Looking to move out to az (Phoenix, Tucson: sales, apartments, for rent)
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single 25 year old male. Some college finished. Just looking to get out of Michigan. How's the price of rent and bills out there. I'm just really sick of the motor city looking to see what else is out there. I hear very nice things about Arizona. Any help with which cities are nice and where affordable places would be.(one bedroom or studio is all i would be looking for) I'm not rich but something decent would be nice. How are the colleges and what's the employment outlook look like. Any help would be very appreciated. thanks
Please use the search function. Your questions have been asked and answered countless times on here. Happy to help if you can't find what you're looking for. Just very briefly: Main Colleges would be in Phoenix/Tempe, Tucson and Flagstaff. Employment outlook is not great like most places these days. Check job websites. You can find decent affordable accomodation. It's not too expensive in AZ (Flafstaff is a bit pricey, though). Spend a few hours researching ASU, NAU etc as well as the cities I mentioned. Check out apartments for rent as well as available jobs online.
I lived in MI from 1996-2004 and lived in Troy and Gladwin. Have lived in Phoenix since 2005. I guess the first question I have is: 1. Have you ever been to Arizona?? In the summer? Spent some serious time there? If not, PLEASE DO RESEARCH BEFORE GOING TO ARIZONA OR ANYWHERE. You could find it isnt for you for many reasons. Not doing that was the biggest mistake for me. I will be moving back to Michigan this fall, because, I honestly dont like AZ. It actually takes a lot, emotionally and physically, to do well here. 2. Do you have a job lined up? I ask because the poor economy in AZ is making MANY employers seek Arizona-candidates first. I know because my cousin is a corporate recruiter here.
RENT AND BILLS
With rent, you must also pay county tax. Utilities are VERY expensive. Your AC bill in the summer is often several hundred dollars easily. They also make you pay out the wazoo for car insurance. Sales tax is 9.5%, as well as a food tax!!
EMPLOYMENT
Employment is here is not good at all and the unemployment rate is BARELY better than Michigan. A bulk of Arizonas economy is driven by minimum wage labor. AZ is a right-to-work state that almost guarantees low wages. Dont expect find jobs here to pay what they do in MI, because they wont. I dont know about other industries, but AZ teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. My cousin out here (who grew up in MI) is a corporate recuiter who says the high local/state unemployment rate is making local employers seek in-state candidates first, because they have received incentives from the state to do so. It honestly will be difficult for you to find employment here.
CRIME/SAFETY
Phoenix is dangerous in most places, especially south and west Phoenix. Though not quite as bad as Detroit. There is a murder in the news almost everyday. Phoenix is known as being a major center for human smuggling/kidnapping, car theft and the drug trade (being close to Mexico is the leading factor).
Your biggest problem however will be the sinful heat and AWFUL air quality. There is nothing you can do to prepare for the heat here. Its intense and relentless. It starts in mid May and lasts thru Halloween. There is almost a constant brown cloud over 'the valley' in the summer, resulting in Ozone Days and No Burn days. Phoenix has VERY BAD air quality. You may have seen it in the news yesterday about our air. Its bad!
I am just warning you about things. The desert and heat and dryness are not for many many people. Many people come here and decide they dont like it, and go back home. Phoenix may look nice in pictures, but those pictures are manipulated in Photoshop to remove the brown cloud. Lets just say things are not as they appear JUST DO LOTS OF RESEARCH ABOUT SEVERAL PLACES B4 GOING ANYWHERE. I will B moving back to MI his fall.
Just like anywhere you live there are good and bad places.. I would definitely not agree that it is a dangerous place, I have lived here since the early 80's except for a 7 year tour in the Navy and have never had a single crime related issue. If you are smart then you know where to go and where not to go.
Jobs, well depends on what field you want to go into. I work in healthcare IT and have no problems finding jobs, there are jobs out there if you are willing to look for them and put in your time to get somewhere.. don't expect everything to be handed to you on a silver platter and you should be fine.
You can make your experience as good or as bad as you want, if you do your research first then you should have a pleasant experience.
Rent is reasonable again this all depends on where you live, I have had a 3000 sq ft house that was 3 or 400 a month for electricity in the summer and 100 in the cooler months but in an apartment I lived in the bills her half that.
I lived in MI from 1996-2004 and lived in Troy and Gladwin. Have lived in Phoenix since 2005. I guess the first question I have is: 1. Have you ever been to Arizona?? In the summer? Spent some serious time there? If not, PLEASE DO RESEARCH BEFORE GOING TO ARIZONA OR ANYWHERE. You could find it isnt for you for many reasons. Not doing that was the biggest mistake for me. I will be moving back to Michigan this fall, because, I honestly dont like AZ. It actually takes a lot, emotionally and physically, to do well here. 2. Do you have a job lined up? I ask because the poor economy in AZ is making MANY employers seek Arizona-candidates first. I know because my cousin is a corporate recruiter here.
RENT AND BILLS
With rent, you must also pay county tax. Utilities are VERY expensive. Your AC bill in the summer is often several hundred dollars easily. They also make you pay out the wazoo for car insurance. Sales tax is 9.5%, as well as a food tax!!
EMPLOYMENT
Employment is here is not good at all and the unemployment rate is BARELY better than Michigan. A bulk of Arizonas economy is driven by minimum wage labor. AZ is a right-to-work state that almost guarantees low wages. Dont expect find jobs here to pay what they do in MI, because they wont. I dont know about other industries, but AZ teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. My cousin out here (who grew up in MI) is a corporate recuiter who says the high local/state unemployment rate is making local employers seek in-state candidates first, because they have received incentives from the state to do so. It honestly will be difficult for you to find employment here.
CRIME/SAFETY
Phoenix is dangerous in most places, especially south and west Phoenix. Though not quite as bad as Detroit. There is a murder in the news almost everyday. Phoenix is known as being a major center for human smuggling/kidnapping, car theft and the drug trade (being close to Mexico is the leading factor).
Your biggest problem however will be the sinful heat and AWFUL air quality. There is nothing you can do to prepare for the heat here. Its intense and relentless. It starts in mid May and lasts thru Halloween. There is almost a constant brown cloud over 'the valley' in the summer, resulting in Ozone Days and No Burn days. Phoenix has VERY BAD air quality. You may have seen it in the news yesterday about our air. Its bad!
I am just warning you about things. The desert and heat and dryness are not for many many people. Many people come here and decide they dont like it, and go back home. Phoenix may look nice in pictures, but those pictures are manipulated in Photoshop to remove the brown cloud. Lets just say things are not as they appear JUST DO LOTS OF RESEARCH ABOUT SEVERAL PLACES B4 GOING ANYWHERE. I will B moving back to MI his fall.
Some people DON'T like cold. I lived a year in Chicago in 1973 as a kid and almost froze my butt off. I was real glad my family moved BACK to Arizona.
CRIME/SAFETY
Phoenix is dangerous in most places, especially south and west Phoenix. Though not quite as bad as Detroit. There is a murder in the news almost everyday. Phoenix is known as being a major center for human smuggling/kidnapping, car theft and the drug trade (being close to Mexico is the leading factor).
Utter nonsense. Phoenix is not dangerous in most places. The level of crime here is nowhere near Detroit. Car theft is down, way down, as reported here.
single 25 year old male. Some college finished. Just looking to get out of Michigan. How's the price of rent and bills out there. I'm just really sick of the motor city looking to see what else is out there. I hear very nice things about Arizona. Any help with which cities are nice and where affordable places would be.(one bedroom or studio is all i would be looking for) I'm not rich but something decent would be nice. How are the colleges and what's the employment outlook look like. Any help would be very appreciated. thanks
Native Michigander here.
Rent and bills out here, at least in Phoenix, are cheaper than the Midwest. Pay is also lower so it's probably level. The colleges here have a good reputation from what I gather, though ASU has a rep as a party school. Employment outlook is dim as it is everywhere.
Northern Arizona would not be much of a difference from Michigan but if you plan on living in the desert area, you should visit first. Visit in the summer (July or August) so you will know what you're in for. Some people just can't hack the heat. I'm not bothered by it at all. But you don't want to migrate this far and end up not being able to hack it.
As I have stated in previous threads. The talk of Tucson or Phoenix being Dangerous is absurd when you are talking to someone from Michigan. Because more than likely they are From one of the major areas. 2011 most dangerous cities in America, #1 Flint, MI #2 Detroit, MI , No city in Arizona is in the top 10.
Just as some people may absolutely hate the heat, some people absolutely hate the cold. Remember you have to be willing to accept the other hand.
Arizona's economy is definitely not worse than Michigan's especially in the Detroit Metro Area! Just as anywhere finding a job may find itself problematic. I would have to say that it would probably be more difficult in the Detroit metro area...
To the OP, I sent you a PM.
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JUST DO LOTS OF RESEARCH ABOUT SEVERAL PLACES B4 GOING ANYWHERE. I will B moving back to MI his fall.
