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And for many others, "I can more than afford to live in CA but it sucks on so many levels I want out!".
AZ and many other states are full of those types.
The endless number of laws & regulations (on the books & pending) are making it difficult for businesses to stay in CA, and they have a way of driving up the cost of basic essentials, which affects the average person. It's a trickle down effect. The high cost of gas and other things has made it very prohibitive for me to vacation in southern CA. I love San Diego, and that has been one of my annual summer destinations, but I'm skipping it this year because of the high costs (and the crowds).
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,678,071 times
Reputation: 9169
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valley Native
The endless number of laws & regulations (on the books & pending) are making it difficult for businesses to stay in CA, and they have a way of driving up the cost of basic essentials, which affects the average person. It's a trickle down effect. The high cost of gas and other things has made it very prohibitive for me to vacation in southern CA. I love San Diego, and that has been one of my annual summer destinations, but I'm skipping it this year because of the high costs (and the crowds).
Gas back in NY cost pretty much the same as it does in CA, I remember always paying 60-80 cents more per gallon both places compared to Phoenix, we just get cheap gas
I think what has hurt Phoenix is it's national political reputation in the last 10 years. We have become too conservative. There was a time we were a libertarian state which preached fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. In order to lure more Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, the state needs to do more to adopt the values these business people espouse. Highly educated people from the east coast and Silicon Valley are very liberal and our state's reputation hurts our recruiting efforts. Things we can do to help those efforts are to create state wide anti-discrimination laws against LGBT, improving education funding, improving access to healthcare, create more affordable sustainable urban living, and eliminating the anti-immigration rhetoric.
I read Troy Farah's article on VICE. It was a scathing review of Phoenix but surprisingly, he made some valid points. From a marketing standpoint, we really should stop trying to make everything beige and desert tones. We need to stop marketing ourselves as the Desert Disneyland and just market ourselves as a large modern metropolitan city. For example, at Skyharbor airport's Terminal 4 underwent a redesign but it still contained the kitsch desert themes by maintaining that ugly brown carpet and cheesy fake dark brown rock or boulder theme. Can our airport not look more modern with glass, and steel such as Chicago Ohare, or Houston Intercontinental or Orlando's airport. Just because we live in a desert, does everything need to have a desert theme or Kachina look? Would some color really hurt? Also, we need to stop building the cookie cutter tope homes with red roof tiles. That is incredibly unappealing to outsiders. Thankfully, central Phoenix is doing more to create more unique looking homes. Gilbert is also doing more to eliminate this trite image with its Morrison Ranch homes.
First off I would like to say that I agree with your first paragraph. Phoenix has definitely become too conservative. I don't think it really has anything to do with being right-leaning fiscally but the social conservatism is what is hurting us. Our reputation from keeping Arpaio around is what is destroying Maricopa County. And improving education funding whether we divert those funds from wherever will help us. If we just touch on social issues it should do the job. We need to improve our image towards minorities especially Latinos and improve education.
The second paragraph I have a couple issues with but agree with some points. I'll start off by saying I think we should be prioritizing the desert theme as a part of our uniqueness. There is a way to combine beige and desert tones with modern. In fact, google "desert modern" in images and you will see what I mean. This is a very appealing, "grown-up", classy, professional theme that we can capitalize on without getting rid of the desert thing. I think this will help our image. Lots of brown yes but still looks good with the right application. It's an interior design style (and architectural style too that looks good) that cannot be used in most of the country but it CAN be used here and it looks good. I do agree that Sky Harbor looks kinda tacky and boring. The best airport I have ever seen was in Seoul, it was very clean and modern-designed, lots of white and grey and lots of windows. Sky Harbor looks dark and drab and needs an interior facelift. And I 100% agree with the cookie cutter homes, they all look the same. We should be promoting a variety of lifestyles here in the Valley and this includes different appearing homes which will have different floor plans and probably different neighborhood layouts instead of replicating the same neighborhood a few times over. The developers in the valley are partially why we are having a hard time recruiting these people. They see how our housing inventory is the same but not what they want, the developers are too... "in the box" thinkers I guess I could say... to try to branch out to new markets and it hurts us as a whole.
If Phoenix really wants to be the "Silicon Desert" it needs a facelift. I'll be the one to stereotype here and say that these high-end IT people are generally creative. In order to make the apps they have and other things, they have to think out of the box. What do "out of the box" thinkers like? They appreciate creativity. Phoenix as a whole lacks any sort of innovation and you can sense that from the airplane flying in. Phoenix is probably the textbook definition of any normal city in this country. NYC, SF, Seattle... Not so much. What does Phoenix have to foster creativity? Think hard here. What would these liberal, usually Millennial-age, highly intelligent, IT people like and participate in? Then, what does Phoenix offer for this demographic? Phoenix barely offers anything good for Millennials (I say this as one) let alone liberal-leaning and those who are highly educated. These people aren't the ones who want to spend their time on Mill or Old Town every night, they'd probably like the hiking here but what else for them that they would be interested in? Phoenix is a big subject to "brain drain" and it's easy to see why.
Silicon Valley is as expensive as they get but it is still doing well because Silicon Valley can foster the environment these types of people like. The businesses locate there to attract the right employees. Phoenix has operated for a long time on fiscal conservative policies to attract businesses and that is something that DOES NOT WORK for the tech industry. Tech operates on the "follow where the employees go" mantra. And they aren't locating here for a reason as stated above. Instead of the employees following the business, the business follows the employees. People themselves don't seem to care as much about taxation policies if they can still have a good life in a place they like whereas businesses tend to choose solely on costs. Phoenix just doesn't provide the life these people want, it's that simple. And I doubt it ever will. Phoenix should try to focus on getting another industry.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,678,071 times
Reputation: 9169
Quote:
Originally Posted by :-D
First off I would like to say that I agree with your first paragraph. Phoenix has definitely become too conservative. I don't think it really has anything to do with being right-leaning fiscally but the social conservatism is what is hurting us. Our reputation from keeping Arpaio around is what is destroying Maricopa County. And improving education funding whether we divert those funds from wherever will help us. If we just touch on social issues it should do the job. We need to improve our image towards minorities especially Latinos and improve education.
The second paragraph I have a couple issues with but agree with some points. I'll start off by saying I think we should be prioritizing the desert theme as a part of our uniqueness. There is a way to combine beige and desert tones with modern. In fact, google "desert modern" in images and you will see what I mean. This is a very appealing, "grown-up", classy, professional theme that we can capitalize on without getting rid of the desert thing. I think this will help our image. Lots of brown yes but still looks good with the right application. It's an interior design style (and architectural style too that looks good) that cannot be used in most of the country but it CAN be used here and it looks good. I do agree that Sky Harbor looks kinda tacky and boring. The best airport I have ever seen was in Seoul, it was very clean and modern-designed, lots of white and grey and lots of windows. Sky Harbor looks dark and drab and needs an interior facelift. And I 100% agree with the cookie cutter homes, they all look the same. We should be promoting a variety of lifestyles here in the Valley and this includes different appearing homes which will have different floor plans and probably different neighborhood layouts instead of replicating the same neighborhood a few times over. The developers in the valley are partially why we are having a hard time recruiting these people. They see how our housing inventory is the same but not what they want, the developers are too... "in the box" thinkers I guess I could say... to try to branch out to new markets and it hurts us as a whole.
If Phoenix really wants to be the "Silicon Desert" it needs a facelift. I'll be the one to stereotype here and say that these high-end IT people are generally creative. In order to make the apps they have and other things, they have to think out of the box. What do "out of the box" thinkers like? They appreciate creativity. Phoenix as a whole lacks any sort of innovation and you can sense that from the airplane flying in. Phoenix is probably the textbook definition of any normal city in this country. NYC, SF, Seattle... Not so much. What does Phoenix have to foster creativity? Think hard here. What would these liberal, usually Millennial-age, highly intelligent, IT people like and participate in? Then, what does Phoenix offer for this demographic? Phoenix barely offers anything good for Millennials (I say this as one) let alone liberal-leaning and those who are highly educated. These people aren't the ones who want to spend their time on Mill or Old Town every night, they'd probably like the hiking here but what else for them that they would be interested in? Phoenix is a big subject to "brain drain" and it's easy to see why.
Silicon Valley is as expensive as they get but it is still doing well because Silicon Valley can foster the environment these types of people like. The businesses locate there to attract the right employees. Phoenix has operated for a long time on fiscal conservative policies to attract businesses and that is something that DOES NOT WORK for the tech industry. Tech operates on the "follow where the employees go" mantra. And they aren't locating here for a reason as stated above. Instead of the employees following the business, the business follows the employees. People themselves don't seem to care as much about taxation policies if they can still have a good life in a place they like whereas businesses tend to choose solely on costs. Phoenix just doesn't provide the life these people want, it's that simple. And I doubt it ever will. Phoenix should try to focus on getting another industry.
The right wing conservatism is what is causing me to plan my exodus (only staying til fiance finishes school, she is adamant about going to ASU
The right wing conservatism is what is causing me to plan my exodus (only staying til fiance finishes school, she is adamant about going to ASU
It's not that bad. I'm no guns and God guy, but Phoenix is pretty mild politically. State politics are downright stupid sometimes, but it's not unmanageable. My time in Tampa was a little different. There are even liberal nodes in places like Phoenix and Tempe.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,678,071 times
Reputation: 9169
Quote:
Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64
It's not that bad. I'm no guns and God guy, but Phoenix is pretty mild politically. State politics are downright stupid sometimes, but it's not unmanageable. My time in Tampa was a little different. There are even liberal nodes in places like Phoenix and Tempe.
I know, I live in the most liberal/democrat congressional district in the valley (Ruben Gallego's district/Ed Pastor's old district), but Arpaio is still "Sheriff For Life" and Ducey is still governor
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