moving from CT to Phoenix...advice please! (Mesa, Glendale: lease, movers)

[melaniejy]

My husband, son (3 1/2) and I are looking to move to the Phoenix area come summer 2011. My brother is moving that way for health reasons (he has a joint disorder and needs to be living in dry heat) and we've decided it's time for the fam to see what else is out there...sick of these NE winters!
We have never been to AZ before, in fact we've only been off the east coast to go to San Diego for our honeymoon. It is probably smart to take a short trip out to Phoenix to get a look around first, and I'm thinking at that time we can explore the area and try to find a safe, decent place to live. I've been told the schools are not what they are in CT, so that's a concern but there's always private schools right?
The only source of info about Arizona at all that I have is off the internet, so any advice AT ALL is welcome! My husband works for Terminix pest control and is hoping for a transfer. I have a B.A. in psych but have been working as a server/bartender so I'm sure I'd be able to find a job doing that. I'm looking to get any kind of direction or insight

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by melaniejy

My husband, son (3 1/2) and I are looking to move to the Phoenix area come summer 2011. My brother is moving that way for health reasons (he has a joint disorder and needs to be living in dry heat) and we've decided it's time for the fam to see what else is out there...sick of these NE winters!
We have never been to AZ before, in fact we've only been off the east coast to go to San Diego for our honeymoon. It is probably smart to take a short trip out to Phoenix to get a look around first, and I'm thinking at that time we can explore the area and try to find a safe, decent place to live. I've been told the schools are not what they are in CT, so that's a concern but there's always private schools right?
The only source of info about Arizona at all that I have is off the internet, so any advice AT ALL is welcome! My husband works for Terminix pest control and is hoping for a transfer. I have a B.A. in psych but have been working as a server/bartender so I'm sure I'd be able to find a job doing that. I'm looking to get any kind of direction or insight

There's a tremendous amount of information you'll find already posted on these boards for newcomers. Your best bet would be to do a search for the topics of interest to you in the Phoenix forum.

Since the Phoenix metro area has a population of approximately 4 million people, the possibilities are endless. Once you narrow down your unanswered questions, people will be more than happy to give to plenty of advice!

[redjan1225]

You'll get a lot of recommendations on here to secure your jobs prior to moving. The job market here is terrible right now.

Also, I would advise coming out and visiting your brother in the summer prior to making a commitment to move your family across country. Our summers are easily just as annoying as your winters. Some people just can't handle the heat or the low humidity.

I don't have any kids in schools, but you will hear differing things about our educational system here. Yes, there are public and private options available to you.

Summer can be a rough time to move to the Phoenix area. I moved here on June 10th of 2004 and we had professional movers help us. One of them suffered heat stroke and passed out on my lawn. I felt awful for him. And the heat only increases as the summer wears on. Then starting around August, the humidity increases.

I'm not trying to discourage you from moving here. I just want to emphasize the importance of a visit or two before making a final decision. CT is very, very different. Also, it would be a good idea to rent prior to purchasing a home so you get a feel for what part of the area you'd like to live in.

[Ritchie_az]

Originally Posted by redjan1225

You'll get a lot of recommendations on here to secure your jobs prior to moving. The job market here is terrible right now.

While I completely agree that the best advice is to first secure employment, the job market here is actually not bad right now. Unemployment is at 8.9% (and falling) and is below the national average. Phoenix had the third most job growth between Sept '09 and Sept '10 in the country. There have been a number of articles lately stating that the job situation (for one reason or another) in Phoenix is looking up.
It's hard to believe, but Phoenix has one of the hottest job markets in the country right now.

[Captain Bill]

Phoenix is a large central city in the Phoenix Metropolitan area with many surrounding suburbs. It is quite spread out, so it's very important to know where you're going to work before choosing an area to live.

You can Google the major Metro area cities to learn about each, and also Google the school districts within the cities.

Then you can search for the police reports which will tell about crimes occurring in various areas. (No area is crime free)

Here are most of the cities:
Surprise
El Mirage
Litchfield
Goodyear
Avondale
Glendale
Scottsdale
Fountain Hills
Tempe
Chandler
Mesa
Gilbert
Queen Creek

In addition to searching on Google you can search the threads on City Data for a subject and you'll find various opinions. Some are objective; some are subjective; and some are biased, so you have to weigh each of them.

[cacto]

you better visit during summer first

[melaniejy]

thank you all for your advice! I have been looking through info on here and will continue to do so. We have been in southern Cali in late summer, and I assume (perhaps wrongly?) that summers are about the same, maybe hotter in AZ since it's not near the ocean. We would def be renting before buying, I feel much more comfortable renting and getting to know what's out there before buying.
All in all, we will be moving there regardless. Since my brother is headed that way for his health and will be needing joint replacement, he is somewhat a catalyst for our move, but not the only reason.

[manskewl]

my suggestion is to rent in the FAR north valley, FAR east valley etc... to start. If you flub up and pick a bad neibhorhood to start,which is very easy btw,blocks can seperate the ghetto from million plus home in central city areas you will hate life for 12 months waiting for the lease to be up. My suggestion is Verde valley, Flag, TUCK-SON, anywhere but here. Born raised 3rd generation and leaving soon...

[Jnvlv247]

I think the best thing to do is to just come here and live. No sense freaking yourself out over everything ppl may say here

I moved here from CT and I love it!!

[Captain Bill]

You'll love the pleasant winters here, and the rest of the non-summer months.

The humidity is very low except for a month or so in the monsoon season, so the dry heat that you need is here.

The summers get hot, but it only takes a couple of summers to get accustomed to, as long as don't mind the heat.

I'll take the hot summers any day over the northern winters.