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Voted for EV because it's where I live. Visit my friend in the WV and we hang around/in Glendale. I don't mind it. We even cruised W Indian School in Phoenix last weekend. I like Metro Phoenix in general.
3. It's gotten a bit better the past few yrs.
4. Two Apple stores. Both at 75th and Bell. One is in the mall and the other is across the street in Peoria.
I agree with most everything else you say.
It's about time! Arrowhead mall has gotten nicer. I remember when they got their Coach store, I was pretty impressed considering that mall had practically no upscale stores at that time. We would have drive to Kierland or Fashion Square when we lived in Arrowhead because they had no upscale shopping at that time.
What is interesting is the BCS National Championship Game is next week in Glendale but ESPN and the media set up in Scottsdale. I know West Gate is supposed to be this glorious scene but for whatever reason ESPN chose not to set up there. The same thing happened during the Super Bowl. Ane one criticism of our Superbowl is that it was too remote from the rest of the city which means people didn't want to stay in Glendale. During the Superbowl, Glendale's revenue fell considerably short of expectations because the attendees spent most of their money in other parts of the Valley. During the Superbowl and the previous NC game, the parties were held in Old Town Scottsdale and Tempe. Some of the hotels by the stadium had vacancies. So you can what people really think about the West Side. There is a reason they didn't hold the Maxim, Playboy and Heineken parties anywhere near the West Side.
Last edited by azriverfan.; 01-07-2011 at 01:22 AM..
What is interesting is the BCS National Championship Game is next week in Glendale but ESPN and the media set up in Scottsdale. I know West Gate is supposed to be this glorious scene but for whatever reason ESPN chose not to set up there.
I'm not a big "West Side" homer, still....it kind of pisses me off that all the the tv shows, teams, and everyone else parties in the E. Valley/Scottsdale. My cousin(from Iowa) was in the parade in Phoenix last week and did a bunch of stuff around UoP, yet stayed in Mesa???? My tax dollars funded all the these stadiums! It would be nice if all the sales tax $ etc. went to Glendale....maybe in 20yrs.? Damn you Scottsdale and Tempe.
I know they have been working on things that really haven't panned out because of the economy, more stuff in Westgate and an airport hub like Scottsdale,...still.
I'm not a big "West Side" homer, still....it kind of pisses me off that all the the tv shows, teams, and everyone else parties in the E. Valley. My tax dollars funded all the these stadiums! It would be nice if all the sales tax $ etc. went to Glendale....maybe in 20yrs.? Damn you Scottsdale and Tempe.
I know they have been working on things that really haven't panned out because of the economy, more stuff in Westgate and an airport hub like Scottsdale,...still.
Honestly, it pi$$es me off too. I mean that sincerely. We wouldn't even have NFL football if Glendale didn't come to the rescue. They deserve a lot of credit for that and it is annoying that they aren't getting the proper respect by having the media establish themselves there and the events being held there. Although I don't want to live on the West Side, I still think they deserve the rewards that come with the stadium.
7. Crime - My car insurance was hundreds of dollars more being in 85308 versus 85226. When I asked my agent why it costs so much more in this zip code and the answer was simple "CRIME" a lot more of it. There were a lot more auto thefts in 85308 which is considered an upscale area of the West Side. There was always crime in that area including the nice areas. If you watch the news, the shootings are almost always in or proximal to the West Side. That's not to say the East Valley doesn't have it's share of crime because it does but on a nightly basis, more often than not the crime is mostly concentrated on the West Side. There are more drop houses, and meth on the West Side than any area in the Valley.
I'll start with #7. Crime. Goodyear, Peoria and Mesa have identical crime rates. Tempe has a higher property crime rate than Mesa. Scottsdale has a higher property crime rate than Mesa, but lower violent crime rate. Chandler has a lower crime rate than Mesa. Surprise has a lower crime rate than Chandler. Gilbert, the lowest crime spot in the valley, has a lower crime rate than Surprise. Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Sun City, and Sun City West all have lower crime rates than Mesa. Litchfield Park has a lower crime rate than Chandler. Tempe and Glendale have identical crime rates.
Outside of Maryvale and Tolleson, there is not a significant difference in crime rates between the east and west valley.
Honestly, it pi$$es me off too. I mean that sincerely. We wouldn't even have NFL football if Glendale didn't come to the rescue. They deserve a lot of credit for that and it is annoying that they aren't getting the proper respect by having the media establish themselves there and the events being held there. Although I don't want to live on the West Side, I still think they deserve the rewards that come with the stadium.
The rewards will come. This is sort of analogous to the big eastern city vs Phoenix argument that those cities are older and therefore more established and that is why they have so much better city amenities than we do. The stadium was built on the eve of the worst economic downturn since the Depression. Give it time. The west valley is going to take off again - the west valley is the future of the metro area. Investment will flow into the Westgate area. Along with that will come the "rewards". In some ways it already has. Westgate has jobing.com and all the big concerts, Goodyear has grabbed two baseball teams from Florida. Surprise has lured others. There are a half dozen new hotels near the stadium and another half dozen new ones built within a few miles. Cabelas went up next door. The stadium and nearby development already have given a respectability to the west valley that did not exist before they went in.
Scottsdale has a pretty good head start and I think it will always maintain the lead in high end resorts and things. But there will be more to do in the Westgate area over time and it will be a solid entertainment district on its own.
Last edited by Ponderosa; 01-07-2011 at 07:31 AM..
From an outsiders prospective, I'll take the east valley for one reason. I'm an avid fisherman. Most of the lakes are on the east side.
For 3 years, I've been trying to sell my house in Oregon and for 3 years, I've been traveling to the Phoenix area checking out a nice place to find a home.
There is shopping and good restaraunts all over so what sold me was the access to all the good fishing.
I've looked all over the valley including Buckeye, Casa Grande and Maricopa. And while all the valley has some great perks, I found the east valley to my liking. Not just because of the proximity to the lakes, but the rural feel of the place where as the west valley feels more like a big city such as L.A. At least to me.
Frankly, I could live anywhere in the valley and be pretty happy but given a choice, I still like the east side. If there is something I want to do or see in the west valley, I'll take a drive but for my money, the east valley is the place to be.
I can't wait to have a double double with cheese at In-N-Out. lol We don't have those in Oregon.
What felt slow or less "big city" to me were the following
1. Younger Population - there is a significant number of Snowbirds on the West Side. I would know because I practice there once every two weeks. Being proximal to Sun City, Sun City West, Arrowhead and Surprise, it's definitely an older population
2. Less Educated Population - People seemed less educated, less well traveled and less exposed in general. Most of the technology and engineering jobs are in the East Valley. ASU is in the area. The University of Arizona is going to establish a campus in Chandler. In the West Side, we have family that are vegetarian and it always an issue ordering in the West Side because you could tell, they had little experience with vegetarians there. In the East Valley, they are much more accomodating to vegetarians and vegans.
I think it is funny that you mention these two back-to-back, as they seem contradictory. Unless "educated", "well traveled" and "exposed in general" only counts if you are under the age of 55....
However, while the majority of retirees seem to prefer the west valley, there are also plenty on the east side, as well. Also, Surprise, Goodyear and some of the other suburbs have a reputation of being "young family" towns. In any event, there is no significant difference in "average age" between the west valley or east valley.
As far as higher education on the west side, Grand Canyon University is technically west side. ASU has a west campus (ASU West). Midwestern University has a campus in Glendale. NAU has a west valley campus. UofA has a small presence out in Waddell. Franklin Pierce has a small campus in Goodyear (a larger one is planned in a few years). Wayland Baptist and Webster Universities have small campus on Luke AFB. DeVry, ITT Tech and University of Phoenix can all be found in the west side. Thunderbird School of Global Management, College of Humanities, Kaplan College, Carrington College, and College of America all have west valley campuses. Keller Graduate School of Management and Art Institute are also technically on the west side.
I can't comment on whether there are vegan restaurants or not....
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Originally Posted by azriverfan.
3. Lack of Choice of Restaurants and Upscale Restaurants - this was a big thing with me. There were some really good restaurants in the area but they were limited. We used to eat at Touch of Thai on 35th and Bell and that was good but the East Valley has a lot more Thai, Indian, Chinese, Korean and other ethnic restaurants which I like. There were not a lot of trendy restaurants in general. In the East Valley, there are too many to name. Chandler has a ton of Asian and ethnic restaurants. There are also a lot more mom n pop restaurants. There is no Benihana on the West Side.
There are tons and tons and tons of Restaurants on the west side of town. Five that I know of have been featured on The Food Network. However, if you're looking for "upscale restaurants", Scottsdale is the place to look.
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Originally Posted by azriverfan.
4. Lack of Upscale Shopping - There is little to any upscale shopping on the West Side. There is no Apple Store for example on the West Side but there are 3 in the East Valley. Arrowhead Mall pales in comparison to Chandler Mall and San Tan Village with regards to upscale stores. There was no Banana Republic, Sephora, Nordstrom or Anne Klein among other things. There are a lot more luxury car dealerships in the East Valley. There is no Audi dealership on the West Side for example.
There is some "upscale shopping" on the west side, but for the most part, Scottsdale, Biltmore, etc, are the places to go.
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Originally Posted by azriverfan.
5. No Upscale Nightlife - The East Valley has nice lounges, wine bars and upscale bars but you see little if any in the West Side. And until West Gate was completed, there was no night life in the West Side unless you considered going to a sports bar like McDuffies or Fox n the Hound night life. And even West Gate is more about touristy loud kind of bars.
Again, if you are looking for "upscale" Scottsdale is the place to go. Most people I know do not search out "upscale" dining, shopping or nightlife.
Quote:
Originally Posted by azriverfan.
5. University Setting/ASU - Tempe having ASU really provides an edge. Having the ammenities of a campus of one of the largest universities in the country in your backyard is huge with regards to events, restaurants, bars everything.
6. Better Schools - the public schools in Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe outclass anything on the west side.
Here's a list of the "Excelling Schools" in Phoenix metro. "Excelling" is the highest grade given to Arizona schools and is an indication of a great school.
You'll notice towns like Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe have plenty of schools on the list. But you may also notice Avondale, Buckeye, Glendale, Goodyear, Laveen, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Surprise, and Waddell are also on the list and pretty well represented, too.
In other words, east or west side, you can find plenty of great schools all across Phoenix metro. There are many on the east side. There are many on the west side.
The "east side has better schools" arguement is old and no longer valid.
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Damn you Scottsdale and Tempe.
