Interesting. I've always seen Phoenix as a place where you spend most of your life indoors due to the heat. And it always has given me a "suburb" vibe when I've flown over it.
The heat is particularly miserable, and this from a guy that willingly moved to NC (hot and humid). What you call "suburban", I call "the epitome of urban sprawl" (same thing, I guess). Now that's not to say that there aren't a lot of other places in AZ I wouldn't mind living (hello, Sedona, got any jobs for me yet?), but Phoenix is not one of them.
Oh man... it's super suburban. Of course, if you've got a family and don't want neighbors breathing down on you from every direction, a proper suburban home here is totally affordable.
That said, if you like to play outside, it's a paradise. We've got thousands of acres of public land within reach, easily accessible and free to all.
Oh sure! There a nice places everywhere! I think we can both be jealous of folks who live in Boulder and whatnot.
I guess what I mean is this - we have several HUGE parks right in our urban area: South Mountain, the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, and the McDowell Mountain Preserve. If you like to hike, mountain bike, or trail run, we've got a great community of folks out there wandering around. (This time of year, at the crack of dawn.)
My SO was there for several years and vows never to return due, in equal measures, to the heat and the proximity to the pride, hate and ignorance side of america. (Not to suggest that the latter is a particularly or egregiously Arizonan problem)