Why does the US have huge cities in the desert?

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Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Phoenix, etc. I can understand part of the appeal (like Las Vegas), and it’s not like people haven’t lived in desert cities for millenia, but looking at them from Google Earth, they’re absolutely massive and sprawling. How can these places be viable to live in and grow so huge? What’s so appealing to them?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Can’t speak for all of the cities, but Albuquerque has actually been around for over 300 years (it’s 20 years younger than Philadelphia). The Rio Grande has supplied enough water for most of its existence, and it has been a trade crossroad throughout its history (El Camino Real, BNSF railroad, 2 US interstate highways) plus the military presence.

The water situation isn’t great, but it is in no way dire

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