Pros and cons to live in Phoenix (Tucson, Mesa: crime, landscaping)

[normcrok8]

Originally Posted by mysticfire0213

Hi everyone! Just starting to do a little research on a possible move to Phoenix... However, I'm itching for a change and due to health reasons, need someplace where the weather is warm year round. I'm hoping to plan a visit soon. This post has been very helpful and I look forward to continuing to learn about the area!

Phoenix is NOT the place to live if your health (breathing problems?) is a concern. Phoenix used to be a good place to live for people who had asthma, etc. but that was THEN. Its changed now for the worst. PHX now has the 5th worst air quality in the country. The dry, hot air doesnt help winter. I think New Mexico and Utah and Western Colorado are far better alternatives.

[Huckleberry3911948]

i like the art and i like the food.
i dont live there but i do like things about it.

[khuntrevor]

Originally Posted by normcrok8

Phoenix is NOT the place to live if your health (breathing problems?) is a concern. Phoenix used to be a good place to live for people who had asthma, etc. but that was THEN. Its changed now for the worst. PHX now has the 5th worst air quality in the country. The dry, hot air doesnt help winter. I think New Mexico and Utah and Western Colorado are far better alternatives.

and all three of those places have lower wages and more trailers than Phoenix.

[ReadyFreddy]

I don't mind Phx drivers. My pet peeve is tailgaters and we do have those. But I feel better knowing that all I have to do is slam on the brakes (someday) and they'll rear-end me and I'll collect the insurance money and maybe they'll learn their reflexes are not as lightning fast as they think. No one seems to realize you need to keep a distance so that if the car in front of you stopped as quickly as it physically can, you could stop before hitting it. I have a 16 year old niece that rear-ended someone and still thinks it wasn't her fault, he stopped too short.

[miran]

a previous post indicated you lived in arizona for 8 years...BTW Areas in Arizona have the cleanest air in the US....

[cab591]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

That explains it, you are from the northeast which has the worst drivers in the country so you are used to horrible drivers and don't know better...

My experience varies. I grew up in the Ohio River Valley area, and did a lot of driving in Ohio and Kentucky (which is like a mix of mid-western and northeastern driving). I've driven up to NYC, and over to DC several times, and experienced driving there. I even lived (for a year) in rural Mississippi. Compared to Mississippi drivers, Phoenix is full of driving gods.

I'm actually back in Mississippi for the next two weeks, visiting family. Yesterday, I was headed to my parents house, and came across a roundabout. As I was getting on the roundabout, I had to slam on my brakes, and send my car up onto the median -- somebody turned LEFT onto the circle, and was coming right at me! They laid on their horn, and flipped me off, as if I was doing something wrong! Driving around Mississippi, you will see things you would not believe. It's a miracle I make it to my destination every time I hit the road. When I lived here, I rode a motorcycle -- I'm lucky to be alive.

No place has perfect drivers. Many regions have their own driving "style", and it's the people who don't follow this "style" that complain and / or cause problems. When the "style" is to do 80 mph on the 101, and you have some arse in a Prius doing 65 in the HOV lane, that creates an obstacle. I'm not saying Phoenix drivers are good or bad, just different. It takes some getting used to. But, in general, I would say Phoenix drivers are above the national average. They know how to parallel park, they check their mirrors before veering into the other lane, and I haven't once seen someone drive on the wrong side of the road (a regular occurrence on ANY divided road in Mississippi).

[stephen431]

Originally Posted by miran

BTW Areas in Arizona have the cleanest air in the US....

Not Phoenix.

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by normcrok8

I lived in PHX from 2005 to 2011 (6 years too long) and would like to weight in.

PROS:
mild winters (although numerous people dont like mild winters)
low cost of living
numerous swanky restaurants all over the Valley

CONS GROSSLY OUTWEIGH THE PROS:
dangerous heat for half the year, making you a prisoner in your own home
horrendous violent crime
very ghetto
impoverished compared to most places in the country
no culture
taxes taxes taxes (even rent apartment rent taxes!)
illegal immigrants everywhere
Ive never seen so many crazy people in my life (it can be scary!)
economy is grossly out of balance
NO JOBS and PHX is a minimum wage city
BAD BAD AIR!! (5th worst in the country)
the worst urban schools in the country
bad housing market
Phoenix is actually a very ugly city

I will stop there for right now. PHX is so overrated as a place to live its pathetic. I would rather live in a carboard box in Newark than anything Phoenix has to offer. Pictures of Phoenix look nice in postcards and Relocation magazines, only because the photos are minipulated to remove the air pollution. I will never recommend Phoenix to anyone as a place to live unless you like getting drunk, doing drugs, gang banging, committing crimes, sleeping around and working for minimum wage.

Here we go again normcrok8! I get it that you did not enjoy your time here, but really? I have never read a positive post about the Phoenix area from you. I see that you used to live here. Where do you now reside and is it perfect? I doubt it, but if you are happier then I am happy for you. The desert is NOT for everyone. However, I encounter people who have moved here, are wanting to move here and are wishing they could move here on an almost daily basis.

I can even agree with SOME of what you said like taxes on apartments, the transforming culture (so many people moving in and out it's still evolving) and the poor air quality on SOME days. However, to say illegal immigrants (prefer the term undocumented) are every where, the housing market is bad (uhhh, have you checked recently?), very ghetto and it's impoverished compared to most places in the country? C'mon man! You are entitled to an opinion for sure, but please, try to be a little more accurate.

Good luck in your new home!

[high_plains_drifter]

Originally Posted by normcrok8

I lived in PHX from 2005 to 2011 (6 years too long) and would like to weight in.

PROS:
mild winters (although numerous people dont like mild winters)
low cost of living
numerous swanky restaurants all over the Valley

CONS GROSSLY OUTWEIGH THE PROS:
dangerous heat for half the year, making you a prisoner in your own home
horrendous violent crime
very ghetto
impoverished compared to most places in the country
no culture
taxes taxes taxes (even rent apartment rent taxes!)
illegal immigrants everywhere
Ive never seen so many crazy people in my life (it can be scary!)
economy is grossly out of balance
NO JOBS and PHX is a minimum wage city
BAD BAD AIR!! (5th worst in the country)
the worst urban schools in the country
bad housing market
Phoenix is actually a very ugly city

I will stop there for right now. PHX is so overrated as a place to live its pathetic. I would rather live in a carboard box in Newark than anything Phoenix has to offer. Pictures of Phoenix look nice in postcards and Relocation magazines, only because the photos are minipulated to remove the air pollution. I will never recommend Phoenix to anyone as a place to live unless you like getting drunk, doing drugs, gang banging, committing crimes, sleeping around and working for minimum wage.

Are you the guy that write's this blog?

Phoenix Sucks | Arizona Sucks

It seems there is a lot of conflicting thoughts on Phoenix, much like here, there are plenty of people who hate it and those that love it.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I've seen the opposite. Drivers in Phoenix don't pay attention and are inconsiderate. People camp out at green lights and when you honk, they will sit there to get back at you. They sit in the left lane and are inconsiderate to faster drivers who want to pass; in Phoenix you pass on the right not the left. People switch lanes without signaling. People don't allow you to merge when merging onto freeways.

This is so true ... especailly the part about poking along in the left lanes on the freeways! Apparently, many are either clueless or just plain inconsiderate when it comes to the rule about "slower traffic keeping to the right". The HOV lanes are especially bad when it comes to slowies. There are still quite a few drivers who think it's a carpool lane during all times of the day, but that's not the case. It's only during the rush hour times (6 to 9 AM, and 3 to 7 PM) when there is a requirement for two or more occupants in a vehicle ... otherwise, it IS a fast lane! As far as I'm concerned, anybody who camps out in the left lanes and won't move over deserves to be cut off.

Originally Posted by normcrok8

Phoenix is NOT the place to live if your health (breathing problems?) is a concern. Phoenix used to be a good place to live for people who had asthma, etc. but that was THEN. Its changed now for the worst. PHX now has the 5th worst air quality in the country. The dry, hot air doesnt help winter. I think New Mexico and Utah and Western Colorado are far better alternatives.

Phoenix's air isn't the best, but there are other cities which have worse air pollution than Phoenix ... a lot of them are to the west of here! However, I agree that the dry air isn't the cure for health issues like a lot of people seem to think it is. Dry air can be better for some health conditons, but what many don't realize about the dryness is it can lead to OTHER health issues, such as sinus problems, Sjogrens Syndrome, etc.