Why were settlements started in places like Vegas and Pheonix if they weren’t connected to a river that connected to the ocean like the Mississippi River for trade and had no viable farmland?

Question

Why were settlements started in places like Vegas and Pheonix if they weren’t connected to a river that connected to the ocean like the Mississippi River for trade and had no viable farmland?

In: 4650

Answer 1

Las Vegas actually means The Meadows in Spanish. It wasn’t a barren desert when it was settled but rather grasslands fed by natural springs (the Las Vegas Springs).

Phoenix is similar. It sits along the Salt River and that river created a pretty fertile valley that supported agriculture.

So yes, while these cities are massive metropolises bc of aqueducts etc, the premise that they didn’t have water or vegetation when they were settled isn’t true.