How would you describe Phoenix to someone who has never visited? (Douglas: condominium, theater)

[EscAlaMike]

It's very "corporate" feeling. Very "American" in the blandest sense possible.

It's a giant suburb.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by EscAlaMike

It's very "corporate" feeling.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by EscAlaMike

It's very "corporate" feeling. Very "American" in the blandest sense possible.

It's a giant suburb.

I get what you’re saying as that’s exactly how I describe Dallas. It’s like a gray cubicle. Phoenix has some uniqueness to it though, so I disagree. The cacti, beautiful sunsets, mountain views, outdoor recreation, etc.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Our traffic is NOTHING like Southern California. We just have fewer choices of freeways to get to a certain destination.

Traffic in general flows pretty smoothly here outside of rush hour, and I attribute this largely to our lack of inclement weather conditions, efficient grid system, and wide streets/freeways. HOWEVER: when there's even a minor accident, a sea of brake lights emerge, and the traffic flow seemingly grinds to a halt because of all the gawkers. Throw in a major accident, and the entire freeway is shut down. Then there are the countless weekends when our wonderful department of transportation decides to close entire sections of freeways, which gives us even fewer choices.

So yes, our traffic overall isn't bad compared to L.A. But as another poster stated, L.A. is a huge metro area that has over 18 million people, compared with just under 5 million in Phoenix. I've never experienced heavy traffic in San Diego, except around the beaches. Here again, there's a noticeable population difference: much smaller than L.A., and somewhat smaller than Phoenix. San Diego also has a pretty efficient freeway system, which certainly helps.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

I get what you’re saying as that’s exactly how I describe Dallas. It’s like a gray cubicle. Phoenix has some uniqueness to it though, so I disagree. The cacti, beautiful sunsets, mountain views, outdoor recreation, etc.

I could have understood his point and connected the dots if he said Dallas has a "corporate feeling". Because DT Dallas has almost no character and is full of more modern-looking glass buildings (a.k.a. bland). Meh. Much like Vancouver, BC which is pushed even further towards that vibe. And even more of a bustling city. DT Vancouver has no life during the weekends and holidays.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Traffic in general flows pretty smoothly here outside of rush hour, and I attribute this largely to our lack of inclement weather conditions, efficient grid system, and wide streets/freeways. HOWEVER: when there's even a minor accident, a sea of brake lights emerge, and the traffic flow seemingly grinds to a halt because of all the gawkers. Throw in a major accident, and the entire freeway is shut down.

During rush hour, you just described any major metro highway. Though generally, traffic still moves slowly if you get several lanes away from the accident.

Originally Posted by Valley Native

So yes, our traffic overall isn't bad compared to L.A. But as another poster stated, L.A. is a huge metro area that has over 18 million people, compared with just under 5 million in Phoenix.

LA Country is home to 10M people. Orange County is 3.2 million. How did you come up with 18 million? Whatever the reason, there is absolutely no comparison as LA has multiple times worse rush hours. That was Kurt's point.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

LA Country is home to 10M people. Orange County is 3.2 million. How did you come up with 18 million? Whatever the reason, there is absolutely no comparison as LA has multiple times worse rush hours. That was Kurt's point.

The larger "combined statistical area" includes Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties in addition to Los Angeles and Orange. Personally, I see Orange as its own area.

[john3232]

One thing I have noticed in Chandler is the access to the 202 has greatly improved. From Mesa I take the 202 and exit at Val Vista. Then drive straight until I reach Basha High school which is 4.5 mile away. I bought rental property in that area in 2011 and reaching the 202 was a major drawback. There was only one road going to and from the freeway. Much of the area at the time appeared to be farm land.

In recent years new housing developments have been built and last year two more lanes were added on each side of the road. Reaching the 202 from my rental property is much faster today. You can drive that 4.5 mile stretch going 40-45 miles an hour. (Although to be honest I've not driven it recently during rush hour. Only off hours which were also slow a few years back.)

[pathrunner]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

The larger "combined statistical area" includes Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties in addition to Los Angeles and Orange. Personally, I see Orange as its own area.

Huh? Orange County is part of the sprawl.

Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties are all further away than Orange County.

[Natnasci]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

I could have understood his point and connected the dots if he said Dallas has a "corporate feeling". Because DT Dallas has almost no character and is full of more modern-looking glass buildings (a.k.a. bland). Meh. Much like Vancouver, BC which is pushed even further towards that vibe. And even more of a bustling city. DT Vancouver has no life during the weekends and holidays.

DT Vancouver has the highest density of any city in Canada. It's busy on weekends, especially holidays.

There are just too many people living there to give it a dead vibe.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/down...res-statistics