Is a western/cowboy vibe important to you as a resident? (Phoenix: movies, metro)

[Voebe]

Scottsdale is all worked up because of the drop in tourism due to covid, and having big discussions about what they can do, especially about Old Town. But they don't seem to have noticed that it's basically a tourist trap, and part of the problem is that no residents go there regularly.

Is that whole idea of promoting it as "western" a smart idea, or is it worn-out fakery? Does that cowboy image hold appeal for you?

[DetroitN8V]

Worn-out fakery. I’d be way more apt to avoid somewhere with some silly cowboy theme.

[Slater]

Still a few cowboys in Arizona, but you probably won't find many of them in Scottsdale.

[marinezac]

Not much western culture left anywhere in phoenix IMO lol not that there was much in the last 30 years

[john3232]

Is a western/cowboy vibe important to you as a resident?

I think it's fine for a place like Sedona where a number of famous Westerns were filmed. However, the Phx metro? No.

We can do without the worn-out fakery.

[Valley Native]

Mixed opinions. Scottsdale's Old Town has a historic western theme, and I see nothing wrong with having that as a tourist attraction, but the city itself shed that image long ago. If the drop in business is largely due to the theme, then I agree it's time to revamp it. There have been proposals to upgrade parts of Old Town for newer development, taller buildings, and the like, but the damn NIMBYs keep getting in the way.

[Maroon197]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

There have been proposals to upgrade parts of Old Town for newer development, taller buildings, and the like, but the damn NIMBYs keep getting in the way.

That's really what this is about. Scottsdale/developers want to build high rises like you see in tempe and phx and every time they try it gets shot down. Old West tourist gimmicks have nothing to do with anything.

[Bondurant]

Originally Posted by Voebe

Scottsdale is all worked up because of the drop in tourism due to covid, and having big discussions about what they can do, especially about Old Town. But they don't seem to have noticed that it's basically a tourist trap, and part of the problem is that no residents go there regularly.

Is that whole idea of promoting it as "western" a smart idea, or is it worn-out fakery? Does that cowboy image hold appeal for you?

How are you determining that Scottsdale is "worked up" and data do you have that suggests residents aren't frequenting Old Town?

[Prickly Pear]

I actively avoid the cowboy vibe, just like many southerners I know who avoid the hillbilly portions of their areas. Or swampbillies in Florida, usually the Florida men we see on the internet.

Some of the exurbs like Buckeye have kind of a claim in it (Buckeye holds some pretty big rodeos) so they kind of have a right to that look but then again I also avoid Buckeye as much as possible.

Scottsdale has never been a western town, but then again the Phoenix metro never really was, because our city is so new. Meanwhile cities like Tucson, Bisbee, Tombstone, Jerome, Prescott etc. as much older cities in this state actually have quite the history with that stuff and have a better claim to it. So them having a western or cowboy vibe doesn’t annoy me as much as it does here. Here in Phoenix it’s just very fake and seems like tourism or snowbird pandering rather than anything of substance. There it’s real because well… it is. Tucson has Old Tucson, where they filmed John Wayne movies for crying out loud. If that’s not Western I don’t know what is. The others also speak for themselves.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Mixed opinions. Scottsdale's Old Town has a historic western theme, and I see nothing wrong with having that as a tourist attraction, but the city itself shed that image long ago. If the drop in business is largely due to the theme, then I agree it's time to revamp it. There have been proposals to upgrade parts of Old Town for newer development, taller buildings, and the like, but the damn NIMBYs keep getting in the way.

It’s nice to see us agree on something every now and again.