How many Zonie natives here? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: real estate, property taxes, houses)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

I am also a Native. I was dead set on moving somewhere when I was done with grad school, but now it's been a couple of years later and I'm still here. I was going to go to the suburbs of Chicago to live as that is where my BF is from. Even though I live Chicago and it's burbs we have decided for now not to move there (mostly due to the weather being too cold or too humid, and being a little too close to family).

I have learned to be ok with AZ for now, maybe until I find somewhere greener (in my experience nothing has ever been greener on the other side!). I have looked at Denver, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Iowa, New York, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and some others (not all in person of course) and have basically ruled them all out for one reason or another. I'm kinda picky about the weather. I HATE humidity!! The bit that we get during our monsoon season is too much.

The only place that I have found perfect weather for me was California, but everything else makes me say no. I took a trip in Sept to OC and FELL in LOVE with the weather. I've been to CA a bunch of times before but this time was different. I seriously was ready to move. I totally understood why half the world has moved there, that's until I opened up the real estate section in the paper and saw similiar homes to mine for 3x what I paid. Then my dream was crushed. (really I did know that the dream was crushed before then.)

So, now I'm here until I figure out or make more money to travel the country to find my perfect home. I swear the only way I will be able to find something is if I rented a big RV and visited each state in person. That would be cool.

UGH! If I hear that "too cold and too humid" crap from anyone else Ill puke. YES, it CAN get humid here, maybe 2-3 weeks total in the summer. YES, it can get cold, maybe 2-3 weeks in the winter with below freezing temps. WHO CARES?!?!? At least Chicago HAS STUFF TO DO!!!!! We have a downtown, we have fabled sports teams with history. We have good food and the best nightlife outside LA and New York. We have beaches and short drives to canyons and hilly terrain. Chicago is a WORLD CITY, something Phoenix can only dream about. Look it up! Anyways, Id rather have a few humid days here (rather than the south ie Florida, Georgia, Tennessee where they cant escape it) than 4 straight months of 110 degrees. Ive been to AZ in the summer (family lives in North Scottsdale) and it SUCKS! Winters aint so great either. Days are decently warm, but nights are downright COLD. Heck, its even been warmer here on some winter nights than in Phoenix!!! You guys arent Miami in the winter, thats for sure! Id rather face 4 seasons than be shackled to dust-world Phoenix and live a Groundhogs Day life forever with sunny-beaten landscapes and skin cancer epidemics that you guys have. Funny thing is, as soon as it snows in Phoenix, everyone and their mother heads towards the mountains to get a good look at it. Wanna know why? BECAUSE YOURE BORED DOWN THERE with the same ol same ol.
Chicago is a great place to live, theres a reason that more people live in Chicagoland than your entire state! Im sick of people coming down on Chicago. Its my home and I take offense to it. Its the most American big-city in this country. Schools are top rated (I wont mention AZ's education system) here too, which is another plus. Chicago is really nice, albeit there are bad spots, but what city doesnt have them?

[daaver]

I was born and raised in AZ. I lived in the greater PHX area for thirty-two years. Picked up the family and moved to New York City. And I couldn't be happier.

I can't dog AZ, I loved the place and would never have left if the wife hadn't wanted to be near her family, but... I am so surprised what I was missing in AZ. A lot of it was probably inside me, but I feel so much more alive and vital in NYC. It was like my life moved from black & white to technicolor.

On the one hand, I always enjoyed the beautiful weather and laid back AZ lifestyle, but I wouldn't give up NYC for anything. Talk to me again in Febuary though, haha.

[irwin]

Steve-O:

I haven’t had a lot of experience with Chicago (I’m more of an East Coast guy) but the few times I have been there I’ve liked it. I think you are right that Chicago is the most “American” big city, which is nice. And even though I hate the White Sox, being a Red Sox fan there is a small place in my heart where I feel a strange bond with Cubs fans (very small part).

Anyway, I moved out here to Phoenix thinking it would be a great place to “settle down” and after being here for almost two years, I now know what a mistake I made. Thankfully I’m heading back east in May (Boston). Sure it is sunny out here, but the best part of the sun is being able to enjoy it. When you live in a place like Chicago, Boston, New York, or Seattle, you actually appreciate good weather! That’s because the weather has some variety to it. Here, it’s always the same…hot and sunny. And please don’t tell me that the winter’s are nice here; 80 degrees in November is hot!

Enjoy Chicago and feel sorry for the people who spend their lives in Taco Bell architecture track homes, wasting away their lives in air conditioning. I’m off to the North End of Boston; Phoenix doesn’t have 1/100th the history, culture, or fun found in that little section of Boston.

[Steve-o]

I agree Irwin. Its a great place to vacation, thats about it. After two weeks there I just want to get out and back into some lush vegetation. And the heat? Dry or not, its brutal. Nothing like stepping into a 130 degree car after parking it for only 20 minutes! And the dry weather reeks havoc on your skin. I can see how people with athsma would benefit from the dry, but everytime I go down there my lips hurt so bad and my skin looks like a dang alligator. No wonder Alice Cooper looks the way he does!

Phoenix is a wasteland, their 15 buildings in "downtown" are hardly worth looking at and its nothing but bums down there anyways. I felt unsafe just walking around Chase Field! Scottsdale is beautiful and a great RESORT town, but everything else around there is blah and boring. Nice scenery in areas, but Colorado is far superior, as is Utah. Dont get me wrong, I love the southwest and vacation there all the time, but living there? Thats another story. If they could only see other cities in this nation, then theyd see how bad they have it. I love my 4 seasons, it adds spice to life! Being subjected to the same ol thing every day must really be depressing, sunshine or not.

[Ponderosa]

Well, steve-o, seems like a lot of people in "Chicagoland" don't agree with you. They are coming here by the thousands every year. I don't think many AZ people (native or otherwise) would even consider living in Chicago. If you all would quit moving here, maybe the natives wouldn't feel compelled to live in some sultry southern backwater to avoid the mess you have made of our city. Those ticky-tacky homes in the lifeless subdivisions were built for and house your former neighbors.

And why are you on this thread anyway? It's about natives and where they want to live. Did some sun-crazed Zonie native come over to the IL forum and diss Chicago? Your last post strikes me as a fine example of the attitudes that have made the people of Chicago so beloved by their neighbors in Wisconsin and the UP (and AZ too).

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Well, steve-o, seems like a lot of people in "Chicagoland" don't agree with you. They are coming here by the thousands every year. I don't think many AZ people (native or otherwise) would even consider living in Chicago. If you all would quit moving here, maybe the natives wouldn't feel compelled to live in some sultry southern backwater to avoid the mess you have made of our city. Those ticky-tacky homes in the lifeless subdivisions were built for and house your former neighbors.

And why are you on this thread anyway? It's about natives and where they want to live. Did some sun-crazed Zonie native come over to the IL forum and diss Chicago? Your last post strikes me as a fine example of the attitudes that have made the people of Chicago so beloved by their neighbors in Wisconsin and the UP (and AZ too).

I was here because lots of threads regarding AZ has someone bashing the midwest, obviously out of jealousy and boredom. I just grew tired of it, plain and simple. The reason people move down there is out of false hopes. Lots end up moving back because of the false hypes surrounding Phoenix and most of AZ in general. And we make a mess of your city? If anything, we bring our MONEY to your state, Ill use Scottsdale and Carefree/Cave Creek as examples. No Illinoisan in their right mind would move to Phoenix, unless for a job transfer. Most Illinoisans retire there as bring their money with them, for which some strange reason Zonies then proclaim as their own. "Hey, look at all these million dollar homes in Scottsdale, aint it great! See? I told you Arizona was rich, just dont pay attention to the Illinois plates on the Lamborghini!"

Phoenix is a baby that has outgrown itself. Water supplies are low and dwindling (dont let anyone tell you otherwise--visit azcentral.com and see the articles), Phoenix is drab at best, and yet people feel the need to attack Chicago? Puhleeeze. If Phoenix was 1/10th as rich in history, culture, cuisine and fine arts as Chicago was, then people could have an excuse to ramble. Other than that, its desperate attempts to mire Phoenix with a facade to glorify it. And yes, I get quite tired of Zonies attacking the midwest weather, but thats understandable when you guys are shackled indoors in the A/C and have nothing better to do than attempt to blast us with nonsense. It grows old and I was tired of reading it, thats why I came here to dispute it. So what if it gets humid? It get humid in Florida and Aruba, but that just makes it better to head to the beach or the pool or some NATURAL body of water. And those spells last only a few days at a time, other than that its 75-80 and breezy (ie PARADISE) most of the summer. In the winter, bundle up and jump on the snowmobiles or grab the snowboard or skis and head outdoors, do something other than golf year round (in which Chicago still holds claim to the most golf courses in the country).

[freeopinions]

I'm not a native Arizonan, but I am a native Minnesotan who who was born and raised in Minneapolis/St. Paul and lived all my life there until this year. We left Minneapolis for Arizona precisely because of the hot, humid summers and sub-zero (note I said sub-[i]zero,[i]not sub-freezing)temperatures. My younger brother lived for years in Chicago and continued working there after moving to Aurora, so I had the chance to go there several times. You can keep it.

I would also like to point out that there is a whole large state here, and it involves more than just the valley. We're in the White Mountains, where the biggest stand of ponderosa pines in the country exists, as well as birch, aspen, maple and several other types of pines. A desert this is not. There is also no smog, no freeway, no rush hour. Ninety degrees here in July is like May in Minnesota, and You can run around in a tee shirt in November.

It's the mountain life for me.

We now return you to your previously scheduled natives...

[Steve-o]

Yeah, Aurora sucks, its the equivalent of south Phoenix... IOW not a great place to live.

Mountains are great, when theyre forested and covered in snow and in a state where you can actually enjoy them w/o dehydrating and w/o having to worry about stepping on rattlesnakes. LOL just a joke...

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

I was here because lots of threads regarding AZ has someone bashing the midwest, obviously out of jealousy and boredom. I just grew tired of it, plain and simple. The reason people move down there is out of false hopes. Lots end up moving back because of the false hypes surrounding Phoenix and most of AZ in general. And we make a mess of your city? If anything, we bring our MONEY to your state, Ill use Scottsdale and Carefree/Cave Creek as examples. No Illinoisan in their right mind would move to Phoenix, unless for a job transfer. Most Illinoisans retire there as bring their money with them, for which some strange reason Zonies then proclaim as their own. "Hey, look at all these million dollar homes in Scottsdale, aint it great! See? I told you Arizona was rich, just dont pay attention to the Illinois plates on the Lamborghini!"

Phoenix is a baby that has outgrown itself. Water supplies are low and dwindling (dont let anyone tell you otherwise--visit azcentral.com and see the articles), Phoenix is drab at best, and yet people feel the need to attack Chicago? Puhleeeze. If Phoenix was 1/10th as rich in history, culture, cuisine and fine arts as Chicago was, then people could have an excuse to ramble. Other than that, its desperate attempts to mire Phoenix with a facade to glorify it. And yes, I get quite tired of Zonies attacking the midwest weather, but thats understandable when you guys are shackled indoors in the A/C and have nothing better to do than attempt to blast us with nonsense. It grows old and I was tired of reading it, thats why I came here to dispute it. So what if it gets humid? It get humid in Florida and Aruba, but that just makes it better to head to the beach or the pool or some NATURAL body of water. And those spells last only a few days at a time, other than that its 75-80 and breezy (ie PARADISE) most of the summer. In the winter, bundle up and jump on the snowmobiles or grab the snowboard or skis and head outdoors, do something other than golf year round (in which Chicago still holds claim to the most golf courses in the country).

Please, azcentral.com is a joke. I'm not bashing Chicago, I stated that I love that city, but for ME being an AZ native I am used to the DRY DRY weather. You know yesterday we had 6% humidity, and the dew pt. was lower. I am downright MISERABLE in humidity. So, please go back to your IL site and stop causing trouble over here. GEEZ, I didn't know my one little post about how I FEEL would be such a big deal.

[tucsondesertdweller]

Wow, just wow. In my humble opinion Arizona is the best and the worst. No place is perfect. Ok, for some reason living in the midwest never held an interest for me. I am not a native, but have lived here for over 6 years some days I thank God for allowing me to experience living in this natural beauty and other days I say Why me God.
We had considered moving and weather would be a big factor for us, I guess if you are from Chicago, then of course to you its home, thus its appeal, truthfully its too cold there in the winter, I don't know this first hand, only hear what everybody I met from Chicago tells me, and they all complain aobut the humid summer. I do hear its a party town, so if you like to party hardy, it would be a good match. What scenery is there in Chicago? Hey how about pizza, I always hear the folks rom Chicago rave about the pizza, well I am from the NY/NJ area and now that is the real deal, pizza that is the best in the whole world.
So back to Arizona, most posters talk about the Phoenix area, well Tucson is different then the Phoenix area at least for now.
So where else would I live that I could have sunshine for an average of 350 days a year, I can see mts from my yard, I am a days drive to Las Vegas, now thats a fun place, a days drive from the Grand Canyon, San Diego, Sedona, .
July and August are the pits out here, but so are a lot of places.
Hey right now its wonderful in the Tucson area, it was in the 70's today and tonight it will probably be in the 4o's.
Even when its 90-100 out here if the humdity is low you can still be outside, yes thats right outside but you just don't want to be out in the sun for hours, its common sense.
We can be outside just about all year, and we only run our air for about 4 months a year, heat is on once in a while for a short time to heat the house.
This time of year I have my door and windows open. To me most of the year here is like spring and fall.
To each his own.
There are not that many nicer places to live. Ok we need some real pizza from back east, but then everybody would move here. lol