Why Phoenix, AZ is more like Atlanta, Georgia than any city in Florida

[Pink Jazz]

I know many people default to comparisons to Florida due to the snowbird and retiree population, but I can make arguments why Phoenix, AZ is more like Atlanta than any city in Florida.

1. Both cities are mostly built around the automobile and have a vast network of roads and highways. For comparison, most major Florida cities (especially Miami) tend to be denser than Phoenix or Atlanta.
2. Both cities are known for their expansive suburban sprawl.
3. Both cities have a similar, laid-back lifestyle.
4. Both cities have a similar job market and economy, such as logistics, technology, and healthcare. For comparison, Florida's economy is mostly built around tourism, hospitality, entertainment, and cruises.

I think #1, #2, and especially #4 are far more important than the snowbird/retiree aspect.

 

[Tired]

I so dont understand these topics...

It would be the same to you if I said smth like:
Novi Sad and Niš are similar structurally and by the population, but Serbia went through different wars and part of it was under the Turkey. So NS wasn't, and because of if the dialect and architecture there are much different than, for example, in Vranje.

 

[Judge]

This reminds me of one peculiar aspect of both Phoenix and Atlanta. Perhaps Birmingham Alabama as well, though it is not their state capital.

How both cities' urban sprawl have expanded not concentrically, but rather in south to north direction. With their state capitals located at the southern end of their respective city.

Just look at both cities on a map.

What also amuses me is to consider an entertainment program like "Sim City" would likely skew such a city's ability to grow and prosper. Those who like to analyze patterns would probably deduce that to effectively score points and "win the game" seems largely based on creating a city in a concentric fashion.

Which isn't always possible depending on the local topography and revenue available to accomplish so much necessary man-made earth-moving. Resulting in a city evolving in whatever direction is most possible with fewer resources needed to accomplish what amounts to a complex infrastructure.

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

@Tired I am from the USA, but still don't have a personal opinion on how those cities compare. I've never been to the state of Florida or to the city of Phoenix. I remember my Mama and Grandma driving though the city of Atlanta like one time when I was very young.

 

[Judge]

@Tired I am from the USA, but still don't have a personal opinion on how those cities compare. I've never been to the state of Florida or to the city of Phoenix. I remember my Mama and Grandma driving though the city of Atlanta like one time when I was very young.

You have a good analytical mind, Faye. Look at both cities on a map and note the pattern.

I love maps...look at them nearly each and every day, apart from forms of pattern recognition. Oops, but then I also minored in geography as well. (Lots of instruction involving city planning).

Our nation has vastly different topography from one end to the other. However the hurdles involved in a city expanding over time can often involve the same fiscal concerns and resource limitations.

Sometimes I wonder if my OCD plays a part in this as well. Noticing most any city where its city hall or capitol is located not in the center of town. My mind always has a tough time dealing with anything asymmetrical.

 

[Dagan]

If driving there is anything like Atlanta, that's what matters most. Ugh.

 

[Pink Jazz]

If driving there is anything like Atlanta, that's what matters most. Ugh.

Both Phoenix and Atlanta are automobile-centric cities.

 

[Judge]

Both Phoenix and Atlanta are automobile-centric cities.

Doesn't surprise me given their urban sprawl is so confined going south to north. Not at all like a metropolis like Los Angeles where you have freeways going every direction in comparison.

A dynamic that makes negotiating traffic in Seattle most unpleasant at commuter hours as well.

Then again access in and out of San Francisco is never easy given topographical limitations based on the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, and the city being on the end of a long peninsula. When an accident on the Bay Bridge or Golden Gate can tie up traffic in an ugly way. Worse on other bridges like the San Mateo or Dumbarton bridges further to the south.

And all those Super Bowl tourists coming and going all the way south down that peninsula to the 49ers stadium...hope the game is worth it. If they're smart, they found lodging nowhere near "The City". Good reason to use their expansive subway system known as "BART". The only realistic way I could commute into The City for ten straight years.

Not to mention on a much smaller scale, the metropolitan Reno/Tahoe area...wedged between mountains in a high-altitude valley of its own, forcing urban sprawl going both north and south. Often complicating anyone with a commute coming from either extreme. With commuter hours here being anywhere from 3pm to 7pm.

 

[Dagan]

I meant that I can't stand driving in or even through Atlanta. The traffic starts at 2am and ends around 1am.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I have never been to Atlanta, but I've lived a few places in the South, and in the Desert Southwest.

One never says "but it's a dry heat" in the south.

One doesn't walk down the street in the cool of the evening, under trees hanging with vines, waving hello Mrs. this or that to everyone out enjoying the breeze in Phoenix.

 

[Aspychata]

That sounds like Honolulu, everybody including their grown kids, their parents, their dogs and cats all have cars, and drive from 3:00 AM straight to 1:00AM, every single day.

 

[Jeff T]

This reminds me of one peculiar aspect of both Phoenix and Atlanta. Perhaps Birmingham Alabama as well, though it is not their state capital.

How both cities' urban sprawl have expanded not concentrically, but rather in south to north direction. With their state capitals located at the southern end of their respective city.

Just look at both cities on a map.

What also amuses me is to consider an entertainment program like "Sim City" would likely skew such a city's ability to grow and prosper. Those who like to analyze patterns would probably deduce that to effectively score points and "win the game" seems largely based on creating a city in a concentric fashion.

Which isn't always possible depending on the local topography and revenue available to accomplish so much necessary man-made earth-moving. Resulting in a city evolving in whatever direction is most possible with fewer resources needed to accomplish what amounts to a complex infrastructure.

As a kid/guy who was obsessed with maps until recently, I too found it interesting how cities grow from the initial 'downtown' or oldest section. The Central Valley of California has a number of largish cities which are less constrained than the mountain and ocean bound metropolises of the coast. It's quite striking- many have grown many miles in one direction, while the opposite direction may have open fields a mere mile away from downtown. Bakersneck grew south towards LA, Visalia grew east-west along its highway, Fresno, Modesto, and Stockton grew north. Sacramento grew northeast into the foothills- probably due to the flooding the area has sustained. Chico grew north, too. In Nevada, Las Vegas sort of grew south in the direction of LA and Lake Mead, but it's not as pronounced.....

One thing I'd considered about this was how each metro area's 'psychology' applied..... California has a county line that divides the state into north and south. Bakersneck/ Kern County is in the southern part of the state, so it identified with and grew south. Visalia, just over the line in Tulare County, isn't sure of its 'identity' and didn't grow much north or south (it started as a confederate town so maybe that still has some input?). Fresno and all the others are in the north part of the state, and all grew northward......

 

[Dagan]

Ah, yes, the heat of the Soulful Southern States. The humidity that takes your breath away instead of any sights or such. You can actually cook an egg on the hood of your car (and then realize that ruins the paint). I've left cookie dough on a pan atop my dashboard, windows left up, all day. They actually cooked pretty well. I have stepped on tar patching a pothole that got gummy in our Summer heat once. You have to walk your dogs at Sunset, if even that at times.

 

[WildCat]

Same could be said for the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex except maybe #3, depends on who you ask though.

We're sort of halfway between Phoenix and Atlanta in an odd spot between what people call "the South" and where what people call "the West" starts to take shape.