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I suspect that Voebe is referring to the perceived racism as it relates to our immigration issues rather than as it relates to the black (or Asian) community in Arizona.
You're welcome.
I understand the backlash over SB 1070, I saw a lot of undercover racism in that law. It was written and passed by a right-wing state legislature so I just considered the source.
But painting all of metro Phoenix or the state of Arizona as racist is being short-sighted, besides it's too general.
Most ordinary people I come across are very accepting of the different races, national origins, religions, and gender preferences. This is Arizona, not Mississippi.
I understand the backlash over SB 1070, I saw a lot of undercover racism in that law. It was written and passed by a right-wing state legislature so I just considered the source.
But painting all of metro Phoenix or the state of Arizona as racist is being short-sighted, besides it's too general.
Most ordinary people I come across are very accepting of the different races, national origins, religions, and gender preferences. This is Arizona, not Mississippi.
Well said Java Jolt! I am an African American who moved here from the South, which I loved. As for racism, you will find that in every city in our nation and abroad. Remember, you are dealing with people.
Now, to answer your question about moving from Atlanta. Phoenix and Atl could not be further apart. Atlanta has a large African American population and culture whereas Phoenix doesn't. Phoenix's culture is not as easy to define because you have people moving here from all over the nation. It's still developing. However, I have loved living out here for the past 12 years. Yes, there is the SB1070 issue which I believe the national media blew out of proportion because Texas, Georgia and other states also have restrictive immigration laws comparable to AZ's.
If you come to AZ and see it for what it is and you don't try to compare it to other places you'll do well. It's not Atlanta, New York, LA, Houston or Chicago. Honestly, those of us who live here don't ever want it to become those places!
Come out and see it for yourself. That way you can base your important decision on knowledge, not opinion. Good luck!
Lots of discussion about race relations considering the OP barely mentioned it and did not seem very concerned. Her post suggests to me that she has the right attitude to do very well with respect to that issue and will like what she finds if/when she comes to Phoenix. Maybe it would be better to focus on some of the other things she cares about.
Airport: Phoenix has a great airport with cheap (relatively) flights to many place due to the huge Southwest Airlines operation here.
Lakes: As post above says we have lakes. But probably different than what you expect. Ours are reservoirs in the canyons near Phoenix. The water is clear and the scenery ranges from eye candy to eye-popping. There are also small ponds around the city - some in subdivisions and some in parks. It is a desert, though, and you don't have water, water everywhere like some places. There are high mountains about 2 hours north of Phoenix where you can find small lakes and even forests and streams with trout, bears, deer and elk.
Last edited by Ponderosa; 09-07-2011 at 10:56 AM..
I am looking for:
- Warm, mild weather year around, sun more than rain - year around, absolutely not .... phoenix gets very hot in the summer ... one nice thing is that unlike other places I've lived it's pretty easy to change your climate on a manageable weekend trip .... you want to cool off in the summers or get into some snow in the winters you can head north a couple hours in the mountains - a little bit further you can be in the mountains of eastern AZ or mountain areas in CA ... back in the NE & upper midwest I could drive for 6-10 hours and still be in the same climate
- Lots of culture (plays, theater, museums, opera, love performances) - yes & very underated ... we don't have a centralized arts district, but there is a ton to do .... from student productions at ASU, to full productions at the gammage, to things downtown at the orpheum, symphony hall & other venues, to the scottsdale performing arts center, to little community theaters there is a lot to keep you occupied .... some good local talent and being a large metro many renowned touring acts stop here .... there are also small, but nice ethnic festivals ... I've been to the Scottish, Greek, Japanese & Polish ones since I've been out here and all have been well done ..... the performance/arts scene doesn't come right out and bite you, but once you go to a couple and get looped in the area really opens up
Museums are kind of all over the place - the Musical Instrument Museum is unique and very cool, the Heard is awesome for some native culture, plus you have some standard museums (art, science, etc) ... those type maybe aren't as prominent as other majore cities, but still fairly nice
- Close to a body of water - river, lake, ocean - is there a lake near/in Phoenix? - covered extensively by others
- Laid back people - yeah, I would say so .... aside from occasional road rage, it's a fairly mellow place ..... it's not a very urban city though, so working from home you may not see people that much ... neighbors tend to keep to themselves a bit more ... with a good attitude you'll find your spot, but many have gotten lost in the mix a bit
- I date interracially – city open/accepting - I haven't seen an issue, although I'm not in such a relationship .... topic has been discussed here before and it seems like for the most part it's a non-issue
- Places to go for weekend trips (within train, bus or driving distance) - throw out the train/bus option and grab your car ... you can find some tours that will move you by bus and you can grab a train in Casa Grande (and I believe Flagstaff) ... however, there are a ton of great weekend options and the area is very diverse .... from the grand canyon, to monument valley, canyon de chelly, sedona, prescott, tucson, etc
Neat arts towns like jerome & bisbee
Touristy ghost towns like oatman & tombstone
Kartchner Caverns and other natural spots
- Good Organic Food - it's growing, more restaurants that are starting to focus on organic and/or local sourcing .... bountiful baskets is a neat fruit/veg program that offers organic options .... some good options at sprouts, as well as places like trader joes, whole foods, AJs, etc
- Walkable, parks, hiking trails, etc. - the city itself isn't really walkable ... it's setup for cars, not public transport & feet ..... however, there are a ton of great city parks, county parks, etc .... excellent hiking opportunities, places like the desert botanical gardens and if you drive a little bit out places like the Boyce Thompson Arboretum
- Low crime/average crime rate - some issues with property crime, but overall a "safe" city all things considered
- Near a major airport (I love to travel) - sky harbor is a major airport ... US Airways & Southwest have big operations here ... Allegiant also flies out of Mesa for limited, but decent, discount service
- Nice places to rent - not ready to buy a house - yep
Optional:
- Diversity of people (not a deal breaker as I can live around anyone as long as they are respectable, clean and not loud) - it's a newer city so the "ethnic enclave" isn't really that profound here ... there are some hispanic neighborhoods that are predominately in spanish, but overall the city is divided more by class & income than race .... you can find different cultural events, ethnic restaurants, things of that nature .... but they will not be concentrated like other cities
- Public transportation - I do have a car so this is no big deal - as mentioned public transport is fairly poor .... light rail is pretty decent, but relatively limited .... the bus system is fairly slow and can be painful the longer distance, more transfers you need to take ... phoenix is just a giant grid
- Low/average cost of living (can be negotiable for the right place) - cost of living is pretty low here, IMO
Thank you all so much for the comments. It sounds like Phoenix would be a good place to move. I am used to the heat living in Atlanta, and I doubt it would bother me, I prefer heat over cold, and can deal with temps over 100. Ideally 70s would be my preference, but I would rather have a hot summer and the rest of the year warm. I don't care about race relations, I can get along with all types of people. I guess I just have a nice face The more replies I get the better... thanks! What about the scorpions? Is that a big issue in Phoenix or does it just depend on where you live (different parts of town)?
We've had African American women ask or post these threads in the past and in the past, I've discouraged those particular women to move here because they were seeking a prominent African American community and established part of the city with an African American segment. However, I think you would love it here. Interracial dating has never been a problem at least from the mixed couples I know and I see a lot of mixed couples in my office. I also feel like the African American community in the Valley is fairly upscale, and educated. That being said, I would probably focus on specific areas namely Arcadia/Central Phoenix, Scottsdale, Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert and Goodyear. I would avoid Mesa and Glendale.
I was just in Phoenix this past weekend and spent time in Tempe and Chandler. I was surprised that I could actually drive around and go into the mall and stores without feeling like it was too crowded! I enjoyed AZ, although I didn't get to spend too much time in the city of Phoenix itself.
Tempe seems like it would suit me best. Its quiet and has a lot of stores. I am not really into nightlife... but am concerned about the arts scene in Phoenix. How is the art scene? Are there plenty of options for plays, ballet, concerts, etc?
I was just in Phoenix this past weekend and spent time in Tempe and Chandler. I was surprised that I could actually drive around and go into the mall and stores without feeling like it was too crowded! I enjoyed AZ, although I didn't get to spend too much time in the city of Phoenix itself.
Tempe seems like it would suit me best. Its quiet and has a lot of stores. I am not really into nightlife... but am concerned about the arts scene in Phoenix. How is the art scene? Are there plenty of options for plays, ballet, concerts, etc?
Glad you liked it here.
I guess the answer to your last question depends on the answer to another: What do you mean by "plenty of options"? We have an opera company, a ballet, some small theatre companies and as the 5th or 6th largest city in the US we're a stop on tours for most big-name acts. There's an art scene in downtown Phoenix centered around Roosevelt Row, but it's still kind-of in development. Tempe is a college town and has most of the attenant features of one.
I split my time between here and Denver these days, and can tell you that Denver still has more going on culturally. For every single art gallery in Phoenix, they have 3. They have a thriving and vibrant downtown and multiple colleges and universities, whereas Phoenix has a still-sleepy downtown and basically just ASU and one smaller religious college. Phoenix is developing as an urban center, but it's still a car-dependent megalopolis with most of its population housed in master-planned developments indistinguishable from one another.
But that's not to say you wouldn't find a home here. My "city" isn't the Phoenix area at large, but only about 9 square miles in the center of it where I live. I rarely need to go beyond that area to get what I want or need. If you moved to Tempe or Central Phoenix you'd likely find some similar adaptation. Always good to look before you leap, of course.
I guess the answer to your last question depends on the answer to another: What do you mean by "plenty of options"? We have an opera company, a ballet, some small theatre companies and as the 5th or 6th largest city in the US we're a stop on tours for most big-name acts. There's an art scene in downtown Phoenix centered around Roosevelt Row, but it's still kind-of in development. Tempe is a college town and has most of the attenant features of one.
I split my time between here and Denver these days, and can tell you that Denver still has more going on culturally. For every single art gallery in Phoenix, they have 3. They have a thriving and vibrant downtown and multiple colleges and universities, whereas Phoenix has a still-sleepy downtown and basically just ASU and one smaller religious college. Phoenix is developing as an urban center, but it's still a car-dependent megalopolis with most of its population housed in master-planned developments indistinguishable from one another.
But that's not to say you wouldn't find a home here. My "city" isn't the Phoenix area at large, but only about 9 square miles in the center of it where I live. I rarely need to go beyond that area to get what I want or need. If you moved to Tempe or Central Phoenix you'd likely find some similar adaptation. Always good to look before you leap, of course.
Cheers!
That is quite typical and it is both good and bad. The good is that one can live in a small area and have most of what they need. The bad is that it leads to thinking that "there is nothing here" or "that side of town is ghetto" or "this side of town is snobs".
I think there is a lot more culture in the area including food, arts, and theatre than most people appreciate - albeit scattered. I've been fascinated following this forum at all the places and diversity I had never heard of or imagined you could find here, and I have lived here for 40 odd years. One might have to venture to Mesa for one thing, over to Chandler or Scottsdale for another and even to Glendale and the western burbs for something else. But I think there is much, much more here than meets the eye or falls into the experience of those of us who rarely go beyond 10 miles from home.
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The more replies I get the better... thanks! What about the scorpions? Is that a big issue in Phoenix or does it just depend on where you live (different parts of town)?
