A city in serious decline; Phoenix was built with
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5/27/2008
Well, I have a few things to say about Phoenix, its metro area and the people that live there. I really don't mind the weather, except in July and August the heat really brings out the worst side of its inhabitants.
The interesting feature of Phoenix is that it's a city built solely on growth. Which means all of the people moving here are needed for the city to progress forward. Why? More houses being built, houses being sold, utility lines put into place, etc. So what happens when housing is no longer affordable, and the city stops growing? Well, you don't need as many real estate agents for one, and all the services needed to maintain a house such as pool guy, lawn care, etc. Also you no longer have people moving here to work white-collar corporate jobs either. And unfortunately the kids coming out of the glorified high school known as ASU are not the kind of people you'd trust running your business/corporation. Sidenote: ASU is only growing in order to enroll more out-of-state students at a tuition 2x higher than in-state.
Regrettably, most Phoenicians are either too stupid or self-absorbed to even notice a lot of the problems in their city. STDs are quite common, and Maricopa County has a top-10 divorce rate and the worst identity theft crisis in the US. There's seething racism that is waiting to boil over, probably due to Sheriff Joe and the pursuit of the illegal workforce. Violent crime and robberies are also concerns. The drivers here are insane; traffic's terrible during rush hour on the 101, 202, 10 and 51. Sometimes you hear about the car accidents on tv and think, "Did that really happen?" I would not want to raise a family here.
In summary, I've covered a lot of the negatives here in Phoenix. The good news are there's quite a bit to do besides get drunk at the local stripmall. You do have to search these things out however. I think the most down-to-earth people here will be on the West and North sides of town. I live in Scottsdale, which a lot of people despise, but it's definitely better than Tempe which has obnoxious college kids and terrible weekend traffic.
I'd strongly think twice about Phoenix if the cost of gasoline and electricity continue to increase. Both could deal a serious blow to the quality of life in the Valley of the Sun, which was essentially built on cheap energy and housing.
Dx | Phoenix, AZ