Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001
I'm not even sure I'd consider Tucson a second city in Arizona other than it literally being the second largest city and metro in the state. Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs (Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, etc) are so dominant politically that everything outside of Maricopa County is an afterthought.
I say this as someone who has lived in Arizona but outside of The Valley's sphere of influence for almost a decade.
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Tucson is a classic second city. It's big enough to be the clear second-most influential city in the state, but is easily outweighed by the biggest city. Look at Porto in Portugal, Thessaoloniki in Greece, and Akureyri in Iceland. All are the second-most influential cities in their countries, but are far outshadowed by the largest/capital cities.