Why is Scottsdale in such total denial?

What really blows my mind is the sheer number of people who either post comments here or email me insisting that I'm wrong and tell me things like the following:

- Scottsdale has great schools
- Scottsdale is full of rich people
- Scottsdale is upscale
- Scottsdale is classy
- I "can't afford" to live in Scottsdale

I laugh because, of course, they are so damn ignorant to believe these things. For example, Scottsdale schools are good relative to the rest of Arizona, which ranks #50 in the nation - dead last - for quality of schools. So Scottsdale's schools suck too. They call Scottsdale expensive, which, again, is relative. It's pricier than much of Arizona, but is still dirt-cheap banal living compared to any desirable area in the US.

And on that subject, when I did a home search on the MLS in the Phoenix metro area, how come the first several pages of very expensive homes were in Phoenix (north-central, Biltmore, Arcadia), with Paradise Valley following those, and Scottsdale not even beginning to show up until several pages into the search results? I guess it's not expensive after all, even by Arizona standards.

Comments

[war_shu_duck]

Deciphering the Scottsdale speak

"Great schools"- You mainly hear this from real estate agents or see it in local real estate magazines. It does not mean the near by schools are turning out little Albert Einsteins. I think what it really means is there should not be too many minorities, children of illegal aliens, or budding young gang members in the near by schools.

"Rich"- Lets be honest here most of the people in this state are rubes and bumpkins who think they have finally arrived. To them a 30-50k a year job, buying a home, and having an entry level European sedan or an SUV is "rich".

"Upscale" I think when comparing it to areas like Maryvale sure you could call it upscale. The same could be said of El Paso when compared to Maryvale.lol No what certain parts of Scottsdale have going for it is that things are "new". Scottsdale like many of the other cities in the state destroys its history about every 20 years or so. I don't see examples of great architecture or the work of artisans. What I see in Scottsdale I would label as many new or remodeled structures.

"Classy"- For an area to be classy you have to have intelligent well mannered people in abundance not just a lot of new construction. Only 2 of those 3 can be found in Scottsdale.

Scottsdale is a place where anyone with decent credit and a 30k a year job can live. Membership is about as exclusive as a Fry's VIP card.

[raven]

war-shu-duck,

good one, on the Fry's VIP card....ROTFLMAO!

[Dean Kennedy]

As far as the schools go, there is one consideration to take into account when evaluating Arizona's schools. It is politically incorrect, so shield your eyes now if you are incapable of digesting politically incorrect thoughts. OK, here goes:

Arizona has a relatively large population of Mexicans and Indians, and education is not genearlly valued in Mexican and Indian households. Indians have been pandered to for so long by our beloved Federal government that they view the world as a big trough of taxpayer money and they need to get their fair share. Mexicans are here to do the jobs that the obese children of soulless, valueless Snottsdale "parents" won't do while they lounge on the couch and play guitar hero. A good friend of mine's wife is an elementary school teacher in a part of the valley with a large illegal alien population. The parents simply don't care about what the kids are doing in school... the teacher is simply a babysitter to watch the kids while the parents work the fields or whatever. Contrast this with California's relatively high percentage of Asian students. Poor Asians, rich Asians, generally makes no difference. Asians tend to be very education oriented. The sad part for poor Asian kids is that it's politically incorrect to be a poor Asian looking for a government help getting into a college. Those spots are reserved for the "truly needy" minorities, Asians are viewed by government worker hacks as privileged by definition.

Any responses, please deal in facts and check your political correctness emotions at the door. I've heard all of the insults I need to for a lifetime.