These are the 4 things locals miss most about metro Phoenix

Metro Phoenix has changed a lot in the past decades.

With all the change, it’s natural to feel a little nostalgic for the way things were before rapid development and growth really made its mark.

To reminisce on the good times, Arizonans took to Reddit to talk with each other about their favorite places and aspects of life in metro Phoenix that are no more. Many of the users attributed these changes to differences in weather, a huge increase in population and significant business development across the Valley.

Here’s four things these locals said they missed most from the good old days.

Smitty’s Grocery Store

Smitty’s was one of the original concepts of a superstore.

Smitty’s sold everything from groceries to clothing and even had a food court and offered oil changes. Concepts of a store like this aren’t so revolutionary now, but it was pretty cool back in the 1980s.

“Want some pancakes from a diner? Need your oil changed? Looking for a new pair of jeans? Need your film developed? Want to buy a TV? Want some Pizza? Grab your groceries and be sure to hit up the candy bar on the way out! Maybe grab a book and be sure to pick up your kid in the toy section! All of this in Smittys and more – what a great store,” said a Reddit commenter in an Arizona Smitty’s subreddit.

Sadly, Smitty’s changed a lot in the mid ’90s and was passed around by different owners between 1994 and 1999, eventually landing with Fred Meyer and Kroger’s after the two companies merged. Most of the Smitty’s were converted into Fry’s stores.

Citrus groves

What was once a booming economic community in Arizona has now become a much smaller industry.

When land was abundant and temperatures were lower, citrus groves used to cover huge swaths of earth.

“You could be 10 miles away from an orange grove and still smell oranges,” said one reddit commenter.

Citrus is one of the five C’s — along with cotton, cattle, copper and climate — that brought economic promise to Arizona. A scent that used to sweep metro-Phoenix neighborhoods has been replaced by housing developments.

The monsoon

One of the small and unusual perks of Arizona‘s miserable summer heat is monsoons.

The sweeping thunderstorm brings rain to the dry desert and prevents wildfires. Many Arizona redditors have fond memories of these summer monsoons, staying inside watching movies as the cool rain hit the hot asphalt.

However, due to climate change, Arizona has seen a major decline in rainfall during the monsoon season in past years. According to the National Weather Service, 2023 was the driest monsoon season in metro Phoenix since 1895. Just 0.15 inch of rain fell that season.

Yet that year wasn’t just a fluke; it seems there has been a decline in rainfall during the monsoon season for decades. From 1974 to 1994, the average rainfall during the monsoon season was 2.97 inches. In comparison, the average from 2000 to 2025 was 2.30 inches in metro Phoenix.

Mill Avenue

What was once the grim and gritty Arizona music scene is now a huge attraction.

Arizona redditors miss what Mill Avenue used to be, before the area turned into a revolving door of chain businesses. When the beloved Long Wong’s met its demise on Mill Avenue in 2004, some commenters said it felt like the end of an era.

Some of these iconic shops and music scenes withstood time, but as Tempe grew and rent skyrocketed, many had to shut down or relocate.

Time Out Lounge is still located on Mill Avenue and acts as a classic neighborhood dive bar. Although it’s not as popular as it was in its heyday, the bar has preserved the qualities fans loved the most: live music, arcade games and cheap booze.

Valley Art movie theatre has been on Mill Avenue since 1933, yet it has been closed since the height of COVID in 2020. The theatre has served the public for generations. The vintage building and neon gas lights serve as nostalgia for long-time valley residents, and the sign reading “Movies are forever, We’ll see you soon,” serves as a glimmer of hope that this Mill Avenue gem might one day come back.

Reporting by Paige Moore, Arizona Republic

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