Why do so many people want to leave the Phoenix Metro Area? (foreclosure, to buy)

[Woody01]

I am not a PHX resident, only visit a few times a year, so I'm not the best to opine on all this. Just curious though....does PHX have a proper 'downtown' ? Or a 'proper' Historic District?

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by Woody01

I am not a PHX resident, only visit a few times a year, so I'm not the best to opine on all this. Just curious though....does PHX have a proper 'downtown' ? Or a 'proper' Historic District?

That hasn't stopped you thus far! I still don't understand advocating for amenities on the outskirts of town, especially when you're apparently completely unfamiliar with the area.

It depends what you define as 'proper'. Roosevelt Row is a dense area of bars, restaurants, shops. It is BUSTLING! And growing rapidly. A mile south is the more traditional business district-type downtown, also growing. There are many residential historic districts.

[87112]

I went as a visitor once, I did not sense any kind of community or persona as a city. Its kind of like Denver, go there once and when you don't really need to see it again.

The only city with personality in the Southwest with a fairly big population is Albuquerque. There is just something about that place with its scenery and solitude.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

That hasn't stopped you thus far! I still don't understand advocating for amenities on the outskirts of town, especially when you're apparently completely unfamiliar with the area.

It depends what you define as 'proper'. Roosevelt Row is a dense area of bars, restaurants, shops. It is BUSTLING! And growing rapidly. A mile south is the more traditional business district-type downtown, also growing. There are many residential historic districts.

The southwest has two different types of historic districts. We have… historic districts, and then we have Barrios. Phoenix has both kinds.

The difference between them was when back in the days of segregation which one was white and which one was Latino. I think you can figure out which one was which. Phoenix’s historic barrios have mostly been bulldozed and left empty land or completely taken over by Sky Harbor and it’s numerous expansions, but in cities like Tucson you’ll often find their barrios to be well intact and even extremely expensive and highly desirable and thriving neighborhoods.

Phoenix does have one historic district that was uniquely African American (given that we don’t have a large African American population here) and that is Eastlake. However Eastlake is subject to losing some of its identity due to gentrification spillover from what’s happening in the neighboring Garfield historic district.

My honest opinion is that if a residential area can not be clearly defined as a certain set of boundaries with an agreed upon name, it’s not a neighborhood. For example my area says “Uptown Phoenix” but that’s a catch all because frankly I live in one of these areas. I live at 16th street and Camelback. My area has been referred to as the Biltmore, Midtown, Uptown, and North Central. To me anyone can make a solid argument to call my area Biltmore or Uptown and I wouldn’t refute it. I prefer Uptown because to me the Biltmore is east of the 51 but given that I could throw a rock and hit the freeway, Biltmore is super close by and it’s where I do most of my shopping, one could argue that it’s close enough.

We do have many traditionally defined neighborhoods even if it’s not mine. Ahwatukee and Maryvale are two of our largest ones, others include Sunnyslope, all the way down to our smaller districts like the Encanto, Coronado, FQ Story historic districts. Downtown itself is traditionally defined as south of McKinley, “in between the 7s” and “north of the train tracks”. Of course south of the train tracks are the Barrios, north of McKinley is the Roosevelt historic district, west of the “7s” is the Capitol Corridor, Oakland historic district and the Lower Grand Avenue historic arts district, east of the “7s” being the Garfield and Eastlake historic districts.

Phoenix having some traditionally defined neighborhoods is not enough to keep me vested here long term.

[Woody01]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

That hasn't stopped you thus far! I still don't understand advocating for amenities on the outskirts of town, especially when you're apparently completely unfamiliar with the area.

Sorry if I upset you ....but I was really suggesting that in ALL cities, it would be wiser (and cheaper) to put amenities like concert and sports complexes outside of the inner city. Just to facilitate parking if nothing else. IMHO.

I realized I was not savvy to the particular issues regarding PHX, hence my last post.

Next time I visit, where should I go to get a sense for 'Old' Phoenix, if there is such a thing.....?

Regards....

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by 87112

I went as a visitor once, I did not sense any kind of community or persona as a city. Its kind of like Denver, go there once and when you don't really need to see it again.

The only city with personality in the Southwest with a fairly big population is Albuquerque. There is just something about that place with its scenery and solitude.

"There is just something about that place with its scenery and solitude"....And crime. Lots of it! Check out their crime index. https://www.city-data.com/city/Albuq...ew-Mexico.html It finished 8th on this list krqe.com/news/latest-news/albuquerque-ranks-among-nations-top-10-most-dangerous-big-cities/

[Woody01]

Originally Posted by 87112

The only city with personality in the Southwest with a fairly big population is Albuquerque.

So not Santa Fe? Tucson? San Diego?

[wilberry]

Albuquerque ? home of the highest crime as in theft of everything? yes it can be a nice place , but it has a dark underbelly of tweakers , car theft , domestic abuse , drug labs way out in the outlying areas , oh yeah but the sunsets are incredible !

[capt chill]

My son daughter in law and my 3 and 6 Year old grand kids live in Albuquerque. Easy now. Yes those sunsets!! Yes an interesting Town. With its problems just like everywhere else.

[PhoenixInCentralArizona]

Phoenix is the best city in the Southwest and I will never move away. I want to stay here long term! I plan to buy a house here in a few years from now. I'm not into culture or arts. Phoenix is the best city to live in and to have a family in. Schools are good too, you just have to find the right district. Schools can be bad everywhere. So yeah, I'm gonna settle and have my career here. And the heat is not as bad as people say. You get very used to it.