How come AZ looks so new and well kept? (Phoenix: landscaping, construction)

[autism360]

Until air conditioning became common there was little in AZ so it is much newer than most other states, also the lack of rain,humidity and harsh winters allows structures to look new even when they are old. The lack of rain also means less insects which also helps. The exception are the older areas which were built with very little or no building codes and were meant to provide temporary housing for transient migrant farm workers during the seasonal harvests. These structures were turned into year round homes which look pretty rough and detract from the newer built areas 3 examples would be downtown Chandler area,the South Phoenix area and the Guadalupe area near Tempe.

[Goober13]

What areas are you driving in to find Arizona so clean and well kept? I have spent a lot of time in older cities such as the Twin Cities, San Francisco/Oakland, etc. I feel urban blight is a definite problem in many areas here as urban sprawl has caused many areas to be abandoned as people of privilege move to the next newer suburb.

We are not as old of a city as many in the industrial belt with 100+ year old buildings and harsh winter weather which with plowing and ice buildup requires many roads to need resurfacing every year.

The Phoenix area is seeing huge increases in the amount of poverty and people struggling, and this each person for him/herself pulling themselves up from their bootstraps mentality, when they have no boots, which is the mantra of red state America, to which Arizona is a part of, is causing lots of problems here. Houses are run down, and grass is allowed to die in many people's yards.

Comparing us to Chicago is another issue. Chicago is run by corporate Democrats who don't want to be Progressives and work for the people as much as they should because appealing to corporate donors is the leaders philosophy there. It is an old city with old buildings, social problems, and lots of misallocation when it comes to public spending.

How many of you realize that getting freeways built here was like pulling teeth. The land between Roosevelt and Mc Dowell that comprises I-10 today was acquired and slowly made into freeway was only done in the middle 80's. The 202 didn't exist until the 90's, the loop until the 2000's. Hwy 60 was built in the 70's, and only went as far as Country Club until the early 80's. The 51 was built in the 80's and only went as far as Shea until the middle to late 90's. 101 didn't exist until the 90's and wasn't completed until almost 2000. We were a city of surface street driving. That is why our freeways look newer. They are very new.

Arizona is a newer state, and also particularly in Phoenix, older historic buildings have been destroyed in favor of newer, but the blight this mindset causes is starting to show.

[madmmac]

The people (inmates) are very happy to take off their pinks and get into a reflective vest to clean the freeways.

[43north87west]

Because it is new and well kept, mostly.

But there are a few caveats. The area is newer than Chicago, and it doesn't have some of the legacy problems of Chicago (like ancient crumbling infrastructure). The weather isn't as hard on roads in the lower elevations. It is in the high country, though, and even the high country looks pretty well cared for.

Also, there are some run down areas, but so many areas of Phoenix have thoroughfares with homes backing up to them instead of facing them, so you have to go into neighborhoods to see crappy houses, instead of seeing them driving down the more major streets.

Other problems of the Chicago area are the moisture, which lets things grow like crazy. Just grooming public roadway right of ways is a nonstop job for crews during warmer months. They get overrun with weeds, go to seed, and look like crap. In Arizona, the lower vegetation looks much better in a lot of ways.

[Bungle]

The abundance of HOAs in the Phoenix area has a lot to do with how well kept the area looks.

[Ztonyg]

The freeways are good but were better maintained prior to the recession. There are some horrible portions of the Loop 101 in the NW valley (Between I-17 and Grand Ave). Grand Avenue is full of potholes and uneven surfacing. Much of the newer infrastructure that was built is starting to crumble and state leaders have cut most funding to maintain it.

[rosco917]

I have to just in here...I've visited AZ three times, in the last 5 years, and I'm also impressed by your lack of littering and cleanliness.
I live in a state (RI) that is filthy, trash and cups on the highways, cigarette butts everywhere, weeds growing along the freeway. Just a dirty little state. (and we're talking about a state, where the state and city workers are everywhere pilling up in the City Garages.)

In AZ. its just cleaner, it has to do with the citizens of Arizona I think, more than the newness of it. What ever your doing, keep it up.

[wit-nit]

How come AZ looks so new and well kept?
Because we're proud of what we have and most of us try to maintain it that way.
I've been in MN right now 2 weeks and what a difference in the roads compared to AZ. AZ is 100% better, they're smoother, wider, marked better and have better signage.
In MN so far in 2 weeks I've encountered probably 900 potholes, narrow freeways and high prices. Went to an auto shop today about front end alignment and he said that alignments were their number one business. There's been over 6 inches of rain in the past 10 days. Where's the sun they brag about.
Gas is averaging about $4.40 per gallon today and climbing. Cost of living is about 20% higher, ppty taxes are about double of AZ. They do have some friendly people and a lot of greenery. They brag of the land of 10,000 lakes, but it's more like 9800 ponds and the rest real lakes. Fishing is good. Lake contamination is bad, mussels galore.
Oh did I say I like AZ better...

[rosco917]

There are some horrible portions of the Loop 101 in the NW valley (Between I-17 and Grand Ave). Grand Avenue is full of potholes and uneven surfacing. Much of the newer infrastructure that was built is starting to crumble and state leaders have cut most funding to maintain it.

LOL you want to see bad roads...visit RI. Our infrastructure is rated last in the Country. We're called the "Pot Hole State" around here. 50% of our roads in need of resurfacing. We have pot holes that destroys your tire, rim and front end.
no no... your roads are exceptional.

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by shiphead

He just needs to visit Tucson or south of I-17

That was my first thought. I live in Tucson and not only are many roads in poor condition (considering the mildness of the winters) but many people allow their properties to deteriorate and littering is out of control. I salute the many volunteers who try to clean litter from the highways because they have a huge job. There's also a big problem with people using signs and cacti for target practice — from guns AND spraypaint.

Chicago, on the other hand, has weather extremes all year, making road maintenance very expensive and a losing battle. I've spent a lot of time in that city's northern suburbs and homes there are usually quite tidy, a big difference from Tucson homes in similar value brackets.