/Phoenix

Vegas
SLC/Portland/San Diego
Sacramento

Tucson/ABQ/CO Springs
Boise/Fresno/Bakersfield/Reno/Spokane/NoCo

[timothyaw]

Originally Posted by valley native

i would put las vegas higher than #8 because of the heavy tourism. Other than l.a. & san francisco, it's more globally recognized than all the others on the list ... So much in fact that it has been dubbed "the sports and entertainment capital of the world"...

fify - With the arrival of Formula 1 this fall it really adds to their portfolio. It'll bring in people from all over the world.
https://www.lvcva.com/signature-events/sporting-events/

[marinezac]

Originally Posted by timothyaw

fify - With the arrival of Formula 1 this fall it really adds to their portfolio. It'll bring in people from all over the world.
https://www.lvcva.com/signature-events/sporting-events/

People may not know this but Phoenix hosted two F1 races!

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by marinezac

People may not know this but Phoenix hosted two F1 races!

Actually, three. The Grand Prix took place on the downtown streets during 1989, 1990, and 1991. It had weak attendance, and was canceled after the third try. It really wasn't highly regarded, and it caused more of an inconvenience with all the street closures. No plans have been announced ever since to bring it back, which is fine with me. I'd rather see downtown be a hub for corporations, pro sports, and entertainment ... not a raceway.

[timothyaw]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Actually, three. The Grand Prix took place on the downtown streets during 1989, 1990, and 1991. It had weak attendance, and was canceled after the third try. It really wasn't highly regarded, and it caused more of an inconvenience with all the street closures. No plans have been announced ever since to bring it back, which is fine with me. I'd rather see downtown be a hub for corporations, pro sports, and entertainment ... not a raceway.

I did not know Phoenix hosted it back in the day, thanks for the history lesson. Las Vegas hosted it a few times in the 80's as well. F1 was always more of a European thing, as I think they were trying to break into the US market back then. But now they have three races here in the US - Miami, Austin and Las Vegas. I'm not sure about attendance at the first two, but in Las Vegas most tickets have already been sold out. It does bring a huge economic impact to host cities. But you are correct, it is a big inconvenience with street closings. And racing is a form of entertainment.

[Valley Native]

A recent report stated that demand for healthcare & new residences increased the crane count in downtown Phoenix recently. Sounds rather impressive ... however, when you look at how we compare to other cities, it's not impressive at all. Seattle & Denver are outbuilding us many times over. This is yet another indication of how Phoenix really needs to crank up its game if we expect our prominence level in the west to be anywhere close to our population rank. So far, it's not happening!

https://www.bdcnetwork.com/construct...e-high-q1-2023

[Sno0909]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

A recent report stated that demand for healthcare & new residences increased the crane count in downtown Phoenix recently. Sounds rather impressive ... however, when you look at how we compare to other cities, it's not impressive at all. Seattle & Denver are outbuilding us many times over. This is yet another indication of how Phoenix really needs to crank up its game if we expect our prominence level in the west to be anywhere close to our population rank. So far, it's not happening!

https://www.bdcnetwork.com/construct...e-high-q1-2023

lol. According to loco, we have cranes as far as the eye can see.