Phoenix worse than Detroit in poll
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6/11/2007
I think a great answer to those who wonder where Phoenix ranks per quality
of life should refer to Sperling's ranking of the best cities to live, where
it comes in at 273. Not only is this lower than Detroit, but it is lower than
any major metro area in the US. For one of our major cities to rank so low
on that list, which places it on the level with such godawful snakepits as
Gary, Indiana which came in just two places behind it at 273, as well as
Youngstown, Ohio; Bakersfield; Biloxi(post-hurricane); and Hattiesburg, Mississipi is a sin.. The greater Phoenix area was outranked by Detroit, Jersey City, Toledo, Cleveland, and Newark. Actually, Newark outranked Phoenix by 12 places. This is insane. This tells us that something went horribly wrong during the boom in population in Phoenix the last 15-20 years. It grew too fast, too unregulated, too all over the place, and it became one of the nastiest living environments in the US, not even talking into account the scorching summers. This would be a major problem even if the weather was perfect all year. Its a matter of unplanned growth, too out of hand.
Greater Phoenix is a textbook example of what developers will do to an area
if given free reign. I'm in Austin now, and they are doing it out here too.
We are about 10 years behind Phoenix, on a smaller scale. Eventually we will
appoximate a giant TEMPE-MESA.
I strongly feel that people enmasse-think much like schools of Pigeons.
They all flock at once together to the same place to get those scraps, and just as quickly flock away enmasse to the next scrap. These hot SW cities
are just crumbs in the foreground in the guise of a Promised Land, just like Vegas. You go out there and find out the mirage was bunk, and you live in
a high-crime, gated, anonymous, road-rage filled, furnace-hot version of Dante's Inverno.
Yes, folks, Phoenix has turned into Hell on Earth, as evidenced by its ranking of 273 on Sperling's Quality-of-life list. It didn't have to be that
way, but the developers destroyed in 20 years what was once a beautiful city.
How could you possibly screw up a city with camelback mountain and breathtaking painted mountains everywhere? This could have been a desert showpiece, and they turned it into Hell.......
scott | South Holland, IL