For years Gilbert, Henderson NV, and a few other places swapped being named the fastest growing cities in the nation. Each year there were two elementary schools, and one Jr high opened and a new high school every three years. The desert kept disappearing to the east and south. The Highway extended to Alma School when we arrived and very shortly nine more exits where they built the next major mall, Superstition Springs. We enjoyed the opening of that whole area, and now it is showing serious aging signs.
Things you don't expect are the constant upgrading of infrastructure, we never had a season without detours for road widening, and when the streets would get four lanes, people started speeding and killing each other all over town.
I was not prepared for the effects of high walls around the sub divisions. Each lot was divided by a six ft wall, and it made for non existent neighborliness. In our first home we listened to people playing and swimming on all sides and never got to know anyone except those on either side and across the street.
I was not prepared for totally horizontal and vertical streets, a total grid, and even when you began to know the street you could not remember the corner your office or store was on. We still struggle with this.
I was not prepared for the winter inversion. We are surrounded by mountains and the smog gets trapped under the canopy and at times it is as bad as LA.
However, my dream of big city life was totally rewarded. Golf Tournaments to watch, big time stars like Neil Diamond, Bocelli, Buble. Huge Broadway Plays like Phantom and Lion King and Les Miserables. Mountains and Lakes, The Grand Canyon, and San Diego just five hours away. The shirtsleeve weather 10 months of the year.
And the lie, the big lie we all keep passing on......"ITS A DRY HEAT"
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