posted on February 22, 2006 11:00:34 AM new
I've seen you mention Phoenix a number of times and so I need a critique.
I have no reason to stay in Denver and have done San Diego so see no need to go back. My pick is between Vegas and Phoenix. I like Vegas but I do get bored with casinos and it seems that their idea oif Downtown life is not really what I am looking at. I am leaning towards Phoenix right now but I need to know the dirt. What are the negatives other than the heat. What are the positives?
I'm planing on going this weekend and then for about 10 days in mid march to check out living situations - other than downtown (which is where I will probably look at first) where else should I look? I probably need a loft or a small house since I am looking at also buying a glass kiln when I move and need to make sure I have a place where I don't set the floor on fire
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Never ask what sort if computer a guy drives. If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him? - Tom Clancy
posted on February 23, 2006 05:27:06 AM new
I get to phx maybe two times a year, but I have lots of family there. "Downtown" is turning slowly into an actual downtown, with lots of gentrification going on. The city's sprawl began in the 50's, with everyone moving out towards the edges of town and strip malls replacing the downtown core. That's still happening, sadly. The farmlands that used to surround phx are being gobbled up at a frightening pace. Although it's flattened some with rising interest rates, property everywhere in AZ is still a seller's market. Everything's high. Not CA high mind you, but still...realtors I know still conduct most of their sales as bidding wars rather than discount sales.
Hope you don't mind driving. You can spend two full hours driving across the valley and only cover about 40 miles. Phx' freeway system is an overloaded joke and ADOT has announced that they will not begin any major construction on the city freeway connections until 2012. 24 hour rush hour.
My favorite parts of phx are the downtown area, and also Tempe, where ASU is located. Old tempe near the U is still a walkable town, with lots of cultural type stuff going on. Pricey, as most university towns tend to be.
For the long term, phx. has one insurmountable issue staring it right in the face: WATER...there isn't enough, and there isn't going to ever be enough. The kind of short term gain seeking development that continues apace there is eventually going to cause a real, permanent, serious water emergency. I can forsee a huge contraction in phx' population, and financial ruin for lots of folks in 20 years or less. The problem is, in Phoenix, everybody's from somewhere else, and they really cannot fathom just how little water there really is. When you see the pretty green lawns and all the sparkling pools and artificial lakes, it looks like everything must be OK. It's not.
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