Valley 101

Spotting people in Western attire going about their day is typical for Scottsdale. Pieces of public art featuring horses are spread throughout the city. In Old Town Scottsdale, the iconic sign of a cowboy with a lasso welcomes visitors. Western motifs and appreciation for horse culture saturate the city, whose official nickname is "The West's Most Western Town". It's even home to the world's largest Arabian horse show, at Westworld. Which begs the question: Is Scottsdale the horse capital of the Valley? Is it the most cowboy town in the metro area? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we explore the relationship between the city's increasingly cosmopolitan image and its old West history.