In contemporary cities, there's an obvious advantage to being east of the city, which is that you face away from the sun on your commute in both the morning and the evening. It's not clear if this has made a difference in any American cities, but it's why residence of Sydney's western suburbs are called squinters.
Phoenix says hi. Their favored quarter is northeast to Scottsdale and there has been overall much more development to the east of the city, while the west is less affluent and has more seniors.
