If you could move to Arizona, would you? (Phoenix, Tucson: buying a home, job market)

[wilkermoo]

If you could move to AZ, what would be your reason.

Would you be moving to escape the high cost of living in other areas?

Would you move for the scenery?

Would you move for family or other similar reason?

Move you move to escape cold weather?

If you already live in Arizona and love it there, why?

I would like to hear reasons why people would want to move to Arizona, often there are very negative posts from people who hate the state or want to leave and it can get depressing.

[blur07]

I live hear for the weather

[MotleyCrew]

Yes to all of your questions. We also love the shopping and fantastic restaurants in N.Peoria. We love sidewalks, really missed having sidewalks back in the old state.

[BurtsBees]

If move for the weather and a better job market. Im going into law enforcement and theres NOTHING in Michigan. Arizona is hiring and its the way to go

[jco]

Job market/economy is the best reason to come IMO.

[MsB23]

I've lived in AZ all my life & there are pros & cons.

The weather can be nice, altho, if you like cloudy/rainy days, it isn't for you. Don't be fooled, either, it is HOT in the summer. It doesn't matter if it's a "dry" heat, 115 is still hot.

There is a good job market here, & that's always a plus. Cost of owning a home has gotten a little scary in the last couple of years, tho. There is decent shopping here, stuff to do (museums, sports, etc) & if you want trees & "foresty" stuff, it's a couple hours drive away.

From Phoenix, you're about 5-6 hours away from Vegas, about the same from San Diego, 8 hours to LA, 12 hours to SF, etc. Oh, and the metro Phoenix street system, while frequently under construction, is a very nice "grid" setup. Numbered streets running north & south, named streets running east & west (for the most part). It makes navigating the city fairly simple & it's reassuring when you take a wrong turn that you can probably reorient yourself fairly easily.

All in all, it is not a bad place to live. As long as you can tolerate the heat, the dry, dusty desert conditions, & the annoying influx of "snowbirds" in the winter, you will probably enjoy it here.

I wish you the best of luck!

[foma]

We moved to PHX this past Jan b'c my husband got a new job. It was not cheap living in upstate NY. NYS has some of the highest taxes. Ooof! Plus buying a home was darn near impossible but since we have moved, there has been a huge dip in prices but it's ok, I think I like the weather in PHX more. This is my first summer so perhaps I have spoken too soon! I do like the cold weather though ... just not the friggin' freezing weather so we'll see how things go here.

We didn't move for the scenery but we just visited Sedona for the first time today and it was breath taking! We did move for family ... sort of. PHX has a direct flight to Houston and it's only 2 hrs. In upstate, it was longer and no direct flights so I guess you can say we did move closer to family!

I don't exactly love it here b'c ultimately I want to be back in TX but I think everywhere we have lived has goods and bads. If you have a rotten attitude you're going to have a rotten time, wherever you live. PHX is growing on me and although I can't completely say I'd love to stay here, I will have wonderful memories when I leave ... but we're prob staying here for at least 10 years! I'll be 39! *gasp*!

[ejk]

We moved here 2 years ago. Here are some of our reasons--

Originally Posted by wilkermoo

Would you be moving to escape the high cost of living in other areas?

Yes- so that we could continue our current quality of life while I stayed home to raise our children.

Originally Posted by wilkermoo

Would you move for the scenery?

Yes. This was another factor for us.

Originally Posted by wilkermoo

Would you move for family or other similar reason?

Some of my family has lived here for decades already. It is nice to be closer to them.

Originally Posted by wilkermoo

Move you move to escape cold weather?

Yes! I miss it a few days of the year. Then we drive up to Northern AZ, get our fix and come home.

Moving here was a huge upheaval and a big change for us both. We miss our friends, remaining family and a few cultural aspects but overall we don't regret it one bit. No place is perfect, but AZ is a great fit for us.

[yukon]

Grew up in PHX and like that it's grown out instead of up (like NY), means you still have room. Visiting next week to check it out as a relo spot, it's smaller than Dallas or Houston so I don't think I'll mind the traffic. It has a better transit system than where I live now, although taxes are higher. The air pollution might be the deal breaker, depends on how bad it is (Houston was horrible).

[dullnboring]

I lived briefly in Arizona, in Flagstaff. I don't really have much of a desire to move back to Arizona for a large number of reasons, but if a terrific professional opportunity presented itself, I would consider moving to Tucson or Phoenix, not for good but for a spell. The biggest attraction it has going for it in my mind is the weather. Although the excessive heat can be a lot to take in the summer, I love the sunny weather and the fact that for most of the year, you can dress comfortably in a t-shirt and shorts. The economy is great and the cost of living is far less what I'm used to from living on the coasts, but the weather is definitely the top draw for me.