Myth: True or not?

[YAZ]

I dig that part of town, meaning PV, around 32nd St. and Lincoln. I drive thru daily on the way home; traffic is horrendous there. I'd bet cuz of folks like me that drive thru daily to avoid I-10 & I-17.

[Arizona Mike]

I live in Phoenix and just got back from a trip to LA (where I lived from 1987 to 1998). You can't compare the two in terms of traffic. Traffic has gotten even worse in the L.A. area. There are traffic jams continuously, with no rhyme or reason, throughout the day, in Los Angeles. You have to always allow extra time for any trip. The surface streets are in terrible shape, far worse than Phoenix. Tags and gang graffiti cover every surface on the freeways in LA - overpasses, signs, walls, murals, and are just left there, as if the city government has given up. Parking lots are smaller and narrower, lanes are narrower, gas stations are miniscule and hard to move around in, available street parking is terrible and you have to continually move your car to avoid being ticketed. There are some very nice parts to living in LA (the weather, the beaches, lots of things to do) but I'm glad I live in Phoenix again.

The airport traffic in Phoenix is not bad, although it can get a little backed up at peak hours. LAX traffic is horrible, with suicidal van and shuttle drivers and confused tourists. Its much easier, cheaper, safer, and quicker to use the satellite parking lots at Sky Harbor than the off-airport lots at LAX.

I don't really notice a smell in Phoenix, although the pollution is bad due to the temperature inversion formed by the valley, which tends to keep smog in place. There are parts of LA that smell pretty rank. Neither are as bad as New Jersey.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

the "Phoenix is becoming LA" claim has been thrown around for decades.....I've lived in, or been connected to, the Phoenix area for 34 years....right now, I'd say take any 15 or 20% chunk of the entire LA metro area and you have Phoenix....similar density (a little less dense in Phx), similar traffic, similar go-go pace, maybe a little newer feeling in Phx.....but LA metro is so much bigger.......

is Scottsdale overrated?...depends on the definition of overrated, of course....real estate is priced 20-30% higher just for the mailing address, but just as almost everywhere, home prices have come way down in most areas of Scottsdale ...upscale shopping is there, but some high-end stores are closing these days because of the slowdown....trendy nightclubs have appeared for the first time in Scottsdale the last 5-10 years that appeal to local sports stars, visiting celebs, and local wannabes....there are also regular neighborhoods, older neighborhoods, some "slums" (Scottsdale-style) in the south part of town south of, say, Thomas...lots of hot shot, self-important drivers indicate some residents feel they've now "arrived" since they live in Scottsdale...there are WalMarts, Targets, 7-11s, Safeways, Subways, Starbucks, McDonald's, etc.....it's a big town now (maybe 250K people)....most of it just feels neat, clean, new, prosperous, safe, fast-paced, and kinda Caucasian....lots of gated communities, resorts, trophy wives, spoiled kids, regular people, retired folks, working families, nice people, the whole bit....lots more could be said.....

as an aside, the incorporated Town of Paradise Valley, sandwiched between Phx and Scottsdale, is a mostly-residential spot with a population of about 12K, where real estate is difficult to find for less than about $750K these days (used to be >$1M in 2005)....few businesses are allowed there and it shouldn't be confused with the geographical Paradise Valley which is actually in NE Phx....homes prices have dropped here, too, and many, many are for sale.....

Actually: here in 85257 ZIP (S Scottsdale) housing prices are lower as a group than across McKellips from 85281 (N Tempe) according to realtor.com.

[ruined]

I was in LA for the first time in years last month for work and ad a few observations similar to Arizona Mike:

The actual surface of the roads is terrible. It felt like it was ruining my car to drive there.

There is no parking, anywhere, ever.

There are dead dogs on the sides of the road everywhere. I counted 6 in my two days there.

I saw two police cars in the entire state of California in two days, and they were only highway patrol cars.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually found myself missing the endless expanse of shopping centers we have here. I'm still not sure where LA residents buy all their stuff... Do Mexican phone card stores also sell groceries?

The roads are laid out with no rhyme or reason to them, and if you blink, you might miss your freeway entrance. Don't worry though, there will be another one in 15 feet for some reason.

Graffiti everywhere. It's obvious that the city just can't keep up with maintenance, there aren't enough police to keep things under control, the traffic was insane, mom and pop shops are almost always a rip off, and all the beaches I could find cost money to park at.

All in all, I think I'll stay here. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but it was quite a shock for me. Gross place.

I prefer the very north end of Phoenix. I like dirt.

[_Charles_]

By definition a myth is never true.

Is Phoenix becoming like LA? Not really. I am disappointed in the lack of growth management - regional planning here in Phx. And that certainly has had its consequences.
The LA metro area has an inland boundary that now extends from Simi Valley in the northwest to Moreno Valley in the southeast. The urbanized area is the size of CT and occupies the coastal bend from Oxnard to Camp Pendleton. The area population (leaving out San Diego and the area around Palm Springs) is around 14 million.

The Phoenix metro area covers approx 2 thousand square miles and has 4 million people. In terms of population and overall size of the economy - Phoenix does not approach LA.

Phoenix is comparable to Denver, DFW or San Diego but not LA.

[_Charles_]

Scottsdale has its share of $30k millionairs but phoney folks can really be found anywhere. The best way to answer that question is to look at one's self.

So what if there are few silly, plastic people running around Scottsdale? Who cares?
If your own life priorities are solid you are not likely to have any interaction with them or otherwise be affected by them.