Need advise from Northeasterners in Scottsdale (Phoenix, Mesa: credit, lawyers, neighborhoods)

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by Terrapin2212

For me my ideal place is the middle American kind with down to earth, friendly people who have good family values, go to church, look out for each other etc. I've never before associated Phoenix, SLC, or even Las Vegas as "West Coast"....I guess things have changed. My friend's uncle moved to Arizona a long time ago and described it as a very pleasant escape from California where people were much nicer and more laid back. Things must have changed!

Yep things have changed! Yes, it is a place to escape from California, the problem is too many have escaped from there.

[irwin]

Originally Posted by Terrapin2212

I grew up in a rich suburb of Washington, D.C. filled with New YOrk area transplants and it was ALL about fashions, flashy cars, McMansions, etc. The high school I went to was an exact replica of Clueless and Mean Girls, up to the exact descriptons of the cliques in Mean Girls. Our school district purposely built the biggest parking lot in the district in my high school because so many students had their own cars, including Escalades, Yukons and Expeditions. But many of these people barely made it through college, if they did it all.

For me my ideal place is the middle American kind with down to earth, friendly people who have good family values, go to church, look out for each other etc. I've never before associated Phoenix, SLC, or even Las Vegas as "West Coast"....I guess things have changed. My friend's uncle moved to Arizona a long time ago and described it as a very pleasant escape from California where people were much nicer and more laid back. Things must have changed!

I lived in Arlington for 6 years before moving to Arizona and I can say that Arizona is much more materialistic than the DC area. Again, this is a generalization, but DC is filled with people who have pedigrees and advanced degrees from the world's best universities. In Arizona people over compensate for their lack of both by flaunting (or appearing to flaunt) their wealth. But, that's just my general observations.

[miamiman]

Originally Posted by Terrapin2212

For me my ideal place is the middle American kind with down to earth, friendly people who have good family values, go to church, look out for each other etc. I've never before associated Phoenix, SLC, or even Las Vegas as "West Coast"....I guess things have changed. My friend's uncle moved to Arizona a long time ago and described it as a very pleasant escape from California where people were much nicer and more laid back. Things must have changed!

Vegas and Phoenix are definitely part of the West Coast. Phoenix has more in common with LA than it does with SLC, Denver, or Albuquerque. Phoenix is basically LA without an ocean, diversity, nice summer weather, or the cultural amenities. There are certainly nice poeple here in the Valley, and there are still many family oriented communties, where people are kind, friendly, and regular church attendees. However, a lot of the issues Angelenos moved to Arizona to escape, are now present in Phoenix.

[biophase]

I find this thread hilarious. I live in Scottsdale right now. Do you realize that all these views on "plastic women" or "fake millionaires" etc... are based on yourselves? If I want to meet the plastic women and fake millionaires I would live that lifestyle. Where and how do you end up interacting with these people if you don't like them?

If you want a good old school neighborhood to live in go find one! Don't buy a condo in old town scottsdale within walking distance from the clubs. If you want to be a fake millionaire, go buy the expensive house that you can barely afford. You have the choice. It's not the city's problem. The city is huge. It's got bad areas, good areas, young urban areas, old retiree areas and young millionaire areas.

Seriously, what if you lived on the border of Phoenix and Scottsdale? Would your life change drastically (besides schools) just because your house was on the left or right side of the street?

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by irwin

I lived in Arlington for 6 years before moving to Arizona and I can say that Arizona is much more materialistic than the DC area. Again, this is a generalization, but DC is filled with people who have pedigrees and advanced degrees from the world's best universities. In Arizona people over compensate for their lack of both by flaunting (or appearing to flaunt) their wealth. But, that's just my general observations.

Irwin, since you moved there from the DC area, how are you adjusting to the weather and the landscapes? During my trips out west (been from Boise all the way through the Grand Canyon and Utah) I loved the desert scenery and wide open spaces. Do you or a lot of people who move to the Southwest from greener parts of the country find yourself missing the trees or swamps or whatever in the East Coast, Midwest or South? How does a summer day in Arizoan compare with Virginia?

Oh and I grew up mostly in Potomac/Rockville, very different from Arlington. There its mostly "new money", not the diplomatic/lobbyist/congress types, just old fashioned suburbia. As for pedigree thats limited to parts of the District. Overall the area is dominated by chain restaurants, malls and subdivisions.

[brandiburg]

Originally Posted by LisaZ

Likes and dislikes are not the same - just because I like socially conscious, educated people, that are ambitious doesn't mean I want my daughter to be overwhelmed with one activity after another and pressured into either being the best in the class or nothing. There is a difference between wanting to do well for yourself, and being to the extreme where you sacrific quality of life for work.
Why did you reply? Are you from the Northeast and live in Scottsdale? Visiting Manhattan tells you nothing. Manhattan is very different than wealthy suburbs. I should have said suburb outside of Manhattan. Manhattan has all income levels and goes from rich to poor basically.
This is why it so difficult to get good information from this forum. I see it all the time - people go off point onto their own little tangents. This is not about how you feel - I am asking what Scottsdale is like. Please do not pollute threads with personal attacks thank you very much.

Wow! I really want to apologize for the rudeness of dano's comment and some of the others. I live in Northeast Scottsdale. We moved from San Diego...my husband is an Ivy League graduate (Penn) from the Valley Forge area in Pennsylvania. We also wanted to move somewhere where our children could get an excellent education and have the same education opportunities that our family has had. We live in a very nice community east of Troon off of Dynamite/Rio Verde Dr. It is a quickly growing community with culture, as well as that down-to-earth feel.

There is a lot of resentment from people in the valley who do not live in Scottsdale. We are just people. Good people.

Back to our community, yes our children go to Copper Ridge, a newer school where most parent's income is in excess of six figures. BMWs, Mercedes, and Hummers are a norm...but so are SUVs and minivans. The teachers are excellent and the curriculum is above average. Don't get me wrong, my girls deal with the plastics...they are everywhere. But people should stop judging people from Scottsdale. We are really nice.

Good luck with your move!

[Elmonellie]

Originally Posted by brandiburg

Wow! I really want to apologize for the rudeness of dano's comment and some of the others. I live in Northeast Scottsdale. We moved from San Diego...my husband is an Ivy League graduate (Penn) from the Valley Forge area in Pennsylvania. We also wanted to move somewhere where our children could get an excellent education and have the same education opportunities that our family has had. We live in a very nice community east of Troon off of Dynamite/Rio Verde Dr. It is a quickly growing community with culture, as well as that down-to-earth feel.

There is a lot of resentment from people in the valley who do not live in Scottsdale. We are just people. Good people.

Back to our community, yes our children go to Copper Ridge, a newer school where most parent's income is in excess of six figures. BMWs, Mercedes, and Hummers are a norm...but so are SUVs and minivans. The teachers are excellent and the curriculum is above average. Don't get me wrong, my girls deal with the plastics...they are everywhere. But people should stop judging people from Scottsdale. We are really nice.

Good luck with your move!

What a nice, kind post...you can't live in evil Scottsdale?!!!

I love the area you live in. I live up in Carefree and the people are wonderful up here. Most are transplants...most are great.

Oh, and if you are looking for fake boobs or guys with bad hair transplants, yeah, I've seen it in Scottsdale. Funny thing, once you talk to these people, they are nice human beings with foibles we all have.

P.S. Have you ever had a kobe burger at A.J.'s? I don't eat red meat, but my husband nearly cried at how good it was.

[dano]

Originally Posted by brandiburg

Wow! I really want to apologize for the rudeness of dano's comment and some of the others. I live in Northeast Scottsdale. We moved from San Diego...my husband is an Ivy League graduate (Penn) from the Valley Forge area in Pennsylvania. We also wanted to move somewhere where our children could get an excellent education and have the same education opportunities that our family has had. We live in a very nice community east of Troon off of Dynamite/Rio Verde Dr. It is a quickly growing community with culture, as well as that down-to-earth feel.

There is a lot of resentment from people in the valley who do not live in Scottsdale. We are just people. Good people.

Back to our community, yes our children go to Copper Ridge, a newer school where most parent's income is in excess of six figures. BMWs, Mercedes, and Hummers are a norm...but so are SUVs and minivans. The teachers are excellent and the curriculum is above average. Don't get me wrong, my girls deal with the plastics...they are everywhere. But people should stop judging people from Scottsdale. We are really nice.

Good luck with your move!

I believe this is just a difference in perspective of how one should present themselves to others. I guess my world view is that one (especially one gifted with the attributes to achieve a high income) should be gracious and modest when describing themselves. At the outset, I would never mention that I went to an "Ivy Leage" school or that I had a "> six-figure income" or that I owned a "luxury vehicle." Just the way I was brought up. Apparently I am in the minority.

[londonbarcelona]

I wrote it once and then decided it needed to go elsewhere. Thanks. *smile*

[miamiman]

Originally Posted by dano

I believe this is just a difference in perspective of how one should present themselves to others. I guess my world view is that one (especially one gifted with the attributes to achieve a high income) should be gracious and modest when describing themselves. At the outset, I would never mention that I went to an "Ivy Leage" school or that I had a "> six-figure income" or that I owned a "luxury vehicle." Just the way I was brought up. Apparently I am in the minority.

It's a perfect example of what Scottsdale's about. Trying to dazzle others with your educational attainment, your material possesionsm, and your income level. I guess it must increase their self-worth if they attempt to differentiate themselves from the "average" American. I think the few people who have attempted to dispute Scottsdale's widely known reputation as being a large upper-middle class show-and-tell project think that the environment they live in is just like any other wholesome American community. It's not.