Metro Phoenix for instance has many incredible high-amenity suburbs but the city itself is ultra-weak for a city of it's size.
I have Indianapolis shares this distinction also. Indianapolis has a extra-tiny downtown and an even smaller area called the Broad Ripple in the city itself. While Fishers and Carmel have a national reputation as being some of the best suburbs in the country with large nightlife's, amenity-packed downtown's and dense core neighborhoods.
Phoenix itself without a doubt is the weakest core city in the devoloped world for a city of it's size. But the metropolitan area has lots of fantastic 200,000 people suburbs with extremely strong amenities for their size.
Phoenix for instance was just voted by an international read publication of America's top city for fast-food restaurants as most the fine dining takes place in the suburbs while fast-food and gas station hot dogs are very popular in the city itself.
Much of the areas adjacent to downtown Phoenix exception for the North Central Corridor look like this for instance as does much of the city of Phoenix.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4382...7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4382...7i13312!8i6656
Compared that to the first-class suburbs in Phoenix.
Scottsdale
https://www.google.com/maps/place/39...4d-111.9261704
https://www.google.com/maps/place/45...eACPoQxB0IJzAA
Tempe
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4247...7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4288...7i13312!8i6656
Downtown Phoenix in a million years won't be able to compete with Tempe, Scottsdale, Gilbert or Glendale when it comes to nightlife.
Tempe for instance two huge malls, ASU Main Campus, some of the highest retail sales per-capita in America because Phoenix is so weak on retail.
Scottsdale with Scottsdale Fashion Square and Old Down Scottsdale. The Mayo Clinic is also located there.
Gilbert has the huge San Tan Valley outdoor mall and has a very dense downtown with an unusually high number of restaurants and shops for a city of it's size.
Chandler has a very percentage of Metro Phoenix's office space with highly paid employees, Phoenix Premium Outlets, Chandler Fashion Center among others.
The Cardinals play at University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale and they an ultra-large entertainment complex near the center of the community that Phoenix could only dream of.
Phoenix city proper with 1.6 million people proper lags behind Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler and Tempe in it's offerings.
I was just curious if Phoenix is the only large metropolitan area in the country with an incredibly weak core city but with very high amenity suburbs that are far above their weight on amenities.
I have heard Indianapolis is very much like Phoenix with a very, very weak core city that has a rural city but with incredibly strong, urban and amenity packed suburbs like Carmel and Fishers.
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