A few comments
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6/5/2006
Climate - It's the desert stupid! It's hot and dry. Actually, it would be drier, but all of the planted grass and trees raised the humidity. Of course, all the concrete creates a heat island, so it doesn't cool off as much at night in the summer.
Sprawl - Hey genius, how about buying a house that's not 20 miles from where you work! This happens in every city. People want the big house or like a particular neighborhood that's completely on the opposite side of town from where they work/go to school/etc. That's just stupid unless you like spending two hours of your day in the car. Even so, Phoenix may set the standard for sprawl. I think the metro area measures roughly 75 miles east-west by 40 miles north-south. It takes more that 10 minutes to fly over it!
Culture - You have to remember that Phoenix was less then 50,000 people up until the mid-60's when air conditioning was perfected. Phoenix has little history beyond that of the native americans. There have only been about 2 generations of true natives, so it will take time to develop culture and give the city it's own personality.
Steve | San Diego, CA