2023 Phoenix Area Home Prices (Scottsdale, Chandler: restaurants, club, agriculture)

[locolife]

Originally Posted by singlegirlinaz

I and no one else I know have any reason to be in Downtown Phoenix, but maybe that would would change if it had more stuff to bring people there.

LA is a lot the same way, it has a big Downtown but residents and visitors alike would rather be somewhere else for things to do. It has multiple urban centers and I see Phoenix heading in that direction.

20-years ago this was accurate but it sounds like you don't go downtown much lately, it's fairly packed these days, especially on weekend nights of course. And there's a lot of reasons to go but if arts/culture/unique dining/coffee shops and such aren't really your thing then I an see why it's not a draw. It seems like more than a few people residents want to be downtown. There have been12,000 new housing units since 2000 and another 3,500 units under construction now.


First Fridays and Roosevelt Row in general
Suns/D'Baks games
Phoenix Art Museum
Heard Museum
AZ Science Center
Friendship Garden
Drunk Shakespere

Shows at Walter Studio, Van Buren, Lost Leaf, Crescent Ballroom, Orpheum, StandUp Live, Walter Studios, The Nash, Melinda's Alley (just to name a few)
Food scene is rocking, from Harumi to Sottisie, Pomo to Lom Wong. There's literally everything.
The coffee options are extremely underrated- from the local legends at Press to great outdoor patios like Songbird, no better places to sip and read.
Bar scene is great, most of the valley breweries have locations downtown now plus you've got the whole speak easy lineup.

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by Sno0909

Can you, or someone smarter than me, explain how Arizona could have a functional desalination plant? Wouldn't you need to be next to an ocean for that?

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

It would be a partnership with MX (Sea of Cortez in Puerto Peñasco or Rocky Point)
. https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2022...-first-hurdle/ It didn't pass.

The issue is the California Coastal Commission. It won't allow desalination plants along the coast of California. One hypothetical work-around is to bring salt water from the Sea of Cortez into the Imperial Valley of California, and use geothermal power there to power the desalination plant. Then, Imperial County & the rest of Southern California uses that clean water, taking less water from Lake Mead, thereby leaving more water to be drawn by Arizona, Nevada, and Native American Tribes.

[Slater]

20 years ago I could drive through downtown Phoenix on a Sunday and see almost no cars and no people. Looked deserted. I'm guessing that's not the case nowadays?

[singlegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by locolife

20-years ago this was accurate but it sounds like you don't go downtown much lately, it's fairly packed these days, especially on weekend nights of course. And there's a lot of reasons to go but if arts/culture/unique dining/coffee shops and such aren't really your thing then I an see why it's not a draw. It seems like more than a few people residents want to be downtown. There have been12,000 new housing units since 2000 and another 3,500 units under construction now.


First Fridays and Roosevelt Row in general
Suns/D'Baks games
Phoenix Art Museum
Heard Museum
AZ Science Center
Friendship Garden
Drunk Shakespere

Shows at Walter Studio, Van Buren, Lost Leaf, Crescent Ballroom, Orpheum, StandUp Live, Walter Studios, The Nash, Melinda's Alley (just to name a few)
Food scene is rocking, from Harumi to Sottisie, Pomo to Lom Wong. There's literally everything.
The coffee options are extremely underrated- from the local legends at Press to great outdoor patios like Songbird, no better places to sip and read.
Bar scene is great, most of the valley breweries have locations downtown now plus you've got the whole speak easy lineup.

It doesn't have an international district, Chinatown, ethnic areas or anything too notable that really stands out. A lot of other cities have these things.

Downtown has totally improved compared to when I moved here almost 30 years ago but it still has a ways to go.

I work at home and don't have much need to drive very far from my condo. Maybe I'd go to Downtown if it was more stimulating with a wider array of stuff to do.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by singlegirlinaz

It doesn't have an international district, Chinatown, ethnic areas or anything too notable that really stands out. A lot of other cities have these things.

Downtown has totally improved compared to when I moved here almost 30 years ago but it still has a ways to go.

I work at home and don't have much need to drive very far from my condo. Maybe I'd go to Downtown if it was more stimulating with a wider array of stuff to do.

Totally up to you if you want to go downtown or not but it's definitely the major urban center in the valley now and a big draw for residents. It wasn't that way 20 years ago.

There isn't specific international districts per se there are several international cultural amenities including the Japanese Friendship Garden and the Irish Cultural Center. Both of which host events. There's also an array of quality cuisine covering most flavors of food.

Other cities in the valley do not have the same array of things to do. Other large cities do but that's not what we're comparing here.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Slater

20 years ago I could drive through downtown Phoenix on a Sunday and see almost no cars and no people. Looked deserted. I'm guessing that's not the case nowadays?

Big difference but it's not going to look like times square on a summer Sunday afternoon, that's for sure. 20-years ago Roosevet Row barely existed. Now it looks like this, the closest series of tall buildings are all new in the last 10ish years or so. My own Photo.

[singlegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by locolife

Totally up to you if you want to go downtown or not but it's definitely the major urban center in the valley now and a big draw for residents. It wasn't that way 20 years ago.

There isn't specific international districts per se there are several international cultural amenities including the Japanese Friendship Garden and the Irish Cultural Center. Both of which host events. There's also an array of quality cuisine covering most flavors of food.

Other cities in the valley do not have the same array of things to do. Other large cities do but that's not what we're comparing here.

I'm part Chinese and I enjoy Asian culture. In LA you have international districts dedicated to Koreans, Chinese and other ethnic areas close to Downtown that aren't found here.

I used to enjoy Chinese Cultural Center even as kitschy as it was, we don't even have that anymore.

Downtown might be the valley's major urban center and I'm sure it has some interesting stuff that is better than having nothing at all, but it is missing some big things that other cities have.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Exactly. Golf courses are one of the highest beneficial (meaning economic return) uses of water. Without winter golf, the tourism industry would suffer immensely.
Agriculture too is important adding over 23 billion to the economy of the state. The choices are not simple.

I bet there will be a day when specific ultra-high water usage crops will be unable to farm. Take the pecans tree which consumes 34,000 gallons of water per year per tree https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/...ubs/az1400.pdf. Those 34,000 gallons produce a whopping 40 pounds annually. As I worked out the math in another thread, AZ pecans use up almost as much water as Tuscon (actually, 3/4 of Tuscon's annual water consumption). Additionally, farms can use 40% less water by using drip lines https://cm.azcentral.com/offers-reg/...uild=atoms-pid . As we both know, when push comes to shove, there is a lot that can be done about poor water choices. But golf courses that use recycled water won't be on the chopping block. though, I expect NEW golf courses might not happen in the future.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by moguldreamer

The issue is the California Coastal Commission. It won't allow desalination plants along the coast of California. One hypothetical work-around is to bring salt water from the Sea of Cortez into the Imperial Valley of California, and use geothermal power there to power the desalination plant. Then, Imperial County & the rest of Southern California uses that clean water, taking less water from Lake Mead, thereby leaving more water to be drawn by Arizona, Nevada, and Native American Tribes.

?? Look at the map where the Sea of Cortez is located.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by singlegirlinaz

I'm part Chinese and I enjoy Asian culture. In LA you have international districts dedicated to Koreans, Chinese and other ethnic areas close to Downtown that aren't found here.

I used to enjoy Chinese Cultural Center even as kitschy as it was, we don't even have that anymore.

Downtown might be the valley's major urban center and I'm sure it has some interesting stuff that is better than having nothing at all, but it is missing some big things that other cities have.

You mean to tell me that PHX doesn't have the same cultural options as mega-city LA?

What did you do at the Chinese Cultural Center? Suggest checking out MeKong Plaza and the rest of the businesses on Dobson Road in Mesa. They just announced a fairly large expansion earlier this year.

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/rest...dates-15294240