Phoenix is Not Philadelphia, and That’s Why I Live in Phoenix
Did you catch Phil Gordon’s letter to the editor on Friday’s online issue of the Philadelphia Daily News? The article begins by citing claims that had apparently run in an earlier issue:
IN A SHORT article accompanying your report that Phoenix had surpassed Philadelphia as the nation’s fifth largest city, Phoenix was described as lacking cultural history, having water problems, being unfriendly to gays and lesbians and, in order to grow, “cheating” by “swallowing up its suburbs.”
Then the Mayor goes on to shred this ignorant stereotype point by point. Like
The cultural history of Phoenix is long and rich. The Hohokams flourished here dating back to the 3rd century B.C. and developed an extensive irrigation system that made (and makes) the desert habitable. Modern political leaders like Sens. Carl Hayden and Barry Goldwater continued being good stewards of our water needs by envisioning and funding the Central Arizona Project Canal.Thanks to them and to so many other state and local leaders, we have a safe and assured water supply. Phoenix water regularly wins accolades for being both clean and healthy.
And
Tempe, Scottsdale and Glendale are also prospering. Phoenix hasn’t “swallowed” a square inch of any of them. We grow because 5,000 new residents move to Phoenix every month. That’s 60,000 every year and 600,000 between 10-year census reports. We don’t gerrymander people in. We pick them up at the airport.They come to Phoenix because the sun shines 350 days a year; our cost of living is favorable; we invest in our own community and rely on citizen involvement to move our community forward. Our council/manager form of government is responsive, stable and free of scandal.
Opportunities are abundant – Phoenix is a job machine. As a city, Phoenix creates more jobs every year than 45 states. We are building an economy on education, science and research, and we’re doing it quickly.
You should read his entire letter, because there’s more… I get so tired of people who don’t know better trying to hang the backwater town label on Phoenix, comparing us unfavorably with the cities that developed before the automobile. We’re a new city, unlike Boston or New York or Philadelphia or San Francisco or Seattle. Phoenix developed after the organic growth of the old U.S. cities resulted in zoning laws. Phoenix is a western city, where land seemed abundant — in infinite supply, when Phoenix was young, but the ocean-cities were already mature. A single county in a western state is almost the size of New England! Rather than depicting Phoenix’s growth as avarice, the author of that article, had he bothered to learn about Phoenix at all, might have realized that our vastness comes, simply, from having so much land! But obviously that isn’t what the census was measuring when it recognized Phoenix as having overtaken Philadelphia in size. The census was talking about population. The fact that size of yard per capita in Phoenix is significantly larger is yet another bonus of living here… another reason for people to move here!
Phoenix is a vibrant city, without natural disasters or bitterly cold weather. It’s a business-friendly city. Employers like to bring their businesses here, and people can get jobs here, live where the sun shines year round… and have large yards! We should stop worrying that we’re not like Philadelphia, or New York, or Seattle, or San Francisco. Let’s love what makes us Phoenix, because with their moving vans, people from all over the world are demonstrating that Phoenix is a place worthy of calling home.
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Cathleen: As a non-native Texan and son of a Philadelphian, I must smile at the jealousy of the east coast cities. Houston passed Philadelphia a few years ago, and is never mentioned in the national weather reports. The “ocean cities” are in a word, failing. Years of corruption and brain drain have taken these great cities to new lows. The decline will continue as folks abandon failure and move to the sunbelt. Every ten years the Congress will become more southern and the Yankees are beside themselves. They lose an electoral vote (and a congressman) and a Sunbelt state gains one. The 2010 election will probably see Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan less important to the national political scene as battleground states, and the political hacks of the unionized north are impotently watching the train wreck, without a means of stopping it.
Here in Houston, in the last boom, we had a U-Haul index of sorts which tabulated how many U-Hauls were coming to Houston vs leaving. They had to truck the empties back, because no one was outbound. It might be worth a call to UHaul in Phoenix to see if you have a similar situation, then email Philly and tell them that their congressman is Phoenix bound after the next census.
That’s OK, even Hank Hill is a non-native Texan
But seriously, I feel sorry for the old, 20th Century industrial cities. I’m originally from Cleveland, and when I lived there I appreciated that city more than most of my fellow Clevelanders. I didn’t know any other member of the Western Reserve Historical Society who was as young as I. I was proud of what Cleveland had once been, but didn’t see any future for me in what the city was becoming… not when year-round sunshine was beaconing!
And you’re right, Tom, it’s not just about the weather. The politics chased me away, too. Dennis Kucinich was mayor when I packed my bags to head west.
But I feel sorry for Phoenix, too, whenever its civic leaders get nostalgic and try to figure out how they can make this wonderful city more like the towns we all fled.
I live in the chicago area and went to school for firefighting. My family has many many ties to chicago fire department.I would never work for chicago even if it paid 100K a year. Theres one department and one city I want to work for and like to call home. Its phoenix. Ive been to phoenix many times and its a great city. Philly,cleveland,chicago are jealous of cities like phoenix and houston because they are better cities then the east coast. Phoenix just improves every year while corruption and poor government follow cities like chicago and philly.
Well come on out here, Doug! My parents and little sisters were the first in our family to move here from Cleveland. My father took an early retirement from the police force to head west, away from the snow and the agitation of the “big city.” I followed suit a few years later. Eventually, my mother’s three sisters, then their grown children, then my father’s brother’s family all made the move, too. Now here is where the Collins family calls home, with new generations having been born here and starting young families of their own.
I don’t know how I missed this! As a native of Philadelphia and a 13 year resident of Phoenix (before my current home in California), I offer this:
1- My last trip to Philly?- 2000
2- Phoenix? every 60 days
The vibrancy and open attitudes of the West pulled me from Philadelphia. Mayor Gordon’s letter is dead on when he points out the incorrect stereotypical comments levied at the NEW fifth largest city.
Think I’m unique? Ask Charles Barkley his opinion.