WHY I HATE PHOENIX! Or is it Feeniks? (Flagstaff: suburban, fit in)

[Phoenix lady]

I've lived in the Phoenix area (West valley) for 11 + years. Initially moving here, in early 1997, it was a good place to live. I found most people friendly, helpful and pleasant. The traffic was bad, but tolerable.
Every year out here has gotten worse--the feelings I get now are that people are very un-friendly (maybe because of the growth), plastic (these words have been mentioned before and are very accurate--I've lived here a long time), shallow and forgive me for being blunt, but not the sharpest pencils in the box. It truly feels souless--like one big strip mall and alot of concrete. Of course, all of that concrete makes the summers get hotter. When I first moved here, the summers were hot, but not like these current ones. THe temps really are getting hotter.
The people here are very different from anywhere else I've lived (New York state, Vermont, Florida, plus alot of time spent in places like Missouri, Michigan, Mass.). When you remember the song, in the 60's from Jim Morrison, you'll get my drift "People are strange, when your a stranger."
Everyone in this city is a stranger to each other. Almost a hostile feeling--esp.over the last 5 years. Not a place to settle. Okay to live here in transient or to learn whatever you need to, not a place to make a home--unless your idea of a home is a trip to Walmart's, in your Hummer that goes 110 MPH, with the desert sun beating down on you at 110 degrees (it's over 100 for about 5 to 5 1/2 months a year--it's not hot, it's unbearable heat, dry or otherwise, even humid Florida was easier to take), on your newly black-topped road (they keep the roads good out here, but it adds to the heat factor), on your way to see your dentist (outrageous medical/dental costs out here), with your new pooch (try seeing what a vet costs you out here).
It's not a comfortable place to live--for me anyways.

[YAZ]

My wife & I love it here, and I find the cost of living to be about the same as SE Michigan. We've met many nice folks here in the Valley, and it was easy to find a good job.

Our morning commutes aren't an issue, but the evening ones are. Not too much different than anywhere else, IMHO.

[jd433]

I hate it for many reasons

[movin'on]

Originally Posted by Phoenix lady

I've lived in the Phoenix area (West valley) for 11 + years. Initially moving here, in early 1997, it was a good place to live. I found most people friendly, helpful and pleasant. The traffic was bad, but tolerable.
Every year out here has gotten worse--the feelings I get now are that people are very un-friendly (maybe because of the growth), plastic (these words have been mentioned before and are very accurate--I've lived here a long time), shallow and forgive me for being blunt, but not the sharpest pencils in the box. It truly feels souless--like one big strip mall and alot of concrete. Of course, all of that concrete makes the summers get hotter. When I first moved here, the summers were hot, but not like these current ones. THe temps really are getting hotter.
The people here are very different from anywhere else I've lived (New York state, Vermont, Florida, plus alot of time spent in places like Missouri, Michigan, Mass.). When you remember the song, in the 60's from Jim Morrison, you'll get my drift "People are strange, when your a stranger."
Everyone in this city is a stranger to each other. Almost a hostile feeling--esp.over the last 5 years. Not a place to settle. Okay to live here in transient or to learn whatever you need to, not a place to make a home--unless your idea of a home is a trip to Walmart's, in your Hummer that goes 110 MPH, with the desert sun beating down on you at 110 degrees (it's over 100 for about 5 to 5 1/2 months a year--it's not hot, it's unbearable heat, dry or otherwise, even humid Florida was easier to take), on your newly black-topped road (they keep the roads good out here, but it adds to the heat factor), on your way to see your dentist (outrageous medical/dental costs out here), with your new pooch (try seeing what a vet costs you out here).
It's not a comfortable place to live--for me anyways.

Thanks for articulating how I feel. I can vouch for the vet costs. I recently spent $10K to save my dog's life. I had no choice but I am still shaking my head at how much it cost.

[PecanPie]

Thought I'd chime in as a native Californian who has spent some time in Phoenix -- I hate all those d@mn nice, friendly, helpful people! Do they have to be so cheerful, always wanting to chat a person up and make them feel welcome? Sheesh, I just can't say enough about how much I HATE those friendly AZ people! Really, where do they get off??

Tomorrow I'll run out and get a nice dose of rude, dismissive treatment here in So Cal -- yeah, that'll make me feel better!

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by movin'on

Thanks for articulating how I feel. I can vouch for the vet costs. I recently spent $10K to save my dog's life. I had no choice but I am still shaking my head at how much it cost.

Glad your companion survived -

The cost you noted however is not because of Phoenix, or Arizona.

[tscrilla]

Originally Posted by cevett

At first the Senoran Desert was the appeal of AZ to me because it was so much different than what I was used to.

If I would have known that the 5th biggest city in the country was nothing more than strip malls, cookie cutter housing developments lined with fry's and wallmarts, I would have never moved here. I couldn't phathom how lame a city this size could actually be.. We are headed to the East coast next month.

People rant and rave about Phoenix being the 5th largest city (statistically) in the U.S... It's nothing more than one suburb after another with (people are exactly right) no culture, history, convenience, ANY big city ammeneties.

You can draw a big enough circle anywhere and get four million people. Many other regions of the country are far more entitled to the 5th biggest city when you look at it that way..

Phoenix' population density is a whopping 3,000 people per square mile! The top 20 biggest cities in the U.S. have more people and independent businesses populating their streets per sq mi.. Honestly all SW cities suck.. They all have this sprawling mentality which goes against any other U.S., European or Asian style of city in the World.

L.A. is 9,000 per square mile.. The 2nd pathetic example. (aside from "big" texas cities) Philadelphia is 16,000.. That's five times as many people walking around any given area of Philly than Phoenix.

On top of that, Philly has the 3rd highest populated downtown in the u.s. behind Chicago and NYC.. The metro area of Philly is 5,900,000 next to the Phoenix metro area of 4,000,000 in about 1/2 the space..

It doesn't stop there west coast's bragging cities...

There are cities in NJ with 45,000 people per square mile and I don't even want to touch the big city feel difference there, yet NJ claims no huge cities because they are their own municipalities and don't cheat and anex land...

Manhattan is 66,000 per square mile.. Okay, Phoenix, or anywhere in the West is a joke when you look at this.

Simply put, Phoenix anexes land and incorporates communitites that want nothing to do with them and at the same time all of these snowbirds and retirees keep moving outward to keep it "white" and secluded.. Requiring new communities to form every year and every year it loses even more of it's sense of community.

I moved to Phoenix not believing friends who had moved here before me about how dead it is before moving back to Portland.. I blew them off to end up driving 30 minutes to a town with 250,000 people to have fun.. (scottsdale) a suburb that will be dead in the next 10 years too as the area just keeps on with it's never ending sprawl.. I've never seen anything like this in my life.

Wow, you nailed it. I know several people who have tried Phoenix out only to leave within a few years because it is a suburban wasteland with nothing going for it. People who say they like it are only kidding themselves because they have no way out.

I'm glad you mentioned Philly because that is my favorite US city to visit. What a great place Philly is.

People who say that Phoenix provides breathing room are crazy. What they don't realize is that these cookie cutter developments actually create less space in their beloved suburbia. Miles upon miles become congested with vehicles because that's the only mode of transporation. It took me so long to get anywhere in Phoenix. After five years it only got worse with my commute time almost doubling. When moving to the east for the first time a few years ago, I found that while there are more people my commute time is much less even driving the same distance.

I hope global warming actually exists, that way the average high for Phoenix will be around 125 degrees, sounds like fun...

[JDish2000]

Originally Posted by tscrilla

Wow, you nailed it. I know several people who have tried Phoenix out only to leave within a few years because it is a suburban wasteland with nothing going for it. People who say they like it are only kidding themselves because they have no way out.

I'm glad you mentioned Philly because that is my favorite US city to visit. What a great place Philly is.

People who say that Phoenix provides breathing room are crazy. What they don't realize is that these cookie cutter developments actually create less space in their beloved suburbia. Miles upon miles become congested with vehicles because that's the only mode of transporation. It took me so long to get anywhere in Phoenix. After five years it only got worse with my commute time almost doubling. When moving to the east for the first time a few years ago, I found that while there are more people my commute time is much less even driving the same distance.

I hope global warming actually exists, that way the average high for Phoenix will be around 125 degrees, sounds like fun...

Your logic doesn't work, if you are wishing ill temperature changes...

The average temp year round I believe is 76 F. BTW, if our average goes up guess what happens to everyone else?

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by tscrilla

Wow, you nailed it. I know several people who have tried Phoenix out only to leave within a few years because it is a suburban wasteland with nothing going for it. People who say they like it are only kidding themselves because they have no way out.

I'm glad you mentioned Philly because that is my favorite US city to visit. What a great place Philly is.

People who say that Phoenix provides breathing room are crazy. What they don't realize is that these cookie cutter developments actually create less space in their beloved suburbia. Miles upon miles become congested with vehicles because that's the only mode of transporation. It took me so long to get anywhere in Phoenix. After five years it only got worse with my commute time almost doubling. When moving to the east for the first time a few years ago, I found that while there are more people my commute time is much less even driving the same distance.

I hope global warming actually exists, that way the average high for Phoenix will be around 125 degrees, sounds like fun...

Despite my personal contempt for the Northeast: some people live there who actually like it; who am I to pass judgement on them?

What does irk me is some 'outsider' coming onto the Arizona boards and trashing it here.

I am a Wash DC native; born and raised, left there 30 years ago never to return-----------I certainly do not go over there and slam the residents there for living or even liking the DC area.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by JDish2000

Your logic doesn't work, if you are wishing ill temperature changes...

The average temp year round I believe is 76 F. BTW, if our average goes up guess what happens to everyone else?

No joke: try about 105-110F in Philly---------and, humid to boot.

That would feel like about 130F here due to our much lower levels of moisture--------making Phx cooler in real terms with our hypothetical 125F