Update me on Phoenix (Scottsdale, Tempe: condos, subdivision, places to live)

[Ezekiel]

Hey all.

I lived in Phoenix from 1991 until 2002, when circumstances outside my control led me to moving. I was peering through some of the threads and trying to get a feel for how things have changed, but you get such a skewed view of things with people alternately complaining unfairly about the city and those so far to other side they ignore or gloss over actual reality (I read one poster make a statement similar to "it gets warm for a few months." Really? I always considered Phoenix pretty darn hot.) Then it occurred to me to just ask.

I lived in Ahwatukee when I first moved to town, and then in the Gilbert area up until I left. I watched Gilbert go from cotton fields to subdivision. Last time I visited (January of '07) I noticed they had completed more freeway out on the east side.

So, what's it like there nowadays? I read a comment that Arizona Mills has gotten a bit sketchy. When I was last there, it was a pretty classy little place. In fact, I ran into Jerry Seinfeld at the Virgin Megastore the day he was to perform at the Improve. I try and keep up with the news and the weather, and talk with friends that still live there when I can, but I'd love to hear from people and their opinions on what's going on. What about the Baseline killers? I used to live off that road, on Baseline and Burk.

I'm considering one day moving back. Although I may never be able to convince my wife. She grew up there as well, and being a teenager in Phoenix was pretty rough.

Thanks for your time and thoughts.

[HX_Guy]

Arizona Mills and Metrocenter Mall have both gone down hill in a big way. In the early-mid 90s, they were both pretty nice.

[once-upon-chicago]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Arizona Mills and Metrocenter Mall have both gone down hill in a big way. In the early-mid 90s, they were both pretty nice.

I use to live right across the street from where AZ Mills went up. I believe it was brand spanking new in '97 or so so its really not that old. But its the area that it's in - by Guadalupe & S Phoenix. Traffic is a nighmare I haven't been there in about 5 years.

[AZ Tracy]

I believe Arizona Mills Mall has a curfew on the weekends - anyone under 18 years of age, needs to be accompanied by an adult after 6:00 p.m. This has probably helped the mall??

The Baseline killers weren't in Gilbert - it was Phoenix. Baseline and Burk is still a very nice area. In fact, just east of that, on Baseline and Val Vista, is the fairly new Dana Park - upscale shopping and restaurants.

You'd be amazed at the changes in Gilbert since you've been gone. With the opening of the 202 Freeway to the South, new stores and restaurants have been built all around it. San Tan Village is a brand new outdoor type mall - very nice.

BTW, it still gets plenty HOT here!

[Ezekiel]

Originally Posted by AZ Tracy

I believe Arizona Mills Mall has a curfew on the weekends - anyone under 18 years of age, needs to be accompanied by an adult after 6:00 p.m. This has probably helped the mall??

The Baseline killers weren't in Gilbert - it was Phoenix. Baseline and Burk is still a very nice area. In fact, just east of that, on Baseline and Val Vista, is the fairly new Dana Park - upscale shopping and restaurants.

You'd be amazed at the changes in Gilbert since you've been gone. With the opening of the 202 Freeway to the South, new stores and restaurants have been built all around it. San Tan Village is a brand new outdoor type mall - very nice.

BTW, it still gets plenty HOT here!

As far as the killers go, I remember it being in Phoenix, that's true. But you know how there isn't any real physical demarcation between cities in the greater metropolitan area. I can imagine it would still be scary to be out and about when that was going on. When I lived there, we had The Devil Dogs. Basically white, upper class suburban kids that drove around and assaulted people at random. A friend of mine was one of their victims, and his testimony put a couple of them away for a few years.

I never thought it would get to this point, but I miss the heat. Austin (where I live now) has decently warm summers (90s-105 and very humid), but then it has a winter. And while winter here is mild compared to places with snow, I've found that anything below 50 about kicks my butt. I never even owned a jacket before I moved here.

[AZ Tracy]

Originally Posted by Ezekiel

As far as the killers go, I remember it being in Phoenix, that's true. But you know how there isn't any real physical demarcation between cities in the greater metropolitan area. I can imagine it would still be scary to be out and about when that was going on. When I lived there, we had The Devil Dogs. Basically white, upper class suburban kids that drove around and assaulted people at random. A friend of mine was one of their victims, and his testimony put a couple of them away for a few years.

I never thought it would get to this point, but I miss the heat. Austin (where I live now) has decently warm summers (90s-105 and very humid), but then it has a winter. And while winter here is mild compared to places with snow, I've found that anything below 50 about kicks my butt. I never even owned a jacket before I moved here.

I remember the Devil Dog days. Gangs were at the all time high in Gilbert back then. Good for your friend for helping put them way.

Another thing that has changed since you left is the monsoon season. Remember how the monsoon season "officially" began when the dew point reached a certain point and maintained that point for 3 consecutive days? Well, now, our monsoon season "officially" begins on June 15th - every year!

[YAZ]

It's still one of the best places to live in the U.S.A.

[synapse]

[quote=Ezekiel;4069554]Hey all.

I lived in Phoenix from 1991 until 2002, when circumstances outside my control led me to moving. I was peering through some of the threads and trying to get a feel for how things have changed.

I think the biggest change is probably downtown Phoenix. The downtown area is actually starting to develop a city vibe - light rail stations are being built, a gigantic park is going in downtown with two large skyscrapers flanking it as well as a big public artwork, new skyscrapers have been built, and there's some "fill in" of the empty lots along 7th St. and 7th Avenue heading into downtown with new restaurants and shops. Gilbert has also become a lot larger and more developed as a suburb, and downtown Scottsdale is getting the same kind of "fill in" treatment as downtown Phoenix, perhaps even more so with the trees and walk along the canal there.

[Ezekiel]

I hope they do the mass transit in Phoenix right. I was just recently in Portland Oregon, and the downtown there has transit perfected. Trains, buses, trams, and the safest, easiest biking you could imagine. That could really make Phoenix nice.

Is Scottsdale getting dense? It might be one of the few areas I can convince my wife to move to. We're both from Gilbert, and I think bad adolescent experiences prevent her from ever going back there, regardless of how good a town it is.

I read somewhere that they changed the name of Squaw Peak? Does anybody actually call it by it's new name, or is it just a legal thing unrecognized by residents?

Is the desert still as beautiful as I remember?

[synapse]

Originally Posted by Ezekiel

I hope they do the mass transit in Phoenix right. I was just recently in Portland Oregon, and the downtown there has transit perfected. Trains, buses, trams, and the safest, easiest biking you could imagine. That could really make Phoenix nice.

Is Scottsdale getting dense? It might be one of the few areas I can convince my wife to move to. We're both from Gilbert, and I think bad adolescent experiences prevent her from ever going back there, regardless of how good a town it is.

I read somewhere that they changed the name of Squaw Peak? Does anybody actually call it by it's new name, or is it just a legal thing unrecognized by residents?

Is the desert still as beautiful as I remember?

I read somewhere - the Arizona Republic, I think - that the light rail system in Phoenix is based off Portland's system, and the new city park downtown is based off Millenium Park in Chicago, which is where Mayor Gordon is originally from. Those are two pretty good sources to use, if you ask me. You can kind of see it, with the light rail going right through the heart of downtown, and the civic space park downtown anchored by one, large, bean-like sculpture (although Phoenix's sculpture will eventually float above the park.) There's also a number of bike trails along the canals, though if you ask me, they could do a lot more with the canals.

Scottsdale isn't exactly dense, but it's certainly more walkable now - you can go from Fashion Square, across the canal through shops, down through the SouthBridge complex and into Old Town without much trouble. As Arizona goes, it's dense. Condos are going up, so there's some eight, nine, ten story buildings, which is also new. Same thing around Chase Field in downtown Phoenix and around Tempe Town Lake in Tempe.

Squaw Peak's name is now officially Piestewa Peak, and I've heard people refer to it by both. I think that's only because Piestewa is kind of hard to say; the support for naming it after her was pretty universal.

The desert is still beautiful if you like stark landscape. I'm plus-minus on it - I kind of miss trees - but it does have a certain beauty, yes.