Reasons Why Phoenix Is A Great Place To Live

I recently saw an article going around the inter-webs that was titled "Reasons Why Phoenix Is The Worst Place Ever" and it made me very angry. The author seemed like a very bitter, whiney person who, after saying he was a resident, continued to list some very inaccurate, bitter reasons why he disliked Phoenix. So I decided to turn the tables, and list some reasons why I love living here. I'll leave it to whoever reads this article to decide if they'd rather agree with the negativity of the other guy, or appreciate the great things we have in this beautiful place.




Don't be fooled though, by my positive outlook on Phoenix. Understand that, like many places, Phoenix has room to grow, improve, and get better. From the culture (which is growing) to the political landscape (which is changing), Phoenix, as a relatively young city, is constantly evolving and, in my opinion, improving.
The Weather
I know what you're thinking. "It's so hot!" Yeah, summers are triple-digit, my-car-is-an-oven, fry-an-egg-on-the-street infernos. But with enough hydration, the right clothing, and a little toughness, anyone can get used to it, and can learn to appreciate it. The truth is that the sky is always blue and the sun is always shining. We don't have to shovel snow, build tornado shelters, or worry about hurricanes. We don't have to reinforce our buildings to handle earthquakes and we don't have to worry about our city being swallowed by water. Our only "natural disasters" are some dainty wind storms, some monsoons, and an occasional haboob (ever seen Hidalgo? That scene with the giant wave of sand? That is a haboob). We have it good here in Phoenix and if you don't like standing in the heat, every building and car (well, most cars) have air conditioning.
Personally, I love the warmth of the sun and I like walking, biking, running, hiking, swimming and doing mostly anything out in it, even if it's 105 degrees outside. I got used to it; I adapted. Some people like wearing 47 articles of clothing to stay warm in 8 feet of snow, and although I hate the cold, I won't bash them for choosing that environment. The point is, if you live here, you can learn to tolerate our weather and you can appreciate the severe lack natural disasters.
The Landscape
This ties together with the weather nicely. Our landscape is beautiful. Our sunsets are perfect, every single night. Our mountains are short but they're gorgeous. Our desert is considered the wettest desert in the world (believe it or not) and when you compare it to other deserts like the Sahara, Kalahari, or Gobi, it is by far the greenest and most full of life. Just take a hike in the McDowell Mountains, or the San Tan Mountains, or the White Tanks, or the Superstitions and you'll get a sense of what I mean. There's life, there's sights, and it's amazing. I've seen deer, desert tortoise, lizards, eagles, hummingbirds, roadrunners, rattlesnakes (from afar), and a number of other beautiful creatures, many of them on one single hike. The mountains are marbled with stones of different colors and there is so much plant life, that if you're not on a trail, it's hard to get around. People think it's barren, but they aren't looking.
The gentleman who wrote the article opposing my viewpoints here mentioned that everything is beige, and I can't help but assume he's talking about the buildings and the houses. It's true, there are few neighborhoods in Phoenix that have different colored homes, but when you are looking at a beautiful landscape, sometimes it's nice having houses and buildings that blend a little with the natural environment. If you look at houses in a mountain town, they are almost always brown or dark brown and they blend with the trees and that looks nice. Respectfully, get over it, sir.
The Growing Culture
Culture can be defined as many things. It can be art, entrepreneurship, innovation, history, or even a shared pastime. New York, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Boston are good examples of cities that have a thriving and unique culture. But all those places started somewhere. All those places had to build their culture and find their uniqueness. New York City is 390 years old. Boston is 384 years old. San Francisco is 238 years old. Phoenix is only 153 years old. When people compare our city to these and many other cities, they are making an illogical comparison. So instead of whining about how we don't have the history (although people who whine about this are ignoring a vibrant Native American history), or culture, let's appreciate what we do have going for us:

• Business Insider ranked Phoenix as the #13 city in the country to launch a startup.
• In 2013, Entrepreneur.com ranked Arizona as a Top 10 state to start a business.
• In 2013, Kipplinger.com ranked Phoenix among the 10 best cities for new graduates.
• In 2012, Arizona was among Top 10 States in the US for clean energy and transportation jobs.
• Arizona ranks 3rd in the nation for solar installations and was nicknamed the "Solar Energy King" by Business Facilities.
• Phoenix has been ranked by Forbes as one of the Top 10 next big boomtowns in the US.

Authority Zero, Jimmy Eat World, the Gin Blossoms, the bass player from Megadeth, the lead singer of Linkin Park, Glen Campbell, Alice Cooper, Stevie Nicks, The Tubes, and The Format are just some of the famous musicians/bands to come out of Phoenix and its surrounding cities.

First Friday is an ever-growing cultural event that happens in Downtown Phoenix and it showcases local music, art and local businesses.

The Phoenix Zoo is ranked as the #4 zoo in the country and is the largest non-profit zoo in the country.

There are more, but that's all I have time to research right now. But from that list, you can see that Phoenix is a growing hub for small businesses, startups and the sustainability movement, home to many musicians and many actors (not listed), home to growing cultural events, and home to nationally recognized attractions. It may not be Boston with its historical monuments or New Orleans with its music scene, but it is growing and it's new, and that's what I like about it.
Activities
A lot of people claim that there is nothing to do in Phoenix, and they are right... if they stay in their houses and refuse to see how much there is to do.

• There are some GREAT lakes within an hour of any part of Phoenix. Lake Pleasant, Bartlett Lake, and Canyon Lake are awesome and their setting in the middle of the desert is truly unique.
• Phoenix is surrounded by mountains and even has some sitting right in the middle of it. The McDowell Mountains, Camelback Mountain, the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, Cave Creek Regional Park, the Superstition Mountains, the San Tan Mountains, South Mountain, Estrella Mountain Park, and the White Tank Mountains (just to name a few) can be reached from anywhere in the city and its surrounding municipalities in less than an hour. These mountains are riddled with trails, breathtaking views, beautiful plant and wildlife and an escape from civilization. You can get a workout, you can take an easy walk, or you can disappear into the mountains for hours, exploring and disconnecting from every day life. And there's always something new to see. I've run all over Phoenix's trails for over two years and I always experience something different.
• Breweries are popping up all over Phoenix. Four Peaks, San Tan, Papago, Desert Eagle, Old World, Phoenix Ale, Cartel, North Mountain, Peoria Artesian, and many more. The Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company was ranked the best new brewery in the WORLD by RateBeer.com in 2013.
• Our sports teams may not always do well, but we are fully stocked with them and there's always something happening.
• Special Events are in no short supply in Phoenix. Music festivals, beer festivals, pool parties, art exhibitions, Phoenix Symphony concerts, art fairs, food festivals, running events, plays and theatre events, comedy shows (well known and local).
• Camping is hard to do around Phoenix in the summer. But in the winter it's perfect. Oh and during the summer you can drive a couple hours north and find some AWESOME campsites, so there's still that.
• Despite everyone's complaining about Phoenix only having chain stores and chain restaurants and no local businesses to check out, this is simply not true. Those people just aren't looking in the right places. Phoenix has some incredible local restaurants, bars, stores and other businesses that are delightfully different. Believe it or not, the Applebees and Olive Gardens are losing their market to places like Brat Haus and Taco Haus, Cornish Pasty, Duck and Decanter, Matt's Big Breakfast, Lux Central, Postino, and Monti's. You just have to look in the right places and you can find the local eateries that will make you forget Applebee's forever (I seriously can't remember the last time I ate at Applebee's).

I'm going to go ahead and stop here.
Let's face it: Phoenix is awesome. It may not be awesome for everyone, I'll give you that. But it's awesome for me and I am thrilled to live here. I smile when I get in my car and my face feels like it's melting off (not even joking). I love the feeling of leaving a 55 degree movie theatre and getting hit by a wave of 105 degree air. I think it's funny when I run back inside when I accidentally leave the house without sunglasses or a hat on. But at the end of the day, after I've visited places that have snow and natural disasters and rain every damn day, I love getting off the airplane and feeling the warmth (or blistering heat, whatever you want to call it) of the Arizona sun on my skin. I love almost everything about this place and although I plan on traveling the world from top to bottom, I can imagine myself always calling this beautiful desert city my home.