Talk:Scottsdale, Arizona

message: This article claims that Scottsdale is a center of affluence and "high society" and yet the very same article cites very low median and per capita incomes, thereby contradicting itself. With a per capita income of $39,158, Scottsdale is middle-class at best and a long way from being "high society." This contradiction alone proves how highly biased this article is and serves to discredit the neutrality and validity of Wikipedia.(talk) 00:37, 7 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Affluence and High Society contradiction with income

message: I recently added some content which was removed by an editor.  I expected it to be removed, but found the editor being from Germany most unsavory.  Anyway, I added a tastefully constructed section title "perceptions outside the city".  In this section I mention the term "Scottsdale trash", which is a commonly heard term to refer to people who are either from Scottsdale or perceived to be.  I hear it most often in Flagstaff, which is where I live.  This usage comes from the obvious resentment to them and their attitude and their need to be noticed.  I also mentioned the recent real estate boom which many in Flag blame on "Scottsdale trash" like people. Have any of you ever heard or used this term?  Do you feel it is deserving, and may an article on it be in order, if not a section in the main Scottsdale page?-Jim
it doesn't matter where you live or what you "hear". wikipedia must only contain information from reliable sources (printed or whatever). If you can find an article that uses the term "scottsdale trash" then go ahead and source it.
imo an encyclopedic article doesn't need information about petty name-calling and resentment between American locals.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.251.204.24 (talk) 12:21, 3 September 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Scottsdale trash

message: Good work in moving the contents from Scottsdale, Ortolan88. I wasn't confident enough in my knowledge of the USA to do it myself! I'll put the bit you removed here on the Talk page, just in case anyone wants to debate it, although I will say straight away that I personally have no interest in seeing it put back. -- Oliver PEREIRA 02:16 Jan 26, 2003 (UTC)
:"Nicknamed Snotsdale by many, this area hosts a variety of businesses, such as Soccer Express, Neiman Marcus, Starbucks Coffee amd the John Casablancas Modeling and Acting School."
Yes, this is just a wee touch too sarcastic to be encyclopedic... Tkinias 02:56, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Something Else

message: My understanding is that Scottsdale's only nickname is "The West's Most Western Town," I've seen it on signs all over town. (See also: http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/historiczoning/arts.asp "The Chamber [of Commerce] proclaimed Scottsdale as the "West's Most Western Town" in 1947 ...") 
My understanding is that the nickname "Beverly Hills of the Desert" was initiated in an article in the New York Times.
In the areas of town section... my understanding is that most people refer to that area as Shea - Near Shea, just past Shea, take a left at Shea, etc.
I'm curious if anyone who lives in Scottsdale has ever heard anyone say "Central Scottsdale"? Old Town and South Scottsdale are not the same thing. Old Town is pretty much ONLY the shopping area near Scottsdale Rd, south of Indian School Rd.
South Scottsdale can refer to anything south of Shea - depending upon who is talking and how long they've lived here or what mood they're in. As any resident knows, that's the big joke - where "South Scottsdale" begins.
Anyhow, if you're a contributor - I'm sorry for my previously harsh comments on this page and appreciate your work creating this article.
: I did [not] right this article, but I'll agree that I've never heard someone who actually lived here say "Central Scottsdale"...there's no such thing. It's South Scottsdale and Old Town Scottsdale (shopping area) just like you said. If people want to get technical, North Scottsdale (Shea area) is [now] actually Central Scottsdale, (if you had to use the term) as N. Scottsdale starts roughly at Shea and goes up past Dynamite which is around 15 miles North of Shea. Talk about a drive. Nbbs 20:05, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Who wrote this page?

message: I was one of the original contributors to expansion of the Scottsdale page however long ago that was, much ado was made of the "Central Scottsdale" label (which was not mine actually, but I made edits under it), Shea Corridor is a far better descriptive name that fits with actual usage. And I think the most recent comment is right, where "South Scottsdale" begins is indeed a big joke, but geographically, the "center" of Scottsdale is just south of Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, which most would concede is "North Scottsdale." Bottom line - this article will change and morph just as the city's landscape does, as it is intended. And for the record, I've lived here for 23 years.
:I didn't see your post until I posted above, but you sir are correct. 24 years. :P Nbbs 20:19, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Shea Corridor change

message: Not so great wikipedia article. Seriously, if I had a dime for every time the Scottsdale was mentioned as the, "top x for something," or for how many celebrities are named as potentially living in Scottsdale, I could probably afford to live there! Most of these "top x" lists need references at best, and we should probably look at pruning some of them from the article a bit. I already inserted a few references in places, but that's just a start. Dr. Cash 06:01, 2 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Great travel brochure

message: * CNN Money Report on the Best Places to Live
The above listed article on CNNMoney lists Scottsdale as the number 7 best place to live in the U.S. This article appears to be a bit more than your typical editorial, as they also provide a good overview of statistics on the city and other information. It probably can be used as a reference to help improve this article, too. Dr. Cash 21:57, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Best Places in US to Live

message: Stupid idea. Should be noted that Scottsdale implements this sort of landscaping but doesn't realize its negative effects to the urban heat island, only the immediate positive effects of using less water.  Looks ugly too!
I contend that it is not ugly, except that I do not recommend falling on top of cacti.
Hopiakuta 01:43, 24 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Xeriscaping

message: This has not been accurate since prohibition of new horse corral construction.
Hopiakuta 01:43, 24 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: "[[West's Most Western Town]]"

message: article needs more of:
Scottsdale Community College is on the Pima Reservation, Salt_River_Pima-Maricopa_Indian_Community;
the school mascot[s] are pink, gold & green [& white] artichokes;
Pima;
Akimel_O%27odham;
< http://www.saltriver.pima-maricopa.nsn.us >;
Cave_Creek%2c_Arizona;
Carefree%2c_Arizona;
Tohono_O%27odham;
Papago;
Hopi;
Hopituh Sinom;
Fountain_Hills [ Fountain_Hill ];
Paradise_Valley%2c_Arizona [ township ];
Paradise_Valley District, northeast Phoenix%2c_Arizona;
Maricopa;
Piipaash.
Thank You.
hopiakuta 20:57, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Most of the above list are other cities in the Phoenix area, and not Scottsdale. Information about those other cities should be in their own city articles, not this one. The general neighborhood of Scottsdale is relevant, though, so linking to these other city articles would be fine. Dr. Cash 05:03, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: This

message: I started a new topic for it because people keep adding to it, and it should be if anything at the end of the history section because it is the most recent event and did come after the city was founded. —Preceding unsigned comment added by AndrewHorne (talk • contribs) 
:Section removed. WTF was that all about?! It was poorly-written, unencyclopedic, and looked more like a personal rant than a section in an encyclopedia. Dr. Cash 20:52, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I've added a few sentences, with a reference, to the 'economy' section on the TCE issue, and reverted Devawn's diatribe from the 'history' section again. A look at his edit history indicates that his only contributions to wikipedia are edits to this article and this issue. I suspect that Devawn is going to continue to attempt to use this wikipedia article as his personal soapbox with regard to this issue, though. Dr. Cash 19:38, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

text: I've moved and rewritten that section. It does not go at the beginning of the history section. Putting it there seems to tell me that someone is trying to promote their own issue, which not what wikipedia is for. The section was also written like a high school essay, so I have rewritten it and added proper references. Dr. Cash 21:56, 13 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Health Concerns

message: This is the most pro-Scottsdale site on the Internet. Sincerely, Mum!a —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.84.220.161 (talk) 05:17, 11 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed.  It's like reading a brochure entitled "The Awesomeness of Scottsdale." 96.227.147.168 (talk) 23:29, 20 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Wow, was this page written by Bill Scottsdale?

message: I removed the following paragraph from the lead section, as it is unsourced, and not very well written:
:"It should be noted that an additional 72,757 people have a Scottsdale mailing address but do not actually live in Scottsdale according the Census Bureau in 2000.  Interestingly, of all the cities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, it has the largest surplus of people with a mailing address to not actually live in the city.  More than half of these people live in the 85254 zip code, which is 90% Phoenix land.  Other people with Scottsdale mailing addresses may live in other smaller areas of east Phoenix, unincorporated Maricopa County, or the Salt River Indian Reservation."
''
If it is added back in, it needs a source. It also probably should not go in the lead, as it's really not all that important. Maybe put it under 'demographics', but not the lead. Dr. Cash 18:19, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: unsourced population info removed from lead

message: I added three items to the history portion.
1.  The parks in the Indian Bend Wash.  This was a defining part of the history of the city as it provided the first major differentiation among the nearby towns.  It was an achievement in its own right to build a park system in a wash, an untried idea at the time.  And it hopefully will preserve the idea for children reading it that there is sometimes a better way of doing things than the tried and true.  I recall their being a fight over the canal vs. parks, but I don't recall if it was decided by referendum or by the city council, so I left the wording the more ambiguous "voted by the city".
2.  The discussion of the McCormick Ranch/Scottsdale ranch being opened up for development following the addition of the parks shows the roots of the north/south scottsdale income disparity and the origins of the snobsdale nickname, while recognizing the first Talk Point about the monied portions of Scottsdale being somewhat of a nuveau riche issue.
3.  The annexation wars between Phoenix and Scottsdale, which was done only to show how the present day western boundary was arrived at.
I also added the sign law and fire department portions.  Although I can't attest to the progressive nature of the city government today, those ideas were also controversial at the time, and although the fire department privatization never took off, visitors may wonder about the color of the fire engines (I assume they are still yellow) and Scottsdale was a leader on the sign law (it was the first to take it to the supreme court, but I don't recall if it was the first to adopt the sign law).
I was born in South Scottsdale in 1961, went to Hohokam Elementary for K-8 and Coronado High for all four years, moving away in 1979.  I worked as a volunteer for the City Parks and Rec department in the 70s, so I was privy to the discussions regarding the parks and the development of the performing arts center.  I recall the 119 record heat day of 1970 clearly: my mom cracked an egg on the sidewalk to see if it would cook.  It sat there all afternoon but didn't actually cook, though it did sear the day in my memory.
The residents of the southern part of town were so poor in the 60s and 70s, that my high school counselor for colleges (who was the drivers ed teacher) actually berated me for daring to apply to Harvard and Stanford in 1978, telling me that "No one from this school ever got into schools like that: your dad has to donate a football field before they let you go there.  Your application fees are money down the drain."  I got in and the next year, my understanding is about half the school applied to Stanford - proof that I really was seen as kind of a goof off, and people figured if I could do it, anyone could.  —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Stanford1993guy (talk • contribs). 
It's important that the idea that a park system could really elevate a town should not be lost.  It is my hope that after all the editing (and removing) is said and done, that the idea that a park system could set in motion a change of a town from a modest income city to a rich one will be part of the history of the city.  If you had been around in the 60s, you'd realize how important the addition of the park system instead of an ugly canal really was, and the fact that it turned a sleepy, middle or lower income town into a much richer one was quite an accomplishment over the Army Corps, who really wanted to build the canal.  
I recall El Dorado park being built first, and almost immediately being flooded by the wash, which again flowed after yet another "99 year" storm (storms that were supposed to be so rare, they would only occur every 99 years).  I don't recall at the time whether the rest of the system had already been approved or whether the successful test of El Dorado park resulted in the rest of the park system being approved, but public support for the system was certainly enhanced when people saw how quickly after the wash flowed that El Dorado park could be restored. Stanford1993guy 17:54, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for adding this information. Although it's a bit long, a little paraphrasing and copyediting couldn't hurt. Also, it's unreferenced; wikipedia content must be verifiable. Could you provide a reference for where you got this info? You can find more information regarding citing sources and including inline citations in article text at WP:CITE. Thanks! Dr. Cash 21:56, 26 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Indian Bend Wash Parks/Performing Arts Center/McCormick Ranch added to history

message: "The nouveau riche that quickly filled these more expensive homes became the butt of many jokes and the source of the "Snottsdale" or "Snobbsdale" nickname: both made by the lower middle class residents remaining in south Scottsdale, and the "old money" residents of Paradise Valley and portions of Phoenix around Camelback Mountain who refused to move to Scottsdale, in spite of the relatively sparse recreational facilities of those areas."
I removed the last part because Im from Scottsdale and many residents here call it Snobsdale. Not just poorer people or old people. Please, that cant even be verified and is an insult anyway.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.238.83.35 (talk) 16:15, 3 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Not neutral or proven

message: Not sure but I think you have a link to the wrong George Washington Scott.  It's possible that there was more than one George Washington Scott in the U.S.  The time periods and locations don't match up.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.236.22.138 (talk) 00:18, 23 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: George Washington Scott

message: I've removed the 'old town' main section from the article. (a) It doesn't go into its own main section, as its a subsection of geography and cityscape. So it's placement as a main section is out of place and totally inappropriate and unacceptable. (b) The section is written like a tourist brochure and not an encyclopedia article. Too much flowery language. I've reproduced it here on the talk page to editors can work on incorporate the bits and pieces of notable information that might be remotely acceptable at putting into the article back in, into the appropriate places. Dr. Cash (talk) 18:38, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Old Town

message: I didn't write the original text that describes the traditional dwelling, but I can verify that it was there in the early 60s and as late as the mid sixties.  I recall it being sort of a hut.  However, I very clearly remember that they would put up an honest to goodness tee pee next to it sometimes.  I vagely remember horses being tied up to a hitching post near it as well.  Someone will inevitably put up a photo of it someday, and that will of course be an official verification.  However, I would not take that sentence down from the history of Scottsdale, as it was pretty clearly the last vestige of Indian history in Scottsdale city limits.  
The only Pharmacy in Scottsdale in those days was Margraff pharmacy near the tee pee.  One benefit of being sick as a little kid was that your mom would have to drive to the pharmacy and you got to see the tee pee.  The pharmacy caught fire in the late 60s or early 70s, and Mr. Margraff rushed into the building again and again to pick up boxes of paper files holding essentially the prescriptions for most of the town, which he then threw onto the sidewalk to save them from the fire.  He suffered mild burns or smoke inhalation and was taken to the hospital, so he was not able to immediately retrieve the files, so as people came to see view the burned building that day, piles of prescription files were still in crushed boxes on the ground.  That was dedication!Stanford1993guy (talk) 06:42, 22 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Traditional Dwelling on Hayden and Indian Bend

message: Article says that U.S. Army chaplain Winfield Scott purchased land in 1888 (twenty years after 1868 canal improvements) but links to a Winfield Scott who was an army General and died in 1866.  Which is correct? Wlindley (talk) 03:58, 4 December 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Namesake

message: Does anyone besides Eesticonsul think it useful for the article to list honorary consuls in Scottsdale? Plazak (talk) 14:02, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: I've removed the list of consulates from the page. Wikipedia is not a directory. Lots of cities have consulates. Los Angeles probably has quite a bit more than Scottsdale. The information is not relevant to the article. WTF? (talk) 16:01, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: I think that a list of actual working consulate offices would be useful, but a list of honorary consuls is a bit trivial. Plazak (talk) 16:04, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
thread_title: Honorary consuls?

message: And how was it rated B-class? This article is filled with so much garbage, unsourced bologna, and embellishments that it looks like it was written by Bristol Palin right before she moved in! Seriously. I would almost recommend mass deletion of most of this junk and starting over from scratch. WTF? (talk) 19:06, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Who wrote it? Check the page history and see for yourself. Other than "mass deletion", which seems fairly unlikely, would you care to make some suggestions to improve the article? - SummerPhD (talk) 22:02, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Too much garbage; I'm going to go thru the article line by line, and check where references are needed.  If no references forthcoming with then edit this lines out.Mwinog2777 (talk) 18:03, 31 March 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: who the hell wrote this article?

message: Hi.  I'm going through all the US Cities (as per List of United States cities by population) in an effort to provide some uniformity in structure.  Anyone have an issue with me restructuring this article as per Wikipedia:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline.  I won't be changing any content, merely the order.  Occasionally, I will also move a picture just to clean up spacing issues.  I've already gone through the top 20 or so on the above list, if you'd like to see how they turned out.  Thoughts?  Onel5969 (talk) 16:24, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Structure 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just added archive links to  on Scottsdale, Arizona. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add  after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add  to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
*Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20090727021549/http://www.eastvalleytribune.com:80/story/104382 to http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/104382
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.
Cheers.—cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 21:57, 27 February 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified 

message: There are several attractions within the city of Scottsdale. There is the newly built Great Wolf Lodge water park and hotel right off of the 101 freeway. The Talking Stick Resort is an attraction and a part of the Scottsdale night life with their 98,000 square feet casino https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_Stick_Resort. Within the same vicinity, you can see Butterfly Wonderland, OdySea Aquarium that holds over 30,000 animals in 2,000,000 gallons of water https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OdySea_Aquarium, iFly Zone and many shopping centers including Fashion Square, just north of Old Town Scottsdale. Fashion Square introduces Old Town Scottsdale being in the top 30 largest malls in the country and providing upscale shopping and luxury https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottsdale_Fashion_Square.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Trcasey1 (talk • contribs) 05:10, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Attractions 

message: There is so much wrong with this article, it's hard to know where to begin. The current dollar value of Winfield Scott's purchase is wrong. Many of the attractions listed as being in Scottsdale, including Talking Stick Resort, OdySea Aquarium, etc., are not in Scottsdale but rather on the abutting Indian reservation. The spire in North Scottsdale may have been inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, but was created decades after Wright's death. The city is now mostly land-locked, so its growth in size is nearly zero, not as suggested by the article. The phraseology is poor and not objective (the airpark became "a hotspot"). The article suggests the Salt River Valley is synonymous with "Valley of the Sun" which is incorrect. It says the airpark is destined to become the larges employment center by 2010 - now it's 2023 and that's still not true. Mention of religion is inaccurate. It says the Jokake Inn is still on the grounds of the Phoenician - wrong! The list of inaccuracies and poorly written areas goes on and on. 72.201.46.49 (talk) 17:35, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Mostly wrong 

message: It should be noted that Scottsdale had sundown laws. This is an important part of its history. Snowballbird (talk) 22:32, 6 December 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Sundown Town