Seeing the hype about Phoenix earlier in this thread being the place to be reminds me of an article I saw. I don't agree with the tone of it (a little too much like the soapbox doomsayer) but it does highlight some major underlying structural weaknesses:
http://www.thenation.com/article/173346/could-phoenix-soon-become-uninhabitable
Is Phoenix really going to grow grow grow as it has in the past? What happens when it runs up against the water wall? What happens when it grows so much, it outpaces the growth of its power grid and people have to sit in their ovens, correction, their houses in a blackout? Those are not problems solved quickly, nor cheaply. Even sidestepping the entire climate change debate, just look to the Desert Southwest's climatological past. It skews towards being drier than it has been in the 20th century:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs117-03/
The period 1976–1998 was the wettest of the 20th century, broken only by the relatively short, intense drought of 1989.
Then there's something like this:
I don't see how central Arizona grows grows grows like it did in the mid-late 20th century. Demographers may say one thing, but area climate and resource availability say another thing.
About Columbus, yeah, it looks like a smart move on the NHL's part (one of the few). Even in 2000, Columbus was solidly in the top 50 markets in the US and it had no pro sports teams. Now, Cleveland may have been blocked by the Red Wings or Sabres potentially, but Cincinnati's support for the Reds & Bengals is below where it should be (Reds support is decent, but their new ballpark had a humiliating opening season in 2003. Better than some teams in other markets in the NFL & NHL. Bengals. Yeah I heard they came in 2nd when it came to football down there, with Ohio State coming in 1st), so Columbus seemed fairly smart. Maybe it was actually a stupid move that time itself bailed them out on. Who knows.
About Detroit, given its staggering fall, I'm surprised its teams haven't relocated to the suburbs. Only the Pistons are in the suburbs. Go figure. One would have assumed they would've been the last to leave. The decline doesn't seem to have hurt Tigers, Red Wings or Lions attendance. Are those areas safe (I've heard the Yankees play in a bad area but NYPD always provides good security for the ballpark and the walk to the nearest subway station) or are they in the few thriving (well, maybe just enduring) parts of Detroit?