City/Town with culture (Phoenix, Tucson: gated, work, house)

[Antwain]

What I mean by that is, I was originally in Orlando where you'll find a mixture of everyone, then I moved up to Vermont, the whitest state in the country. This is not a bad thing, but I really miss being around all sorts of people.

Me and my wife (She's white, I'm black) are looking into Arizona but we're not sure where we should look.

I think more than that, I'm a city type of guy and I have to be around malls, Super Wal-Marts, and movie theaters with stadium seating.

As far as careers go, she's going back to school to be an Elementary Guidance Counselor, but she has a B.A. in Psychology and I'm a newly certified Firefighter.

Long story short: Where should we move?

[Stumblina]

Anywhere you want.

[Antwain]

Well yeah, but I don't want to move to a place that's as weak as Vermont. Plus, I'm not sure how diverse Arizona is.

[MotleyCrew]

Please come and look around Vistancia in N. Peoria. The community was awarded best master planned development two years in a row. You can google Vistancia - The difference is real to see some of our ammenities. You would be warmly welcomed as we have quite a diverse group here. We have a wonderful 7 mile walking trail that snakes through the development and out along the desert edge. The trail is lit and paved. On our daily walk we run into many people all of different ethnic backgrounds. There are 60+ different models here to choose from, so it is not a "cookie cutter" development. We have different "villages" to choose from, such as Blackstone which is the highest and sports its own private golf course, restaurant and clubhouse. The homes are by Cachet, Camelot, TW Lewis along with a few custom builders. There are other sections starting from the mid to high $200K's, some of which are gated within the development. Shea Homes is having a year end sale to move their inventory and it may be worth looking at. The resales here are another opportunity, some of them priced way below the builders price.
We also have a new elementary school that is now going on the second year. Peoria has one of the best school districts in AZ! Best of luck to you, please do not pass us by. Being from CA, we also enjoy some diversity and have met some fantastic new friends.

[Ponderosa]

There's not much diversity other than Hispanic here - maybe more than Vermont - but very little.

[sablebaby]

I think there will much more diversity in Central Phx than some other areas like Vistancia.

[MotleyCrew]

There are more people in C. Phoenix so I suppose there might be more diversity. However, living up here and meeting many of the people here, we do seem to have quite a mix of people. As a state, AZ probably would not make the grade, but has to be better than S. Dakota. They should come and check things out in person before making the leap.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by Antwain

What I mean by that is, I was originally in Orlando where you'll find a mixture of everyone, then I moved up to Vermont, the whitest state in the country. This is not a bad thing, but I really miss being around all sorts of people.

Me and my wife (She's white, I'm black) are looking into Arizona but we're not sure where we should look.

I think more than that, I'm a city type of guy and I have to be around malls, Super Wal-Marts, and movie theaters with stadium seating.

As far as careers go, she's going back to school to be an Elementary Guidance Counselor, but she has a B.A. in Psychology and I'm a newly certified Firefighter.

Long story short: Where should we move?

How about Laveen?

[Antwain]

We were looking into Tucson and Phoenix. From what I've read, Phoenix seems like the place we'd like to be. How about Tucson? Anyone from there can give me the skinny?

[Ozark Nana]

There is not an abundance of "diversity" here in Tucson. We have an "African American" culture of sorts but many of these folks are Sudanese refugees. There is a language barrier that is difficult to overcome at times. I work for a non-profit so come in contact with them on a regular basis. Nicest people you'll ever meet, grateful for all they have here and are quickly becoming acclimated to their surroundings.

There is more diversity on the University of Arizona campus so I would think your wife would meet people there that you can become friends with. There are also many churches in Tucson that are diverse and very welcoming as well. Phoenix, however, has a much higher population and you might find a more diverse city there.

I do suggest you come out and visit for a bit before you decided to move here...Tucson is not for everyone!

O.Nana