Review of Phoenix, Arizona


One of the Best places in America
Star Rating - 8/15/2008
First of all don’t listen to the people with all of the broken family stories about how bad Phoenix is. The worst part of Phoenix is the West Valley because it is a lost cause; however the rest of the Metro area is great. The summers are hot here but everywhere has air-conditioning. People need to remember that Arizona is the youngest state in the continental US and therefore is still gathering cultural settings and infrastructure. If you are on a limited budget you can find a niche in Phoenix but if you are mid to upper-class you can really enjoy the city. There are casinos open 24 hours and the mountains to the north are only a 2 hour drive, the temps and the camping are great up there during summer. The location of Phoenix is unique because it is about 5 hours drive to both Los Angeles and Las Vegas. And anyone can tell you that California is a nice place to visit but a bad place to live. The weather outside of summer is addictive and is relaxing. Snow is abundant in the mountains of Arizona during winter usually. If you like to travel to Mexico it is only 4 hours away. The Phoenix airport has a Southwest airlines hub so plane tickets are usually cheap. The future of this city is so Hot that in the next century this city including Tucson will probably be the third or fourth largest metro area in America. The plan for downtown Phoenix is appealing if you enjoy urban life like New York and Chicago in the coming decades. My advice is to get in here while it’s still relatively cheap and you won’t be disappointed. Besides when you go on vacation from here, anywhere else is always cooler no matter where you might go.
jz | Gilbert, AZ
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1 Replies


You've got to be kidding me. You sound either like you're either retired or an out-of-touch baby boomer. So your opinion is that Phoenix is great because of its proximity to Vegas, L.A. and Mexico? Vegas and L.A. are both having the same problems as we are here. And Mexico is still a third-world mess, complete with declining oil production which feeds their government's tax base. You also mentioned 24 hour casinos, is that a positive? You know, I live within a 5-mile radius of two casinos here in Scottsdale and have never bothered to even stop inside one. In fact, I don't know a single person who go to either of those even once a month. You completely failed to mention what's wrong with Phoenix! Which is the following: absolutely terrible schools, overpriced low quality housing, mediocre service jobs and an infrastructure based on driving all over the place (which seems more like getting stuck in rush-hour traffic). I should also mention water and air quality, or the lack thereof. This city and its metro area will not hold up for two reasons. One, housing is going down in flames and might be as long as 2014 before a recovery. And housing has been Phoenix's biggest industry and employer. Also, energy prices have started to decline recently, but could spike back up at any time. Thus rendering the summer electric and automobile fuel bills far out of reach for the poor and middle class who are already struggling to make ends meet.
Dx | Scottsdale, AZ | Report Abuse
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