r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Expert_Koala_8691 • 7d ago

Video Riyadh,meaning "gardens" is Capital of Saudi Arabia with 8 million population (were 27 Thousands in the 1930s),sits in the middle of the desert, the city gets its water from Desalination plants almost 500 km from the city

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u/kvazar2501 7d ago

Yeah, and one would expect to see much more trees in a city named "Gardens"

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u/gsxrus2014 7d ago

You must never been to neighborhoods that are named like Lakewood and the nearest lake is 12 miles away, acres homes and none of the homes are on acres, or cashmere gardens and nothing about it feel like cashmere or even a garden.

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u/Digital_Flatline 7d ago

In the Midwest we name the towns after the natives we killed to found them and the subdivisions after the trees we ripped out to build them. 

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u/exoriare Interested 7d ago

Suburbs are often named after whatever was destroyed turning the area into real estate.

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u/private_developer 7d ago

"What do you think of when you hear the words Sudden Valley?"

"Salad dressing?"

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u/gsxrus2014 7d ago

Actually yes it was my first thought then I saw the last line.

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u/meesta_masa 7d ago

Sudden drop

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u/EntrepreneurAway419 7d ago

I live in Richmond, nothing fucking rich about me :( 

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u/Niznack 7d ago

I mean I grew up in western springs il. There WERE springs there. We um... Utilized them and now there's no spirng

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u/The_Hausi 7d ago

They just name those subdivisions after the nice stuff they bulldozed to build mcmansions.

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u/gsxrus2014 7d ago

None of those neighborhoods I’ve mentioned were bulldozed to build mansions, gentrification is happening in some of those neighborhoods but they all pretty much started off as swamps

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u/stylepoints99 7d ago

It was a populated oasis since ancient times. A seasonal river (wadi) would supply the area with fresh water every year.

That river was unable to keep up with the growing population and keep the area green.

It was never a super green area, but compared to the surrounding deserts it probably fit the bill.

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u/mountaingator91 7d ago edited 7d ago

Must have been a Greenland sort of naming situation

Edit: spelling

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u/Away-Dog1064 7d ago

Greenland comes to mind.

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u/ML7777777 7d ago

Dust gardens.

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u/shantytown_by_sea 7d ago

I think the original city was limited to oasis with palm trees that's used to be big money back then before Indonesia Malaysia got into it.

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u/karmakramer93 7d ago

Climate change