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I am not going to go into water resources because that is a relentless conversation I have dealt with at a minimum 3 times a week for quite some time now, especially since now I work in that industry. I want to avoid going off on tangents as much as possible, especially with people who are ignorant to how water works out here and just can’t have a functional debate about it. It’s not fun playing teacher to people who are just going to spew the same nonsense a minute or two later. Not to say OP is that, heck people who live here don’t even know most of the time. But just because you don’t see any water doesn’t mean there isn’t any, in fact ground water I believe is 90% of all fresh water on Earth? Maybe it’s 80%, I can’t remember the statistic off the top of my head.
Here in Southern Arizona things are getting hotter and drier. We had a surprisingly wet “winter” this year, which I think was mother nature’s replacement for our normal August monsoon season, which simply did not come at all this year. Given that monsoon season is one of my favorite times of the year, I’m pretty upset about it. Though I don’t know how to file a formal complaint with nature.
The Southwest’s biggest draw is it’s nature opportunities, which simply are not going to “develop” out of thin air. It’s true that here in Phoenix due to astronomical growth some of these opportunities are simply harder to get access to. Hiking is becoming worse and worse in the winter time for the mountains around town, and are plagued with people littering and it’s just harder to enjoy. But there’s plenty of Arizona that does not have people, you just have to go further out. Like instead of hiking Camelback, try going to the McDowells (much less crowded) or the White Tanks. People sleep on the Tucson area but it’s actually better for hiking than Phoenix and is still easy to get to from Phoenix. There’s also plenty in between.
Phoenix appears to have a booming economy from what I understand right now. Though from what I’ve heard the other Southwestern cities are not doing as great, especially Tucson. This isn’t a surprising fact, since Phoenix is the big city of the Southwest. Phoenix is still, unfortunately, tied to the real estate industry and that will hurt us again in the upcoming recession. Outside of real estate and healthcare there isn’t too much work, but I believe it is slowly changing. I’d like to believe Vegas is in a similar boat, I can’t speak for New Mexico.
They say a recession will hit by 2021 and that will bring down Phoenix’s extremely inflated rents and house prices down again. You need 60k to afford a 1 bedroom here, it’s unsustainable. 75k for central areas. It will also hurt our job growth, because Phoenix STILL caters most of it’s economy to snowbirds and other temporary transplants.
I think what will be Phoenix’s ultimate downfall are people so tied to the past and unwilling to take action on many of our area’s bigger issues. The biggest reason is too many of our voters are snowbirds who don’t have any real tie to the place and people who are transplants who simply don’t know the history and don’t really know what Phoenix truly needs, they just vote on what worked in other places without any real in depth research or analysis. We do have a lot of issues with approving unsustainable developments in the desert and even up north (where there is even less water, contrary to popular belief), that keep getting over looked by the Arizona Department of Water Resources that simply needs to get enforced (we already have the laws in agreement to develop the Central Arizona Project) that surely was something spoken to by all of our governors to not enforce the law in favor of economic growth. We will be paying that price. In addition people still want suburban lifestyles in such a big city (same size as Seattle) and will not allow urban developments whether it be public transportation or dense housing, which will contribute to our urban heat island that we all suffer from high temperatures not cooling at night. Suburban lifestyles are something people cling on to from the past that simply is not good for us, especially here in Phoenix and any other place.
Our future is always one for discussion but we will have one, it just will look different than the rest of the nation. That is OK, so long people pay attention to local issues and realize DC is not going to solve our problems. Sick of people not knowing or caring about local issues, especially in areas so drastically different from the rest of the country.
I think Santa Fe residents would be surprised to hear that you rank NM last in QOL. It might be helpful if you told us how you assess QOL. And btw, the temps in NM have gone down the last 2-3 years. There was a roughly 15-year hot cycle, that for now has swing back toward a slightly cooler "normal". We'll see what happens next.
That was a screw up on my part. QOL in NM is definetly cheapest of these states.
Overdevelopment has been the biggest problem in this region, and it is worst in Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas. The fragile desert ecosystem is unable to handle the amount of population that is there presently. I have never enjoyed seeing desert lands in Arizona being torn up for more concrete, exacerbating the heat island effect.
In Metro Phoenix, another problem is the general business environment. Quite simply, the quality of jobs in Metro Phoenix is laughable for a city of its size. This is because Phoenix was essentially nothing before the mass market availability of air conditioning. Legacy companies, such as Procter & Gamble, were never headquartered in Phoenix. Phoenix has not been a player in the technology revolution that has been ongoing since the 1990s. The only sector of the economy that does well in Metro Phoenix is the healthcare industry because of the large percentage of senior citizens comprising the population. All the same things that I just said about Phoenix are true of Tucson, and possibly even worse in Tucson. These are the consequences of basing an economy around retirees, tourism, and college students.
New Mexico is often lagging on economic indicators I can't even imagine how poor quality of jobs would be there without Sandia or Los Alamos National Labs. New Mexico has a high crime rate, a high poverty rate, a lot of drug use, and a poorly educated populace outside of the lab workers, and some doctors and lawyers. Albuquerque is essentially something out of Grand Theft Auto. The same types of political policies that are currently failing California and contributing to its homeless crisis have been failing New Mexico for decades. New Mexico has been the furthest left state in the United States for decades, and the Democratic Party has enslaved the residents of New Mexico in multigenerational poverty. It is also funny that a lot of the affluent people in New Mexico are limousine liberals, much like San Francisco. It's not coincidental that I'm mentioning San Francisco when mentioning New Mexico, because Santa Fe is a mini San Francisco in certain ways.
Utah is having too much population growth, much like Arizona. It is being ruined by outsiders. However, it is probably the best state of the 4.
Las Vegas is growing unsustainably and has many of the same problems as Phoenix.
All of the states are drawing in too many Californians. New Mexico has the slowest population growth of the 4, which is probably good, but few people are moving to New Mexico primarily due to its unimpressive socioeconomic indicators, but its historical hostility to outsiders hasn't helped, though that element has lessened in recent times.
Californians are one of a few factors turning Arizona and Nevada towards failed socialistic policies in terms of their federal level representation. Nevada now has 2 far left senators and no Republican has carried that state since 2004 in a presidential election. Arizona elected its first Democratic Party senator in 30 years, and they may have a 2nd soon.
I am not optimistic about the future of these 4 states.
It's funny that New Mexico has done the best economically under Democratic governors. The last governor was a Republican and did very little to move the state ahead. The state dug itself out of the recession despite her, not because of her.
The Albuquerque Journal today has a story about one of Democrat Bill Richardson's initiatives that is beginning to pay off despite Republicans in the state legislature who've tried to kill it over the years as being wasteful spending and a boondoggle, SpacePort America.
Our new Democratic governor is starting out well with economic development and budget priorities.
It's patently absurd and false to label New Mexico as some liberal stronghold throughout its history. Its blue state status has only recently been established and is far from being secure. The governorship has often switched between Democrats and Republicans. Our congressional delegation has often been majority Republican.
Albuquerque's auto theft rate has been one of the most rapidly decreasing crime numbers since 2017. It has dropped 51 percent since 2017. It's likely the city will no longer even be in the top five for auto theft after this year is over, after having been the worst for two years.
Albuquerque's crime rate has went down under a new Democratic mayor with new policies and initiatives after spiking under a Republican mayor with supposedly the right policies for fighting crime.
Get out of here with blaming these sorts of issues on Democrats.
It's funny that New Mexico has done the best economically under Democratic governors. The last governor was a Republican and did very little to move the state ahead. The state dug itself out of the recession despite her, not because of her.
The Albuquerque Journal today has a story about one of Democrat Bill Richardson's initiatives that is beginning to pay off despite Republicans in the state legislature who've tried to kill it over the years as being wasteful spending and a boondoggle, SpacePort America.
Our new Democratic governor is starting out well with economic development and budget priorities.
It's patently absurd and false to label New Mexico as some liberal stronghold throughout its history. Its blue state status has only recently been established and is far from being secure. The governorship has often switched between Democrats and Republicans. Our congressional delegation has often been majority Republican.
Albuquerque's auto theft rate has been one of the most rapidly decreasing crime numbers since 2017. It has dropped 51 percent since 2017. It's likely the city will no longer even be in the top five for auto theft after this year is over, after having been the worst for two years.
Albuquerque's crime rate has went down under a new Democratic mayor with new policies and initiatives after spiking under a Republican mayor with supposedly the right policies for fighting crime.
Get out of here with blaming these sorts of issues on Democrats.
When I call Albuquerque something out of Grand Theft Auto, it is a reference to all crime, not just auto theft. One entity has ranked Albuquerque one of the 10 most dangerous cities in the United States. Any recent improvements in crime in Albuquerque are good, but Albuquerque has a long way to go.
New Mexico state government is a Democratic Party stronghold. One could call it a stranglehold. The Democratic Party held the majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives every year from 1955 to 2014, and 2017-present. The New Mexico Senate has been Democratic majority since 1989. No wonder that Susana Martinez did not accomplish much to improve the state. She couldn't work with obstructionist Democrats.
Any positive economic indicators in New Mexico right now are mostly attributable to Republican policies at the federal levels.
Much of the multigenerational poverty in New Mexico is attributable to Democrats. If Democrats were so great, New Mexico would be a top state. It is generally ranked lowest in most good economic indicators.
I live in Texas. Texas absorbs many New Mexico residents, either those who grew up there or those who happened to live in the state for some reason for some duration of time. It is usually those former New Mexico residents who wish to strive for more and leave a land of poverty entrapment.
Of the 4 states that the OP asked about, New Mexico has the smallest population and is least significant. Arizona has the highest population and is most significant. Arizona related topics should be dominating the discussion.
The biggest reason is too many of our voters are snowbirds who don’t have any real tie to the place and people who are transplants who simply don’t know the history and don’t really know what Phoenix truly needs
I agree with this. Transplants are a big problem in Arizona. Both in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas, recent transplants are dominant compared to long term Arizonans. A lot of the transplants are retirees who lived most of their lives elsewhere. A lot of the younger transplants to Arizona end up getting fed up with the place, and moving somewhere else after 3-10 years. As I stated earlier, the economy in Arizona is not tied to a lot of real industries, with the exception of healthcare for the burgeoning senior population. A lack of major corporate HQs in both Phoenix and Tucson makes the area less economically competitive. Arizona might have had a opportunity to reinvent itself economically with the tech boom of the last 25 years and compensate for the lack of legacy historical companies in the region, but not much in the way of major tech can be attributed to Arizona based companies.
When I call Albuquerque something out of Grand Theft Auto, it is a reference to all crime, not just auto theft. One entity has ranked Albuquerque one of the 10 most dangerous cities in the United States. Any recent improvements in crime in Albuquerque are good, but Albuquerque has a long way to go.
New Mexico state government is a Democratic Party stronghold. One could call it a stranglehold. The Democratic Party held the majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives every year from 1955 to 2014, and 2017-present. The New Mexico Senate has been Democratic majority since 1989. No wonder that Susana Martinez did not accomplish much to improve the state. She couldn't work with obstructionist Democrats.
Any positive economic indicators in New Mexico right now are mostly attributable to Republican policies at the federal levels.
Much of the multigenerational poverty in New Mexico is attributable to Democrats. If Democrats were so great, New Mexico would be a top state. It is generally ranked lowest in most good economic indicators.
I live in Texas. Texas absorbs many New Mexico residents, either those who grew up there or those who happened to live in the state for some reason for some duration of time. It is usually those former New Mexico residents who wish to strive for more and leave a land of poverty entrapment.
Of the 4 states that the OP asked about, New Mexico has the smallest population and is least significant. Arizona has the highest population and is most significant. Arizona related topics should be dominating the discussion.
Every kind of crime in Albuquerque is going down, look at the link. Your links are based on old numbers. Everything from population to economy to education is improving in New Mexico. Republicans at the national level have nothing to do with it. New Mexico started its turn around in 2014 under President Obama. Oil and wind production along with entertainment, tech and space is what has turned New Mexico around. Susana Martinez cut the film incentive and tried to diminish them greatly, Democrats in the legislature didn't let her. If that's obstruction then it was obstruction that is responsible for 1,330 jobs and $1.5 billion in direct spending by Netflix and NBCUniversal along with a further economic spillover of $800 million in indirect spending and many hundreds more jobs created.
Again, GTFO with blaming these sorts of things on Democrats. Take that kind of crap over to P&OC where it belongs.
Every kind of crime in Albuquerque is going down, look at the link. Your links are based on old numbers. Everything from population to economy to education is improving in New Mexico. Republicans at the national level have nothing to do with it. New Mexico started its turn around in 2014 under President Obama. Oil and wind production along with entertainment, tech and space is what has turned New Mexico around. Susana Martinez cut the film incentive and tried to diminish them greatly, Democrats in the legislature didn't let her. If that's obstruction then it was obstruction that is responsible for 1,330 jobs and $1.5 billion in direct spending by Netflix and NBCUniversal along with a further economic spillover of $800 million in indirect spending and many hundreds more jobs created.
Again, GTFO with blaming these sorts of things on Democrats. Take that kind of crap over to P&OC where it belongs.
If you're going to give me attitude, I'll give it right back. GTFO with making New Mexico seem like a quality place. It's a state dependent upon government handouts.
The most positive thing that I can say about New Mexico is that it doesn't have out of control real estate development like Arizona. It might be because there's less demand to move there.
I appreciate Los Alamos National Labs developing the atomic bomb which enabled the United States to defeat Japan in World War II.
There is some affluence in New Mexico. Among the working age population, there's a highly educated component that adds value to the state with Sandia/Los Alamos. Like anywhere, there are doctors and lawyers. However, the problem is that there are really 2 highly unequal New Mexicos. There's a rich New Mexico for the lab workers, medical professionals, some lawyers, and rich retirees, and then there's the poor, uneducated New Mexico that I've been illustrating. There's not much of a business environment in New Mexico employing people with BA/BS type degrees as compared to other places.
There are some pretty and scenic areas in the state as well. Scenery doesn't pay the bills, and the socioeconomic conditions are lackluster.
If you're going to give me attitude, I'll give it right back. GTFO with making New Mexico seem like a quality place. It's a state dependent upon government handouts.
The most positive thing that I can say about New Mexico is that it doesn't have out of control real estate development like Arizona. It might be because there's less demand to move there.
There are some pretty and scenic areas in the state as well. Scenery doesn't pay the bills, and the socioeconomic conditions are lackluster.
Crime numbers have gone down since 2017. All of those statistics cited in your sources have gone down. Unemployment, people on food stamps, etc. As I said, no other state has the percentages of American Indians and other minorities as New Mexico does. You should talk being from Texas where these numbers are bad as well due to minorities in areas like the Rio Grande Valley and inner city Dallas. It's not like Texas is some paradise. It has horrible schools as well. It's not the Midwest or Northeast, it's in the Republican-dominated South. Look at most of those states on that food stamps list and see that they are in the South. Why aren't you blaming Republicans for those states dependency on food stamps and federal dollars? You talk out of both ends and convenience to try to make cheap political arguments that can't be made.
New Mexico's high tech scene is dominated by Sandia and Los Alamos, but I fail to see how that's a bad thing. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Sandia National Labs is in the middle of hiring 1,900 more people in Albuquerque. Tech companies that have contracts with the government are expanding their operations in Albuquerque due to the many new contracts that are being given due to the modernization and maintenance of the nation's nuclear arsenal, most of which takes place at Sandia and on Kirtland Air Force Base.
Los Alamos is similar and many of its spinoffs find their way to expanding in Albuquerque since Los Alamos is rather small and not able to grow much due to its geographic limitations.
As I showed in my earlier posts, not all of New Mexico is quite so dire in terms of poverty, economy or jobs. Again, it's mostly the Indian reservations and disadvantaged rural areas that contribute to New Mexico's high numbers for poverty, etc.
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