Mapquest photos of Phoenix growth (Mesa, Chandler: how much, subdivisions, shopping centers)

[vegaspilgrim]

Of course we all know that Phoenix has grown unbelievably fast in the last decade and a half. Here's a trick I discovered to see it for yourself: On Mapquest, the Aerial Image feature uses different sets of data for the different zoom levels (1-5, 6-10, 11-14, 15), and each set of images was taken at a different point in time. When you are on zoom 10, and look at the southern and eastern areas of the East Valley, for example, it shows mostly rectangular agricultural fields, similar to when you look out of the airplane window sit flying over the midwest. Then you hit the zoom-in button, to level 11, and voila!, the same exact farming area you were just looking at becomes instantly scattered with hundreds of tiny buildings and pavement everywhere. I'm guessing the mapquest images at the 6-10 zoom are 10-15 years old, at least. The 11-14 looks pretty recent.

If you play around with this, you can see just how much the Phoenix area has grown in the last decade and a half. You can see how in this short time period, the south Chandler/Ocotillo area, most of Gilbert, Queen Creek, east Mesa, and the Hunt Highway area have become instantly urbanized. (I'm only familiar with the East Valley, so that's all I looked at). There is still a lot of agriculture left, but unlike with the old images, it is a patchwork of remants of farms here and there mixed together with housing subdivisions-- not a true rural area.

I went out to the Queen Creek/ SE Gilbert area recently, and that's exactly what I noticed... you're driving on a modern, 6 lane road with brand new Bashas shopping centers, etc, one moment, and then boom-- the road goes back to a beat up 2-laner with farms on each side. Then a half mile down... it's back to suburbia again. It really goes to show how unplanned and random the development in this city is. Although, at the same time it's pretty neat.