Good Things About Arizona? (Phoenix, Tucson: transplants, apartments, rent)

[AllAboutEve]

Hello everyone . I am considering moving to Arizona to get my masters. I have never considered Arizona before, but with everything that is happening in CA, I figure this might be my best option.

So if you have anything POSITIVE to say about Arizona, please share!

Also if you can tell me what places are good for a young twenty-something. I am not much of a bar hopper or partier, but I like to go out and have a few drinks from time to time. I also like art, theatre, and hiking.

Also, my price range for an apartment/house is $800-$1100.

Thank you!

[thegirlinaz]

Well if you are going for a masters degree you probably want to move to Tucson, Tempe, or Flagstaff (depending on which university you choose). Do you have any idea where you will be getting your masters or does it matter to you? All three of these cities I named are very different from each other.

[synapse]

Originally Posted by LizCab44

Hello everyone . I am considering moving to Arizona to get my masters. I have never considered Arizona before, but with everything that is happening in CA, I figure this might be my best option.

So if you have anything POSITIVE to say about Arizona, please share!

Also if you can tell me what places are good for a young twenty-something. I am not much of a bar hopper or partier, but I like to go out and have a few drinks from time to time. I also like art, theatre, and hiking.

Also, my price range for an apartment/house is $800-$1100.

Thank you!

Good things: Low cost of living; pretty scenery; excellent restaurants; improving culture in the Phoenix area; decent weather apart from the summer; easy access to California and Nevada / Las Vegas.

Bad things: Somewhat limited vegetation due to desert environment; sprawl; heat in summer (mainly Phoenix, though).

For a twenty-something, I'd probably recommend Tempe, if you are looking in the Phoenix area, or Flagstaff. Tempe is around ASU, has lots of bars, restaurants, access to the light rail, and even has a large lake nearby; Flagstaff is a college town with Northern Arizona University there, and has lots of good bars and restaurants. And in either place you can find a decent apartment - even a house in some parts of Phoenix - for about $1000. The art and theater scene in both Phoenix and Flagstaff is really quite good.

[MotleyCrew]

Originally Posted by LizCab44

Hello everyone . I am considering moving to Arizona to get my masters. I have never considered Arizona before, but with everything that is happening in CA, I figure this might be my best option.

So if you have anything POSITIVE to say about Arizona, please share!

Also if you can tell me what places are good for a young twenty-something. I am not much of a bar hopper or partier, but I like to go out and have a few drinks from time to time. I also like art, theatre, and hiking.

Also, my price range for an apartment/house is $800-$1100.

Thank you!

Well I can throw my plug for the west side, especially north Peoria/Glendale area. There is a new theater in downdown Peoria, art...not so much sad to say. I miss the art studio I used back home and miss the company. You can rent a home in Vistancia for $1,200 or so but I would look more in Surprise or Goodyear for the $800 to$1,110 range and those are nice cities, kid friendly. You would have Westgate to visit for great restaraunts and drinks. Westgate has a Downtown Disney feel to it and my kids love to go there. You would also have the Peoria Sports Complex to select great eateries from Dave's BBQ, Cheesecake Factory to the upscale jazz/restaurant, SKY. Phoenix has so much to offer it will be hard to pin it down in one web search. You should come and look first. Best of luck.

[LinaJo76]

Pretty much the larger towns and cities have all that (nice colleges, great food and drinking places, and apartments over $700). But the little bitty towns, avoid them (there's not much to them really). Stick to the larger cities and towns in Arizona.

[LinaJo76]

Good things about Arizona:

1. You can have a great tan almost year round (about 8 months of the year).

2. Lots of biker groups to join, if you're a motorcycle enthusiast (and no helmet law, you can ride without a helmet).

3. Great hiking spots (just bring lots of water!).

4. You can go bleach blonde and no one cares.

5. You can wear shorts and skirts just about year round (at least 9 months of the year).

6. There's a bar or watering hole in just about every town and city in the state.

7. When it rains, it's a warm rain.

8. The small towns, in and around Arizona, are very laid back (you don't have to get dressed up to go out).

9. One of the great places to retire in (lots of retirees here).

10. You can have a pet (lots of folks in Arizona have a pet or 2).

11. Lots of trailer and R.V. places to live in (for that way cheaper living).

[poolgirl51]

Originally Posted by LinaJo76

Good things about Arizona:

1. You can have a great tan almost year round (about 8 months of the year).

2. Lots of biker groups to join, if you're a motorcycle enthusiast (and no helmet law, you can ride without a helmet).

3. Great hiking spots (just bring lots of water!).

4. You can go bleach blonde and no one cares.

5. You can wear shorts and skirts just about year round (at least 9 months of the year).

6. There's a bar or watering hole in just about every town and city in the state.

7. When it rains, it's a warm rain.

8. The small towns, in and around Arizona, are very laid back (you don't have to get dressed up to go out).

9. One of the great places to retire in (lots of retirees here).

10. You can have a pet (lots of folks in Arizona have a pet or 2).

11. Lots of trailer and R.V. places to live in (for that way cheaper living).

All good things about AZ to be sure but I just don't understand #4. You go bleached blonde anywhere, in any city in any state and no one cares. I am not sure what that has to do with AZ.

My list:

1. Amazing scenic state with mountains, forests, deserts, rivers and of course the Grand Canyon.
2. Friendly welcoming people
3. Most cities and towns have an active Arts community
4. Close to many of the great National Parks in the West.
5. Diverse climate; in the winter you could ski in Flagstaff in the morning and be sitting by the pool in Phoenix by late afternoon.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by MotleyCrew

Well I can throw my plug for the west side, especially north Peoria/Glendale area. There is a new theater in downdown Peoria, art...not so much sad to say. I miss the art studio I used back home and miss the company. You can rent a home in Vistancia for $1,200 or so but I would look more in Surprise or Goodyear for the $800 to$1,110 range and those are nice cities, kid friendly. You would have Westgate to visit for great restaraunts and drinks. Westgate has a Downtown Disney feel to it and my kids love to go there. You would also have the Peoria Sports Complex to select great eateries from Dave's BBQ, Cheesecake Factory to the upscale jazz/restaurant, SKY. Phoenix has so much to offer it will be hard to pin it down in one web search. You should come and look first. Best of luck.

It's nice out there, but doesn't make much sense to live out there if the OP is going to ASU.

[drb85650]

IMO unless you're from the midwest/east/south.......Arizona makes you appreciate winter, greenery, the fall and rain.
Being from Cali, the big diff will be no ocean and alot hotter. Plus, you can become a notoriously hated "zonie" in San Diego.

[OurNextAdventure]

Arizona may not be the best place for you. Due to the mass transplants from MI, CA, Etc etc etc, Arizona's economy and personal space is almost just as bad as CA.