Chicago-area native - thing I've noticed about downtown Phoenix

[Veritas Vincit]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

Probably more like ABQ but you’re not wrong. So what?

So what? The poster I was responding to appeared to complain about people seeking Phoenix out for its weather. It's silly because that's literally the main reason the city exists in its current shape and form. Maybe you don't like the way it has grown and developed, but without it it wouldn't have grown and developed at all. Why would you move to the Sonoran desert otherwise?

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Veritas Vincit

So what? The poster I was responding to appeared to complain about people seeking Phoenix out for its weather. It's silly because that's literally the main reason the city exists in its current shape and form. Maybe you don't like the way it has grown and developed, but without it it wouldn't have grown and developed at all. Why would you move to the Sonoran desert otherwise?

It grew and developed for other reasons besides sunshine. If Phoenix sustained itself on the weather/climate alone, it would probably be the size of Palm Springs, CA. My parents came here in the 1950s ... not because of the sunshine, but because my dad was offered a job at Motorola, which was a new state of the art company at the time. Another reason people moved here was due to it being more affordable than some other large cities. I was born & raised here, and I certainly reside here for other reasons besides the sun. In fact, I consider the constant sunshine to be more of a drawback than a benefit. If you lived here for any length of time, you'd know what I mean.

Moving to Phoenix strictly for the sunshine is about like moving to San Francisco for the fog, Seattle for the rain, or Buffalo for the snow. If I wanted to move somewhere mainly for the weather, I'd pick somewhere else besides Phoenix. My ideal location for year round climate is the CA coast, specifically San Diego area. Why don't I live there? Important reasons like cost of living, jobs, and family take precedence over less essential reasons like sunshine.

[Veritas Vincit]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

It grew and developed for other reasons besides sunshine. If Phoenix sustained itself on the weather/climate alone, it would probably be the size of Palm Springs, CA. My parents came here in the 1950s ... not because of the sunshine, but because my dad was offered a job at Motorola, which was a new state of the art company at the time. Another reason people moved here was due to it being more affordable than some other large cities. I was born & raised here, and I certainly reside here for other reasons besides the sun. In fact, I consider the constant sunshine to be more of a drawback than a benefit. If you lived here for any length of time, you'd know what I mean.

Moving to Phoenix strictly for the sunshine is about like moving to San Francisco for the fog, Seattle for the rain, or Buffalo for the snow. If I wanted to move somewhere mainly for the weather, I'd pick somewhere else besides Phoenix. My ideal location for year round climate is the CA coast, specifically San Diego area. Why don't I live there? Important reasons like cost of living, jobs, and family take precedence over less essential reasons like sunshine.

So why do you think Motorola - a company out of Chicago - built their new lab after WW2 in Phoenix and not Chicago or North Dakota?



Much of the science and tech presence in the Southwest stems from the favorable conditions - low humidity, lack of a bad freeze, clear skies.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Veritas Vincit

So why do you think Motorola - a company out of Chicago - built their new lab after WW2 in Phoenix and not Chicago or North Dakota?



Much of the science and tech presence in the Southwest stems from the favorable conditions - low humidity, lack of a bad freeze, clear skies.

It's a contributing factor, I won't deny that, but companies like Motorola located here because there was demand for those kinds of jobs. There has to be a certain skill set ... those jobs don't just pop up mainly because of better weather. If Phoenix was reliant on the climate for its growth, there would be few electronic/tech type of jobs, and most everybody would be working service level jobs. Anybody can work at McDonalds, but companies like Motorola, Honeywell, Intel, and even many financial firms depend on skills, talent, and education level of the employees for their job bases.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Veritas Vincit

So why do you think Motorola - a company out of Chicago - built their new lab after WW2 in Phoenix and not Chicago or North Dakota?

Motorola set up shop here because they had become a major defense contractor during WW2 and the Defense Department did not want them to be concentrated in one area. That explains why they didn't build additional facilities in Chicago. Can't speak to North Dakota.

[gliu953]

Phoenix weather beats many other cities but that's not why I moved here.
For me it was the job opportunities, major league sports, and good transportation options that beat out the mid-size city I came from.
Forget Chicago, I mean it's fine for anyone who likes living there but it's crowded, old, and a lot of violent crime.

[Chowhound]

It's sorta similar here in LA. They are trying to spruce up DTLA and are now actually having more things to do and after 5pm on a weekday downtown used to really be a dead at night.

I think LA and Phoenix both sorta suffer from the fact that it's such a spread out area. I was just in downtown Phoenix last month for work and I did see a bit of things going on, but not like a place like Chicago. I found Tempe Mill Ave to be much more fun and engaging than downtown Phoenix, the few times I've been in those areas. Tempe has a much larger population of young people for the obvious reasons.

Again, suburban sprawl is probably to blame for it and a lack of city planning is also to blame. Cities have to spend a bit of time luring developers to come in and invest in certain areas otherwise things don't always take off.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

It's sorta similar here in LA. They are trying to spruce up DTLA and are now actually having more things to do and after 5pm on a weekday downtown used to really be a dead at night.

I think LA and Phoenix both sorta suffer from the fact that it's such a spread out area. I was just in downtown Phoenix last month for work and I did see a bit of things going on, but not like a place like Chicago. I found Tempe Mill Ave to be much more fun and engaging than downtown Phoenix, the few times I've been in those areas. Tempe has a much larger population of young people for the obvious reasons.

Again, suburban sprawl is probably to blame for it and a lack of city planning is also to blame. Cities have to spend a bit of time luring developers to come in and invest in certain areas otherwise things don't always take off.

I remember the days when downtown L.A. was pretty much dead, and had very little to offer. There was a time when there were hardly any skyscrapers there, and the tallest building for many years was City Hall. You're correct that Phoenix and L.A. are somewhat similar as far as growth patterns & urbanization. Both cities grew immensely after WWII, focused mainly on outward development, and allowed the urban areas to deteriorate.

In recent years, there has been more of a demand for urban revitalization, infill, and vertical development in cities that are largely known for being horizontal. One reason L.A.'s downtown area became denser and taller was the city ran out of room to keep growing outward. Phoenix still has room for more sprawl, but more people are wanting to be centralized now than before.