5 phrases to describe Phoenix (and dont say dry heat) (Maricopa: appointed, sales)

[CheyDee]

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

We were talking about NEW subdivisions. Older Phoenix neighborhoods are NOT cuttie cutter. I can post a load of pictures as well of Phoenix neighborhoods before 1980's that are distinctive. However, if you look at new homes, by the way YOU also mentioned new homes and that is what I called your bluff on, they are cookie cutter in every region. Sorry, but I've seen it for myself. I posted a link to a suburban area of Dallas, if you look at something you said earlier, you mentioned the diverse new housing of Dallas, I posted that link to show that is far from the truth.

This is the previous post of yours to which I replied:

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

Most Cape Cod/Colonial/Victorian/Craftsman homes in ANY city are usually historic...

I replied:

I disagree with you here. Take the NYC metro area, for example. While it does indeed have its fair share of historic homes, the majority of Cape Cods/Colonials/Victorians et al there are not historic homes. Additionally, you could drive many, many miles and not find one single cookie cutter neighborhood. One could drive though Dallas too and find plenty of home diversity, having nothing to do with historic homes.



I said nothing about NEW. I said most of the houses were not historic homes and there was plenty of home diversity. (How could historic homes be new?) However, I also posted NEW houses - just for you - which are NOT cookie cutter.

You said, "here is a typcial east coast new cookie cutter" and posted a Wylie, TX link. Texas is NOT on the east coast.

I have clearly made my points, which are based upon facts - which I presented.

[PhxBarb]

Ditto here. Have you ever been to NC? Charlotte or Raleigh? Every house is different. No 2 are alike. They must have planned it that way cause it sure beats everything in Phoenix, which was NOT planned that way. Sometimes I drive into the wrong driveway thinking its my house when its my neighbors.

[reckoner]

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

Here are five more Phoenix phrases:
1. Transplants complaining about the "heat" (Did they not read about the desert?)
2. Transplants complaining about tile roofs and stucco (Should they be black single and vinyl? Imagine the electric bills then)
3. Transplants complaining about the "crime" (and most are from the midwest where most of the crime filled cities are. Phoenix isn't even in the top 25 most dangerous metro areas and Gilbert and Surprise are two of America's safest cities.)
4. Transplants complaining about the "traffic" (It isn't that bad at all.)
5. Transplants complaining about lack of culture (Yet live in an area that was recently a field or open desert and now a brand new "city." How about you live in an established neighborhood?)

i take issue with the last. i'd rather have the lack of culture be a noted cause for concern (and thus an impetus for improvement) than ignored and accepted. sure, some pockets are better in the culture dept than others. but, as a whole, and for being the "5th largest city," phoenix is culturally impotent. don't take offense simply because someone who may have come from a more cultured city points this out. instead, try using it as a buidling block.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by reckoner

i take issue with the last. i'd rather have the lack of culture be a noted cause for concern (and thus an impetus for improvement) than ignored and accepted. sure, some pockets are better in the culture dept than others. but, as a whole, and for being the "5th largest city," phoenix is culturally impotent. don't take offense simply because someone who may have come from a more cultured city points this out. instead, try using it as a buidling block.

What I take offense with is that someone who moves here and lives, not in Phoenix, but in an area that was nothing 2 years ago and expects there to be culture of any kind in that area. It will take time for that area to grow and become cultured. However, central areas of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, and even Glendale have their historical and cultural past. Trying to equate whitewashed Surprise, NW Phoenix, Scottsdale, etc. with central city areas is improper and inconsistent.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by PinkVelvet

Let me see (not necessarily in order)...

1. High crime; the Phoenix metropolitan area, and not just the City of Phoenix, is in the top-25 most dangerous in the US, and of all cities over 3 million people, only 3 or 4 or worse.
2. Polluted and dusty.
3. Anti-urban; socially, geographically, and architecturally.
4. Aesthetically unattractive; such as the massive amount of strip malls, apartment complexes, new construction, and lack of color.
5. Pretentious.
6. Car (and oil) reliant; due to the suburban sprawl, lack of an urban center, and lack of adequate public transportation.
7. Traffic nightmare; due to the suburban sprawl, lack of an urban center, and lack of adequate public transportation.
8. Crystal meth capital; where an astonishing one in six people in Phoenix have tried the drug, and thousands are addicted.
9. Housing crisis; where the recent boom and subsequent crash will cripple the area in a number of different ways for years.
10. Unbearable heat; and the associated problems such as the heavy reliance on electricity for cooling, lack of adequate and quality of water, and the temper it creates in many residents.

Sorry, that was supposed to be only five, but I got on a roll. I could continue, but I'll leave it there.

I love posts like these because it allows the truth to be pointed out. Someone from NYC obviously does not know what Phoenix is really like if they say things like Phoenix is a dangerous city or is the cystal meth capital, LOL! I'd like to see evidence that proves that. Last I heard, crystal meth was most prevalent in rural and smaller cities like those in Montana. The Montana Meth Project was one of the first in the nation to highlight the problem in rural America. About Phoenix being in the top 25 for most dangerous cities: it is not here is the list of 25 most dangerous cities. As for metro areas, it is the 21 most dangerous metro area behind metro areas like Albuquerque, NM, Pine Bluff, AK, etc. LOL!
1. Slide show
City Crime Rankings by Population Group

2. Here is the list of most polluted AND "dusty" cities...note, Phoenix is not one of them as noted in the particulate pollution category:
American Lung Association:*Air Pollution Facts & Air Quality Info - Best & Worst Cities - ALA State of the Air 2007

3. Anti-urban; yes to a certain extent. Central areas are not, where as suburbs and far-flung areas are...wait, thats redundant, LOL!

4. I am not a native of Phoenix, but I find it one of the most aesthetically pleasing, clean, and rapidly growing at the same time. If your opinion differs, then so be it.

5. Pretentious? If that's your opinion, cool, but I think Phoenix is friendly and most of it's population is made up from those of midwest origin.

6. I agree, too car reliant! We need more miles of rail lines and further extensions of our new lightrail system. What we have now is just a spring board for further growth of the region's transit system.

7. Traffic in Phoenix is a breeze!! I am sure most on this forum will agree. This Portland new article highlights the 10 most traffic ridden cities, Phoenix not being one of them:
Portland ranked 21st most traffic-clogged city in America | Local News | kgw.com | News for Oregon and SW Washington

8. This will help shed some light on crystal meth. The "capitals" of crystal meth have long been San Diego, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Texas cities (both urban and rural)
Meth Crystal Meth Methamphetamine Drug Use Teens

9. I believe Phoenix has experience an 18% loss in housing prices, while this is not the worst, it is one of the worst and has been fueled by ARM loan foreclosures and investor foreclosures. However, the metro area will rebound after these properties are absorbed into the market as the area continues to grow fast.

10. I love the heat, I think this one is just a matter of taste, opinion, tolerance to heat and cold, etc. So if its to hot for you, don't move here. I bet that 8 months out of the year however, almost EVERYONE in the world would like to be in Phoenix because of the weather.

[Gretchen B]

1. Too big, too sprawling, too hot, too nondescript for me . . . however
2. Pockets of great neighborhoods, beautiful desert landscapes, and unique mountains
3. I never lose my sense of direction in Phoenix
4. I can fly anywhere I want to out of Sky Harbor, and I finally know which street takes me where I want to go
5. I wish I had known Phoenix in the 60's - I think I would have really liked it then.

[twiggy]

Is Phoenix Safe or is Phoenix Dangerous http://os.cqpress.com/Crime%20State%...0Dangerous.pdf
Auto Thefts in Arizona - Arizona Vehicle Thefts - Phoenix Car Thefts
http://phoenix.gov/POLICE/ucr2007_2qvc.pdf
Official Website - Surprise, Arizona
Climate change may spur major population shifts | Post Carbon Cities
This is interesting:Quality of Living global city rankings


My point is this!
Why city crime rankings offer a misleading picture - Opinion - USATODAY.com
http://os.cqpress.com/Public%206%20-...20Rankings.pdf

fcorralas, when are you going to stop using google as your dictionary to life. You can get it any way you want it off there. You just type in what you want and bam, someone has it for ya. Forget the stats already, if you feel safe then great, if your water is ice cold comming out of your tap in the summer great, but if someone feels it's not safe (and 21 out of that many cities is nothing to brag on)then they don't! You do this so often I wonder sometimes why you don't notice it. Really, I'm always laughing wondering who your fighting with on here now.
And where is AZriver. ? Sick or something? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

For the record, when looking at new homes back east, they were building plenty of New, made to look historic, colonials babe.

[twixcookie]

I haven't tried meth.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by twiggy

Is Phoenix Safe or is Phoenix Dangerous http://os.cqpress.com/Crime%20State%...0Dangerous.pdf
Auto Thefts in Arizona - Arizona Vehicle Thefts - Phoenix Car Thefts
http://phoenix.gov/POLICE/ucr2007_2qvc.pdf
Official Website - Surprise, Arizona
Climate change may spur major population shifts | Post Carbon Cities
This is interesting:Quality of Living global city rankings


My point is this!
Why city crime rankings offer a misleading picture - Opinion - USATODAY.com
http://os.cqpress.com/Public%206%20-...20Rankings.pdf

fcorralas, when are you going to stop using google as your dictionary to life. You can get it any way you want it off there. You just type in what you want and bam, someone has it for ya. Forget the stats already, if you feel safe then great, if your water is ice cold comming out of your tap in the summer great, but if someone feels it's not safe (and 21 out of that many cities is nothing to brag on)then they don't! You do this so often I wonder sometimes why you don't notice it. Really, I'm always laughing wondering who your fighting with on here now.
And where is AZriver. ? Sick or something? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

For the record, when looking at new homes back east, they were building plenty of New, made to look historic, colonials babe.

Good for you! I hope you like it out there and don't let the door smack your back side. As for google, LOL! I actually use a database and info-share software program similar to Lexus-Nexus in the legal profession to find the newest and most accurate information for cities...not google. I love how you post opinion pieces and try to pass them off as fact. They are simply opinions where as statistics and fact are concrete. Nice try though. Hopefully you'll like it back east so that we no longer have to hear your rantings and negativity. At first it was kind of interesting, now its just plain annoying.

Your links are outdated by the way. Your first is from 2003, when Phoenix metro was the 17 "most dangerous" metro area, whereas in 2007, that same study put it at 21. What can you extrapolate from that info? Also from that piece in 2003, still true to THIS day:

"I can't help but mention, however, that the Phoenix area is well known for having one of the highest auto theft rates in the country. If auto thefts are given the same weight as murders and other violent crimes, auto thefts must be skewing these numbers to some degree. I wish the group doing this study would separate the violent from the nonviolent crimes, and do two studies! "

This is true; for years beginning in 2001 Arizona and Phoenix led the nation in autothefts. In 2006, Phoenix and Arizona were ranked no. 3 for auto thefts in the nation...in 2007 Phoenix and AZ ranked no. 8? What can you extrapolate from this in addition to the other bit of information?

Your Phoenix crime report map for 2007 show that over 90% of the city had "very low" crime according to the Phoenix PD. There where two very small spots around Indian School and the i-17, and 16th st and Van Buren that were red indicating "very high" crime areas. So was your point in posting this map to show that Most of Phoenix is safe?

[PinkVelvet]

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

I love posts like these because it allows the truth to be pointed out.

That depends on what you consider the truth because some people live in denial regarding certain things.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

City Crime Rankings by Population Group

That's all very good and well, but it's not what I said. If you read my post again you will see that I said that the Phoenix metropolitan area (as a whole) is one of the most dangerous in the US. In fact, of all city metro areas of over 3 million people, only 3 or 4 cities are worse. You can view that from your own link.

Arizona is also the 3rd most dangerous state in the US, and a dreadful 7th worst for murder. Where do you think all of the murder occurs? Phoenix mainly of course. Again, one of the phrases I would use to describe Phoenix, is undoubtedly, high crime!

Arizona

Another border state tops the list of Most Dangerous States; there's more to fear here than black widow spiders and scorpions.

Rankings in Crime (out of 50)

Assault: 12
Burglary: 12
Murder: 7
Motor Vehicle Theft: 2
Rape: 20
Robbery: 16

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

Here is the list of most polluted AND "dusty" cities...note, Phoenix is not one of them as noted in the particulate pollution category:

Phoenix is polluted. On your very own link, Phoenix came in at number 15 in ozone pollution. As for the constant brown cloud that hovers over the city, it is made up from particles of carbon and nitrogen dioxide gas from cars, dust, power plants and lawn mowers. I said that polluted and dusty is one of the phrases that I would use to describe Phoenix, and I have seen nothing that makes me feel that is untrue.

Particle pollution...

How serious is the impact?

Here’s one example: EPA scientists estimated that over 4,700 premature deaths occur each year in just nine cities (Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Boston, Phoenix, Seattle, and San Jose) even if those cities all met the current PM 2.5 standard.

American Heart Lung Association: Phoenix Receives an F Grade for Pollution

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

Anti-urban; yes to a certain extent. Central areas are not, where as suburbs and far-flung areas are...wait, thats redundant, LOL!

Phoenix is anti-urban, and in the time I spent there, I did not feel any urban culture in the central area either. I saw some run-down shacks with dirt in their yard, and bars on their windows. I failed to see any interesting street side inner city shopping, restaurants, drinking establishments or entertainment venues.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

I am not a native of Phoenix, but I find it one of the most aesthetically pleasing, clean, and rapidly growing at the same time. If your opinion differs, then so be it.

There is nothing attractive about strip malls, new beige construction, apartment complexes, and the lack of colour. It may be fine to visit that type of thing, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

Pretentious? If that's your opinion, cool, but I think Phoenix is friendly and most of it's population is made up from those of midwest origin.

Phoenix is absolutely pretentious. Pretending that it is something that it is not. I doubt very much that the metropolitan population is made-up from mainly mid-westerners.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

I agree, too car reliant! We need more miles of rail lines and further extensions of our new lightrail system. What we have now is just a spring board for further growth of the region's transit system.

Phoenix is not just car reliant because of a lack of public transportation. It is because there isn't any centralised area. People work throughout the suburbs and not in town, and for entertainment, people most travel from one place to another, and then to another. Public transport won't work very well because of this, and in the summer months, very few people will wait in the heat to take public transport from one part of the metropolitan area, to another, and then to another.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

Traffic in Phoenix is a breeze!! I am sure most on this forum will agree.

Phoenix has the 15th worst traffic in the US, so I'll replace that on my list of ten with...

Failure to make the most livable city in the world list; which is behind a number of urban centers located in third world, and socially challenged countries.

Actually, I have never spent any significant amount of time in any city that has not made that list, with the the exception of the time that I spent in Phoenix.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

This will help shed some light on crystal meth. The "capitals" of crystal meth have long been San Diego, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Texas cities

You just included a link that discussed 2000 and 2001 crystal meth statistics! It is now 2008, and Phoenix has a lot more people than it did 7 and 8 years ago, and a much higher crystal meth problem than it had then as well.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

I believe Phoenix has experience an 18% loss in housing prices, while this is not the worst, it is one of the worst and has been fueled by ARM loan foreclosures and investor foreclosures. However, the metro area will rebound after these properties are absorbed into the market as the area continues to grow fast.

Phoenix house prices are not expected to bottom out until 2010, at levels far lower than expected 18 months ago, so expect the prices to fall further in that time. A full recovery when supply and demand are balanced is years away.

I stand-by my opinion that housing boom and subsequent crash will cripple the city for years. A current slowdown in new job creation, and a slight increase in the unemployment level just adds to the problem, yet new construction continues. People that bought properties at a loss are stuck with them for quite a while yet.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

I love the heat, I think this one is just a matter of taste, opinion, tolerance to heat and cold, etc. So if its to hot for you, don't move here.

If you read my post again, then you'll see that my point was regarding the associated problems caused by the heat. I can handle those temperatures, but it's certainly nothing that I would choose to do. Each summer there are 100 days of 100 degrees or more, and only a minority of Americans would choose to live in that sort of climate.

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

I bet that 8 months out of the year however, almost EVERYONE in the world would like to be in Phoenix because of the weather.

How much would you like to bet on that, or aren't you prepared to stand-by your opinion? I bet that the vast minority of the world's population would not like to be in Phoenix for 8 months of the year, even if the weather is more tolerable. There is a lot more to a city than it's climate, some of which I have pointed out in this post, and many people actually enjoy seasons.