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About me:
Turning 21
From Michigan
Bartender, looking for great bar scene
Going to college
I'm looking for a great bar scene, things to do, warm weather, nice people
Personally, I don't care for either city. I feel like the Southwest attracts every jerk from the Midwest who can't deal with the cold. I also feel like the car-centric lifestyle and suburban sprawl of both cities is isolating. I've come across a lot of shallow, self-absorbed, new money bullcrap in both cities, and both cities are too conservative for my taste. However, I am a bit of an odd ball, and I'm sure both cities would make wonderful homes for many people; perhaps you're one of them.
As other posters have pointed out, San Diego is significantly more expensive than Phoenix. San Diego is one of the most expensive cities in the country (along with the Bay Area, New York, and Honolulu).
Phoenix has a cost of living around, if not slightly below, the national average. However, it doesn't offer much for a city of its size. In terms of education and economy Arizona is lagging. I grew up in Tucson, and every single last one of my friends have left. Most have settled in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, the Bos-Wash corridor, and the Texas cities; nobody has relocated to Phoenix.
There are also a lot of old people and Mormons in Phoenix.
Given your vague criteria, I actually think Los Angeles would work better than either San Diego or Phoenix. LA has more to do, a more diverse economy, more opportunities, more women, and more (relatively) inexpensive areas than San Diego.
You also might want to check out Atlanta. It's a world-class city with a rock-bottom cost of living. The people in Atlanta (and the South in general) are significantly nicer than the folks in SoCal and Arizona.
Last edited by Dawn.Davenport; 04-12-2015 at 10:55 AM..
Personally, I don't care for either city. I feel like the Southwest attracts every jerk from the Midwest who can't deal with the cold. I also feel like the car-centric lifestyle and suburban sprawl of both cities is isolating. I've come across a lot of shallow, self-absorbed, new money bullcrap in both cities, and both cities are too conservative for my taste. However, I am a bit of an odd ball, and I'm sure both cities would make wonderful homes for many people; perhaps you're one of them.
As other posters have pointed out, San Diego is significantly more expensive than Phoenix. San Diego is one of the most expensive cities in the country (along with the Bay Area, New York, and Honolulu).
Phoenix has a cost of living around, if not slightly below, the national average. However, it doesn't offer much for a city of its size. In terms of education and economy Arizona is lagging. I grew up in Tucson, and every single last one of my friends have left. Most have settled in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, the Bos-Wash corridor, and the Texas cities; nobody has relocated to Phoenix.
There are also a lot of old people and Mormons in Phoenix.
Given your vague criteria, I actually think Los Angeles would work better than either San Diego or Phoenix. LA has more to do, a more diverse economy, more opportunities, more women, and more (relatively) inexpensive areas than San Diego.
You also might want to check out Atlanta. It's a world-class city with a rock-bottom cost of living. The people in Atlanta (and the South in general) are significantly nicer than the folks in SoCal and Arizona.
Dawn, do you ever stop with these ridiculous faulty assumptions about Phoenix? Sure there are old people and Mormons in Phoenix, but seeing as the metro is a fairly young (median age) in comparison to most other metros, surely you must acknowledge that there are young people here. You seem to leave out these types of details when you describe (your dislike for) Phoenix. BTW, have you ever actually lived in Phoenix? I don't care whether or not you like Phoenix, but at least get it right.
Dawn, do you ever stop with these ridiculous faulty assumptions about Phoenix? Sure there are old people and Mormons in Phoenix, but seeing as the metro is a fairly young (median age) in comparison to most other metros, surely you must acknowledge that there are young people here. You seem to leave out these types of details when you describe (your dislike for) Phoenix. BTW, have you ever actually lived in Phoenix? I don't care whether or not you like Phoenix, but at least get it right.
Of course there are young people in Phoenix, duh. ASU is probably the biggest university in the country by now. But, no, I've never lived in Phoenix. Why would I? Tucson, in my opinion, is a far superior city. But I totally recognize that not everyone is an anti-car, gay, Socialist like myself.
To be fair, I came up with a list of things I like about Phoenix:
1) The Coronado neighborhood is okay.
2) There's also a dive bar in Tempe that I'm quite found of called the Palo Verde Lounge.
3) I like the Phoenix airport. It offers non-stop flights to everywhere and there's almost never a weather delay.
Last edited by Dawn.Davenport; 04-12-2015 at 01:54 PM..
Reason: Nobody likes a comma splice.
Of course there are young people in Phoenix, duh. ASU is probably the biggest university in the country by now. But, no, I've never lived in Phoenix. Why would I? Tucson, in my opinion, is a far superior city. But I totally recognize that not everyone is an anti-car, gay, Socialist, bookworm like myself.
To be fair, I came up with a list of things I like about Phoenix:
1) The Coronado neighborhood is okay.
2) There's also a dive bar in Tempe that I'm quite found of called the Palo Verde Lounge.
3) I like the Phoenix airport. It offers non-stop flights to everywhere and there's almost never a weather delay.
Having lived in Tucson for 17 years (I enjoyed it), I've heard my fair share about how Tucsonans didn't want Tucson becoming another Phoenix. It's kind of hypocritical when you think about it since many Tucsonans aren't natives and are anti-growth, yet they contributed to Tucson's growth themselves. Having said that, those individuals were typically the first to hop in their cars and head to Phoenix to go party/shop or attend a concert or game, etc.. I like what has happened in downtown Tucson more recently, although it practically took forever before anything materialized. Rio Nuevo was such a boondoggle and a huge disappointment while the Tucson city council members (some current/some gone) are some of the most inept individuals I've ever seen chosen to (attempt) to make decisions for a city. Furthermore, the city has done little to help bring better paying jobs to the market in order to keep graduates from leaving.
The Phoenix metro's younger population isn't exclusive to ASU. There are plenty of young people throughout the entire valley. I think some people focus too much on the "conservative" stigma they have about Phoenix. Although some claim that Tucson is more liberal, I see no difference in that way between Tucson and Phoenix. Sure, there are more Mormons here in the Phoenix area; however, even the Mormon population is not that socially conservative. There is a very sizable gay population here. I'm not sure if it is still true, but Phoenix used to be home to more gay bars per capita than any other city in the country. The light-rail (12th busiest system in country - on par with metro size) continues to expand throughout the valley and proposed commuter rail is being studied. There are a lot of in-fill projects in the works for downtown and midtown Phoenix even though it competes with Tempe and Scottsdale which are both experiencing significant growth.
Do I love everything about Phoenix? No. However, the way some posters on CD portray the Phoenix metro (as if they're qualified to give advice about it) is simply inaccurate especially considering they've never lived here nor spent significant time here and I'd probably take them more seriously if they had. Nobody has to like any city and the are certainly entitled not to. Yet, even after spending 17 years in Tucson, there were plenty of things that I'm sure I did not get to see or experience and the same can be said for Phoenix after being here for 5 years.
Having lived in Tucson for 17 years (I enjoyed it), I've heard my fair share about how Tucsonans didn't want Tucson becoming another Phoenix. It's kind of hypocritical when you think about it since many Tucsonans aren't natives and are anti-growth, yet they contributed to Tucson's growth themselves. Having said that, those individuals were typically the first to hop in their cars and head to Phoenix to go party/shop or attend a concert or game, etc.. I like what has happened in downtown Tucson more recently, although it practically took forever before anything materialized. Rio Nuevo was such a boondoggle and a huge disappointment while the Tucson city council members (some current/some gone) are some of the most inept individuals I've ever seen chosen to (attempt) to make decisions for a city. Furthermore, the city has done little to help bring better paying jobs to the market in order to keep graduates from leaving.
The Phoenix metro's younger population isn't exclusive to ASU. There are plenty of young people throughout the entire valley. I think some people focus too much on the "conservative" stigma they have about Phoenix. Although some claim that Tucson is more liberal, I see no difference in that way between Tucson and Phoenix. Sure, there are more Mormons here in the Phoenix area; however, even the Mormon population is not that socially conservative. There is a very sizable gay population here. I'm not sure if it is still true, but Phoenix used to be home to more gay bars per capita than any other city in the country. The light-rail (12th busiest system in country - on par with metro size) continues to expand throughout the valley and proposed commuter rail is being studied. There are a lot of in-fill projects in the works for downtown and midtown Phoenix even though it competes with Tempe and Scottsdale which are both experiencing significant growth.
Do I love everything about Phoenix? No. However, the way some posters on CD portray the Phoenix metro (as if they're qualified to give advice about it) is simply inaccurate especially considering they've never lived here nor spent significant time here and I'd probably take them more seriously if they had. Nobody has to like any city and the are certainly entitled not to. Yet, even after spending 17 years in Tucson, there were plenty of things that I'm sure I did not get to see or experience and the same can be said for Phoenix after being here for 5 years.
To the OP: Do yourself a huge favor and go to San Diego. Phoenix is for families and older people. There is a large contingent of young people, but they are spread out all over.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZLiam
Having lived in Tucson for 17 years (I enjoyed it), I've heard my fair share about how Tucsonans didn't want Tucson becoming another Phoenix. It's kind of hypocritical when you think about it since many Tucsonans aren't natives and are anti-growth, yet they contributed to Tucson's growth themselves. Having said that, those individuals were typically the first to hop in their cars and head to Phoenix to go party/shop or attend a concert or game, etc.. I like what has happened in downtown Tucson more recently, although it practically took forever before anything materialized. Rio Nuevo was such a boondoggle and a huge disappointment while the Tucson city council members (some current/some gone) are some of the most inept individuals I've ever seen chosen to (attempt) to make decisions for a city. Furthermore, the city has done little to help bring better paying jobs to the market in order to keep graduates from leaving.
The Phoenix metro's younger population isn't exclusive to ASU. There are plenty of young people throughout the entire valley. I think some people focus too much on the "conservative" stigma they have about Phoenix. Although some claim that Tucson is more liberal, I see no difference in that way between Tucson and Phoenix. Sure, there are more Mormons here in the Phoenix area; however, even the Mormon population is not that socially conservative. There is a very sizable gay population here. I'm not sure if it is still true, but Phoenix used to be home to more gay bars per capita than any other city in the country. The light-rail (12th busiest system in country - on par with metro size) continues to expand throughout the valley and proposed commuter rail is being studied. There are a lot of in-fill projects in the works for downtown and midtown Phoenix even though it competes with Tempe and Scottsdale which are both experiencing significant growth.
Do I love everything about Phoenix? No. However, the way some posters on CD portray the Phoenix metro (as if they're qualified to give advice about it) is simply inaccurate especially considering they've never lived here nor spent significant time here and I'd probably take them more seriously if they had. Nobody has to like any city and the are certainly entitled not to. Yet, even after spending 17 years in Tucson, there were plenty of things that I'm sure I did not get to see or experience and the same can be said for Phoenix after being here for 5 years.
Why can't you just accept that most people don't think highly of Phoenix? If you like it. Fine. Many people find the city dull and unlivable, especially compared to a place like San Diego. What's funny is that many people in Phoenix would probably prefer to live in San Diego themselves. Most just can't afford it or have some aversion to living in the state of California. That doesn't stop people from trying to make Phoenix look like it's an extension of Southern California in the process.
To the OP: Do yourself a huge favor and go to San Diego. Phoenix is for families and older people. There is a large contingent of young people, but they are spread out all over.
Why can't you just accept that most people don't think highly of Phoenix? If you like it. Fine. Many people find the city dull and unlivable, especially compared to a place like San Diego. What's funny is that many people in Phoenix would probably prefer to live in San Diego themselves. Most just can't afford it or have some aversion to living in the state of California. That doesn't stop people from trying to make Phoenix look like it's an extension of Southern California in the process.
Listen...I don't come to these boards to boost Phoenix. In fact, most of my posts are discounting ridiculous claims by some posters who seem to have more of an investment in making Phoenix, Arizona, or other cities look as horrible as possible by making stupid, faulty assumptions. Furthermore, I really do not care whether you or any other misinformed poster thinks highly of Phoenix. I initially joined CD years ago because I thought it was an interesting place to LEARN about other cities. Lastly, if you actually believe you are the spokesperson for what "most people" think on any type of subject, you are sorely mistaken. I mean, do you really believe you've got that much power?
This one is probably brought to you by the same people who claim that "Arizona has the most boats per capita in the country."
I'm glad that you found the time to make such an informed contribution in order to improve our lives.
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