living in Phoenix looking to leave help please (best, cost, country)

[hateaz]

I live in Phoenix I can't wait to get out of here. it is so hot the air pollution is terrible. the cost-of-living compared to the local income is outrageous. The employer want twice the work at half the pay. all my friends that have left said they will never come back. The price of real estate here for outreaches the average income. A good paying construction job here is $9 an hour, journeyman electrician's are making $10-$11 an hour no benefits. And they're working in 115° heat. I'm looking at North Carolina or Washington State please let me know what you think.
My best friend told me if you can make it in Phoenix you can make it every anywhere a lot easier

[omaraz]

I feel your pain, I lived in Phoenix for 10 years and although I enjoyed when I first moved there, it became unbearable in the end. Everyone is in a rush, it's always hot, the people are rude and everything you've mentioned is true. I don't have any experience with North Carolina or Washington State but I have lived all over, so I'll try to give you some feedback about those places. I grew up in Michigan...don''t even think about going there; the economy is bad and the people are rude if you're in the SE part of the state.

I went to college in Wyoming, which was awesome but boring and there are no jobs. However, I probably would have stayed if I could have found a good paying job. From Wyoming I moved to Portland, OR which is great if you like the artsy stuff and can deal with the weather, it rains constantly. However you typically don't need a car because they have one of the best public transportation systems in the US. In Portland, a number of people live in Vancouver, WA (lower property taxes) and shop in Portland (no sales tax) so that will save you money. Some people live and work in Washington and only shop in Portland, so that's a really good deal.

I'll spare you my Arizona story as you're living there already; IMO Flagstaff is really the only place to live in Arizona. I did live in Texas for a year (they have no state income tax). The people are friendly, the state has a very good economy but it just wasn't for me and I left after a year.

Now I live in Wisconsin and spend some time in Minneapolis-St.Paul. I really enjoy both (Wisconsin and Minnesota), there are things to do in Wisconsin and I'm only an hour and a half from Minneapolis. Minneapolis-St.Paul (in my opinion) is great because it's not too big and it's not too small, it's very diverse, has decent public transportation systems and you can live in one of the suburbs and feel like you're in the country.

You may want to try to post (if you haven't already) to the North Carolina and Washington State boards just asking people about their feedback. That would probably help you make a decision. Good luck.

[Chava61]

Perhaps you should post this in the General U.S. forum for more replies.

[Tall Traveler]

I've lived in the NW for the past 19 years and own a couple houses in Phoenix and I've lived a short time in North Carolina. I like all 3 places for different reasons.

Seattle is great provided you can stand the winter clouds and rain. Our economy is really good right now and wages are high. Cost of housing is much higher than Phoenix though the incomes are also.

I think North Carolina is a good balnce if you're thinking of Raleigh or Charlotte. Other areas of North Carolina I think are lower income.

[Slater]

I live in Flagstaff, and it's cheaper to live in Phoenix overall. The heat? Well, it is the desert and you've got to expect that.

[SeattleCat]

Hi I left AZ in 1995. Seattle is a really great place. I worked two jobs for six months then made the move with no job but I had a friend I could stay with for a couple of weeks while I looked for a place. I would post on the Washington board or send a pm if you're interested. Good luck!

[Ronnie555]

lol Phoenix people are in a rush? don't come to NY or Boston