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I think it's easy for some to get caught up in the rhetoric about PHX on here. Phoenix attracts a fairly elite base of international tourists as well. I remember seeing 747's from Saudi Royalty being parked at Sky Harbor for months at a time back when I lived there(as an example). IIRC it's more of a place the int'l elite will go when they want a lower profile getaway, vs. somewhere like Vegas. It is also the reason Phoenix had shopping options only seen in a couple other places stateside, though that may have changed since my time there there.
WTH? So people from a Desert environment travel halfway around the world to enjoy a DESERT environment? Not believing that. If they were there, its because of the Mayo Clinic then off to California or Florida.
My ironic desirable places are hot, humid, and stormy. Pretty much any Floridian City, New Orleans, I also have a soft spot in my heart for Houston. I much prefer the lush/green tropical places, over the dry and often arid Western part of the country. I know a lot of folks place an emphasis on mountains being the only way to have breath taking scenery. Not only do I disagree, I find mountains(specifically the rockies) to be cold and a bit on the ugly side. I know it's counter intuitive to the norm but I could go the rest of my life without a mountain view as long as I'm surrounded by lush vegetation.
Denver is an OVERRATED metro area, there I said it! Its flat and lacking trees for miles to the east. The problem with the mountains to the west is they don't really standout in grandeur because all are the same height. It's like watching the NBA. We all know the players are tall but on TV, it doesn't look like it. Not take the mountains of the west coast. The Sierras and Cascades have some distinct looks because several really stand out - Whitney, Shasta, those around Lake Tahoe, Hood, Rainer, Adams and Baker. It makes it them see more majestic and photogenic.
WTH? So people from a Desert environment travel halfway around the world to enjoy a DESERT environment? Not believing that. If they were there, its because of the Mayo Clinic then off to California or Florida.
You have obviously never been. Some of the most beautiful luxury Resorts I have ever seen are there, and the shopping and food ranks with the the big boys. The Senoran Desert is gorgeous, and looks nothing like the common view of a 'Desert' environment. I fell in love with The Valley on my first visit.
Phoenix takes a lot of unwarranted ridicule here, and it almost always comes from people that have never stepped foot in the place.
I’ve come across people who tried to equate Milwaukee with Detroit, with no praise intended. They had never been there, and it showed.
Having lived much of my life in the south, people there assume Minneapolis is basically uninhabitable.
Kansas City simply isn’t on a lot of people’s radar. No mountains, no ocean. Supposedly isolated and boring.
I actually lived there several years and never got bored of the city. I also never wished I had another major city nearby so I could do basically the same exact stuff from a slightly different angle.
Minneapolis definitely might get frowned upon due to the cold, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone ever say they think it's "uninhabitable". It's easily one of the biggest, if not the single biggest transplant destination for people leaving Chicago and other declining parts of the Midwest. Outside of the cold, it really doesn't get anything bad said about it that often. Both on C-D, as well in real life in my experience.
I also don't think no mountains/no Ocean automatically means "undesirable" to most, only coastal/scenery snobs. KC definitely doesn't get the attention of Dallas or Atlanta, but at the same time it's a much smaller metro so naturally it won't. I do agree, to people who have no clue of what they're talking about, they might hear "Kansas" in "Kansas City" and immediately think it's nothing but flat and boring farmland. In reality, it's significantly less flat than places like Chicago and Indianapolis. It's definitely a city that's rebounding fast from its population/ economic declines of decades past, which is great to see.
Like KC, I think Omaha is seen as "undesirable" and underrated, but even moreso.
many? why is 112 degrees desirable? Scenery? Its got nothing green, few trees and mountains are not like those of the Rockies, west coast or Appalachia. Its growth is because Cali has become unaffordable. Tucson is more attractive as is Albuquerque.
The extreme summer heat definitely is an undesirable trait about Phoenix, but as the population growth has shown (which yes, has come largely from Cali but also from New York, Chicago, and elsewhere), it's not undesirable to tons of people, even knowing the heat. And remember, that's dry heat. Drastically different than humid heat you'd find in places like Virginia and Louisiana. Apparently it's also one of cities with the least possibility of a natural disaster (outside of dust storms and maybe flooding sometimes).
Tons of people, whether or not they'd want to live in Phoenix year round, would also disagree with you that the scenery there is nothing special.
I don't see why ABQ would be more attractive than Phoenix, outside of being less extreme in terms of temperature.
You clearly stated in another thread that you've never been to Tucson, so how can you claim it is more attractive than any other city?
Really, you say that in the age on broadband and TV? So you have never seen any photos of a city before you visited for vacation? I like the greenery of Tucson from what I've seen. I have been to ABQ, Vegas, Denver, and SLC for cities in the longitude. I also think Boise would appeal more. I did get to Flagstaff and Sedona which I enjoyed.
And remember, that's dry heat. Drastically different than humid heat you'd find in places like Virginia and Louisiana
I have yet to step out into 115 degrees and think “wow this is so much more comfortable than Florida”. Different yes, better is debatable. Stepping outside on a Phoenix summer day sucks the air out of your lungs. I don’t encounter that in the SE.
Really, you say that in the age on broadband and TV? So you have never seen any photos of a city before you visited for vacation? I like the greenery of Tucson from what I've seen. I have been to ABQ, Vegas, Denver, and SLC for cities in the longitude. I also think Boise would appeal more. I did get to Flagstaff and Sedona which I enjoyed.
I lived in Tucson for 17 years and Phoenix now for 9.5 years. I've never heard many people refer to Tucson being more green than Phoenix. Perhaps in the higher elevations of the Catalina or Rincon mountains, but certainly not in the city.
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