If You're thinking About Moving To Phoenix.. (Glendale, Scottsdale: 2009, house prices)

[azriverfan]

Posts like these amuse me. I'm really not going to start a long essay contradicting the points of the author. There is no point to doing that. People are going to believe what they want to believe regardless of what the facts state. People complain about the weather all the time. The truth is the weather varies each year. This Spring has been suprisingly cool. I believe Snowbowl ski resort was technically open until mid April this year. Everyone likes to discuss the rare extended warm years but they fail to discuss the mild years which also occur in Phoenix. I guess the urban sprawl didn't change the weather pattern of this winter unless it made it cooler.

[airbrat7]

Ok... This is my first post. Please go easy on me.
I am one of those people who will be moving to your much hated city...lol. I have lived in the suburbs of Chicago since 1970. As a child I loved it. No cares, could play in the streets, alot of the times at night, and had the doors and windows open in the summer without worrying about home invasions. Of course over the years things changed, as with any population growth and urban sprawl. It's not the same here either. We have over crowded highways(always under contruction, pot holes, terrible drivers, etc.)The crimes keep getting closer and closer to home. We have had our cars broken into in our driveway, and our town is considered "safe". People tend to stay to themselves, hide away in the winter in their homes, neighbors move out, and the neighborhood doesn't feel like a community anymore. My husband and I have lived most of our lives here. We have grown to hate it here. It's not just the changes I have mentioned, but it's the weather. Yes Phoenix is hot and deserty, has critters, has congested highways and such, but you can't beat the beauty of the mountains and the sunsets, and the sun when you are feeling down. I hate the fact that winters here getting longer and longer, October to April, the weather just downright sucks! Weeks on end with no sun, rain for days til the grass is so long it takes two days to cut it. (then in the summer heat it turns brown and dies...lol)The cold that NEVER seems to end. I can't wait to be in your city that you hate. I'll see you soon with rings on my fingers and bells on my toes! I love this site! I love reading the posts ~good and bad too!

[Synergy38]

This thread is funny... I felt that way about Calgary (Where I'm living the next 2 months) before I move to Phoenix.

They do say that as many people move out of Phoenix as they do move in, alot of people see palm tree's and expect disney land or something but don't realize that they're really moving to a freakin desert.

I am prepared and will enjoy starting my life there. I'm 24 btw

[Garson]

I think a lot of people imagine that they will move to Phoenix (or other places) and all of their problems will go away. After all their problems MUST have been the fault of the city and circumstances in which they were previously living. Life will be all palm trees and warm breezes.......
Then they get here and still have all their issues because some of their problems are internal and they refuse to look within.
Also they have issues here because they made poor choices in where to live and bought homes before knowing the area or where they will work or they are unable to let go of things they liked about home that do not go along with desert living.
This area is not for everyone......I do not know of any place in world that is.
The only thing I am certain about is that the valley of the sun is an awesome place to live...FOR ME!

[diamondd213]

Better than Ohio.

[Phoenix lady]

I really think that there are alot of nicer cities to live in than Phoenix. Phoenix is okay for a while, to experience something different or to try it out, esp if you're young and have no committment--then it's okay. For people who want to settle in--Phoenix feels to me like just a place of "passing through," a transient feeling at best.
There are alot of strip malls and the houses look all the same;I feel the friendliness factor has slipped from a 8 (in 97) to about a 1.
It's okay for a few years or if you have a good reason to be here (good job, etc.), but if you have a choice--look around alot before coming. Only my humble opinion.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by airbrat7

Yes Phoenix is hot and deserty, has critters, has congested highways and such, but you can't beat the beauty of the mountains and the sunsets, and the sun when you are feeling down. I hate the fact that winters here getting longer and longer, October to April, the weather just downright sucks! Weeks on end with no sun, rain for days til the grass is so long it takes two days to cut it. (then in the summer heat it turns brown and dies...lol)The cold that NEVER seems to end.

You have obviously grown tired of the cold, dreary weather of Chicago ... but a lot of us here are equally as tired of the never ending sun, heat, and dry conditions, especially during the summer months. It all comes down to the fact that too much of anything becomes monotonous after a while. I'm sure you'll agree once you've had a taste of several Phoenix summers. The first year or so, most people find it pretty tolerable because of the dry air. However, after a few summers of CONSTANT sun & heat, most of us really become sick of it. The only nice thing about Phoenix summers is that relief is only about two or three hours away in the high country, where temps are in the 70s & 80s all summer long.

Basically, the weather/climate of an area should only be a small factor in why somebody wants to move. There are more important things to consider: jobs, cost of living, transportation, etc. Too many people relocate to the Phoenix area simply because of the sunny climate without considering the more important aspects. I find that too many of those transplants who love our sunshine often gripe about everything else, such as the traffic, schools, etc. It's all about learning to adapt!

[LivingTheSecret]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Hi Bummer and welcome to Phoeni.. I mean these boards

I think that's why we have so many people moving here now, they visited, liked the place and moved.

That's what happened to me. I truly 'came home' when I moved there. Moved away for a year and now I'm coming home all over again.

[dragally]

I used to think this was the greatest city in the world. That was in 1990 - 1993. I moved away for work and couldn't wait to get back here when I retired. Well I came back and bought a house right off the bat. Big mistake. The city has changed so much in the years gone by and I truley hate it here. When I left ,the city ended at Bell road and was a clean "town". Now it doesn't end and is very dirty and ridden with crime. Mexico has invaded us which is good or bad depending. The part that is not right is that they don't want to learn english and they turn the neighborhoods into "little Mexicos". They have made the push clear up to Bell and east into Scottsdale and just keep on marching north. I don't think it will stop til the whole valley is ruined. The drive by shootings are something to be proud of and the demonstrations enough to make you want to go Postal. I live in Black Canyon City so it's not bad yet but it will be. I'm just waiting for some ******* to buy my house and I'm outa here, if my wife will let me. Good luck if you move here. Personally I wouldn't want to raise a pet rat let alone a child here.
Sicerely
Ron

PS: Do yourself a favor and rent for a year or two before you buy. That way you won't be stuck trying to sell a house when you decide you have had enough.

[movin'on]

Originally Posted by Garson

I think a lot of people imagine that they will move to Phoenix (or other places) and all of their problems will go away. After all their problems MUST have been the fault of the city and circumstances in which they were previously living. Life will be all palm trees and warm breezes.......
Then they get here and still have all their issues because some of their problems are internal and they refuse to look within.
Also they have issues here because they made poor choices in where to live and bought homes before knowing the area or where they will work or they are unable to let go of things they liked about home that do not go along with desert living.
This area is not for everyone......I do not know of any place in world that is.
The only thing I am certain about is that the valley of the sun is an awesome place to live...FOR ME!

I think what you say is really true. I also think that where a person lives has a huge impact on happiness. I've lived a lot of places and can vouch for the fact. However, no place is perfect. While I loved the SF Bay Area, I did not love the four hour daily commute to my job. Here I don't have to deal with that. Well, here, I don't have a job either!