Myth: True or not? (Phoenix, Tucson: for sale, real estate, rentals)

[Smartone]

I have heard the Phoenix area was becoming like LA. Last time I was in town, the airport traffic was worse than that in NYC and it smelled horrible, worse than NYC.

Does anyone believe this area is becoming like LA?

And is Scottsdale over rated?

[SpeedyAZ]

I have heard the Phoenix area was becoming like LA. Last time I was in town, the airport traffic was worse than that in NYC and it smelled horrible, worse than NYC.

I was just in NYC last week and the traffic at the airport was MUCH worse than that of Sky Harbor! I don't think Phoenix smells at all really at least not that I have noticed.

Does anyone believe this area is becoming like LA?

And is Scottsdale over rated?

I believe we share some characteristics with L.A. but on a smaller scale. I don't think we will ever be like L.A. just for the mere fact we don't offer any of the tourist attraction L.A. has nor are close to the beach. Phoenix is also in a desert climate, Los Angeles is not.

Scottsdale is what you make it out to be, it IS a great place to live and raise a family. Scottsdale also offers the majority of the upscale shopping/dining in the Phoenix area so in that respect, it isn't overrated. I guess it's how you classify a city as being "overrated"...I personally don't think it is but that's my opinion.

[KarmaPhx]

What happened to the other posts in this thread?

Along with another poster, I posted in this thread replying to the OP and now it's gone, seems to happen a lot on CD?

[YAZ]

Nope.

Phoenix is the "new" Atlanta. Cheaper homes outside of the "Loop", much more expensive just inside the loop, and hit & miss getting closer to the "downtown" area. Instead of "Loop", I could say "Perimeter". That's an Atlanta thing...

Scottsdale would be Buckhead, but with a 'lil more cash. Glendale's Westgate is VERY cool.

I don't think Scottdale is overrated, just a 'lil misunderstood.

Not enough beaches in Feeniks, but ther's plenty of biiiiiitches in LA.

We're not there yet.

[YAZ]

I've never been to NYC, but I can say that Sky Harbor is a helluva lot better than Detroit Metro. I don't think either town compares with NYC regardimg traffic, smell, etc.

whatever....

[azdr0710]

yeah, what SpeedyAZ said......!!

[TransporterG]

Just misunderstood, I like that. So true.

Scottsdale is huge now! It has really grown up to the North in the last several years, so in a way Scottsdale, to me anyway, is a lot of different kinds of neighborhoods than just one that can easily be catagorized for a particular demographic. There are trendy N. Scottsdale digs with these unbelievable Tuscan McMansions, the classic south and central hip and upscale districts (which gives Scottsdale is cache), and family oriented developments and all kinds of older neighborhoods that are mixed with rentals. Scottsdale as a "brand" if you will is something like BMW...a name known throughout the USA that just carries a certain kind of arrogance or hubris to it. Beyond Phoenix and Tucson, there probably are few places other than Scottsdale in the state that can just be referred to by the city name with no need to even follow it by Arizona.

Over-rated? Not sure. But surely one for which many would have an opinion.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Smartone

I have heard the Phoenix area was becoming like LA. Last time I was in town, the airport traffic was worse than that in NYC and it smelled horrible, worse than NYC.

Does anyone believe this area is becoming like LA?

And is Scottsdale over rated?

I think it was at one point. It certainly felt that way in 2005 and 2006. However, my morning commute to downtown has been cut by 20 minutes because there are not as many cars on the roads in the morning. LA was once a desert climate as well and water had to be diverted there from the Colorado river. The fact is presented in the famous film China Town which demonstrates the beginnings of Los Angelas in which it was a desert that was developed much like Phoenix is now. People assume that if there is coastline then that isn't a desert. Much of southern California doesn't even face water and offers high temperatures albeit not as high as Phoenix. Dubai and the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have coasts and offer beautiful beaches but it doesn't change the fact that it has a desert climate. I think Phoenix' problem is we don't have tourist attractions like amusement parks etc. If we built those, people would view Phoenix differently. Talk to anyone about Orlando prior to the development of Disney World. It was a pit in the middle of Florida. There was nothing there. If we have those ambitions, it can be accomplished here regardless if we face ocean.

[pbenjamin]

The busy season for amusement parks is the summer when children are out of school. Nobody is going to want to come to Phoenix to stand in line for rides in 110 degree (albeit dry) heat. Even though we can make the argument that Phoenix in July is less uncomfortable than Orlando in July, that is a tough concept to sell. Besides that, the only real destination theme parks are in Florida and Southern California. Most other parks simply draw people from nearby. Why would you travel to a theme park in Arizona when the classics (Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World, etc.) are so close? "Oh boy, let's fly to Arizona to go to that rock and roll theme park in Eloy." I can't see it.

[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.....