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These three rising metro areas have had continual growth for the past few decades and no decline so it's safe to say that they will exceed the 1million mark (in terms of population) pretty soon. So out of these chosen areas which would you prefer?
I've never been to Tulsa, but have spent a decent amount of time in Tucson and Fresno.
Fresno itself isn't very much of a destination, but it's adjacent to a whole lot of scenery (Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia are an hour away, and around 2 hours from Monterey/Big Sur or Pismo Beach) and in the middle of a dry agricultural valley. Compared to a lot of rural America, Fresno is relatively diverse (has large populations of Hmong, Armenians, Laotians, etc.) but has much of the same problems as other cities that are similarly situated in the middle of agricultural America. However, unlike places that should be its peers (Omaha, Des Moines, etc.) Fresno suffers from extreme rampant seasonal unemployment based on the agricultural cycles.
The reason why no one in this thread would ever vote for Fresno is the whipping boy of California. Literally. If anyone in NorCal and SoCal could agree on is how horrible Fresno is. I don't think its that bad, but being around some of the most desirable places in America leaves this relatively non-descript city in the dust.
Tucson, on the other hand, is Arizona's second city. The natural sites are MUCH closer to Tucson than the natural sites are to Fresno. Mt. Lemmon is much closer than the Sierras to Fresno, and Saguaro National Park is directly east and west of Tucson. Southeast Arizona, IMO, is one of the more underrated areas of the country. While Tucson doesn't have the same sort of ethnic diversity as Fresno, Tucson arguably has a richer Spanish and Native American history. San Xavier del Bac is relatively close by, along with some of the older architecture of Tucson.
I can go on and on about these two cities. I have yet to visit Tulsa, so I won't speculate what it's like.
These three rising metro areas have had continual growth for the past few decades and no decline so it's safe to say that they will exceed the 1million mark (in terms of population) pretty soon. So out of these chosen areas which would you prefer?
Tulsa Oklahoma,,,,,born in Metro Tulsa 1952......moved to Tulsa city proper 1954..moved away from Tulsa OK 1976 , Tulsa has more infrastructure than both Fresno and Tucson , but outside of family there's no reason to live or visit there for more than a couple of days at the most. Tulsa, Oklahoma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tucson Arizona,,,,,I have a Uncle that lives there and I usually visit during my California to Oklahoma Road Trips. Tucson has a exotic vibe and spectacular " Topography " Phoenix is only about 120 miles away so there's Four (4) Major League Sports Teams to see Entertainment is no Problem whatsoever , and Tucson already has over 1,000,000 people in it's Metro..... Tucson, Arizona - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fresno California,,,,In 1990 I wanted to move to Fresno CA to live in a slower section of California far off of the highly prestigious coastal area , however the move fell through and I'm in the northern San Francisco Bay Area .....Fresno has better " Topography " than both of the other cities , and has the second tallest mountain summit in America "but it's a 40 to 1 Hour Drive Away from the city limit" and it's Metro is already 1,00,000 or more.. Fresno, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tucson Arizona,,,,,I have a Uncle that lives there and I usually visit during my California to Oklahoma Road Trips. Tucson has a exotic vibe and spectacular " Topography " Phoenix is only about 120 miles away so there's Four (4) Major League Sports Teams to see Entertainment is no Problem whatsoever , and Tucson already has over 1,000,000 people in it's Metro.....Tucson, Arizona - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fresno California,,,,In 1990 I wanted to move to Fresno CA to live in a slower section of California far off of the highly prestigious coastal area , however the move fell through and I'm in the northern San Francisco Bay Area .....Fresno has better " Topography " than both of the other cities , and has the second tallest mountain summit in America "but it's a 40 to 1 Hour Drive Away from the city limit" and it's Metro is already 1,00,000 or more..Fresno, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quote:
Originally Posted by munchitup
Looks like Fresno's already over 1 million in the metro.
Just sort of an FYI, according to the Census, none of these cities have a metro population of more than 1 million yet. The 2011 estimates say that Fresno is at 942,09, Tucson at 989,569, and Tulsa at 946,962. Even though they're all close, none have passed the magic number so far. Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Totals: Vintage 2011 - U.S Census Bureau
It seems like the University of Arizona has a strong influence on Tucson, but Fresno State University doesn't have that much on Fresno (never been to Tulsa).
My memory of Tucson is going there in the winter of 1995 when Newt Gingrich and his gang decided to shut down the federal government, and a lot of the beautiful public parks outside the city were closed. But we did stay part of the time in a great, if slightly rundown, old motel that had its own cactus garden with cactus types marked.
Just sort of an FYI, according to the Census, none of these cities have a metro population of more than 1 million yet. The 2011 estimates say that Fresno is at 942,09, Tucson at 989,569, and Tulsa at 946,962. Even though they're all close, none have passed the magic number so far. Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Totals: Vintage 2011 - U.S Census Bureau
I worked for the census bureau in 1990 and 2000 as a door knocker...and I really don't like theirs figures and the way that they do things.....case in point " I don't like how they allow the Dallas/Ft. Worth TX Metro to stand united...." and cut the San Francisco Bay into 3 or 4 Differences Metro's " and they do the very same thing with " Washington DC and Baltimore MD"....I was using Wikipedia Figures for the Metro's so that's why I said that Fresno and Tucson were above 1,000,000 and all 3 Metro's are growing Tulsa OK is probably going to be over 1,000,000 2013 or 2014.
Ive been to all 3 and I definitely like Tucson the best.
Ditto for me.
Tucson is very good.
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Fresno vs Tucson vs Tulsa
