Pros and cons to live in Phoenix (employment, school districts)

[bbbmmmlll]

For me, the cons are: sprawl, getting into the hot car or doing yard work in the summer isn't fun, and I start missing trees and forests after a while. I also miss green things and grow tired of the brown everywhere.

Pluses: I can play tennis, soccer, basketball and hike all year around. Feels like I'm living at a resort. When I lived in Phoenix I was more active and spent more time in my backyard than any other place that I've lived. I'll take the heat over wind, snow and ice everyday. I also enjoy wearing shorts all year around. Shopping and eating places are plentiful. And when it rains - it really rains.

[roadwarrior101]

As a previous Phoenix resident, who lived there for 2 years, here is my general take:

Pros:
1 - Weather - I personally think it is very nice from about mid-Sept through May. Some people think its too hot for more of the year, but I think that when its in the low 100s and very dry, it actually feels very nice. When it gets over 110 degrees or humid during monsoon season, that it becomes intolerable.
2 - Cost of living - Coming from California, I was shocked at how far my money went.
3 - Outdoors/recreation - Tons of outdoor activities to do, whether its hiking camelback, driving up to Sedona/Flagstaff, going to a professional or college sporting event or anything else, you won't go bored
4 - Plenty of housing to choose from - Lots of nice, newer developments dot the landscape and you can pretty much get whatever you are looking for
5 - Airport hub - You can pretty much fly directly to any major city in the US very conveniently
6 - Hot women - As a young, single guy, going out in Scottsdale, I felt like a kid in a candy store

Cons:
1 - Lack of character - Sure, it is improving but it is mainly chain stores/restaurants and everything suddenly appeared there in the last 10-15 years (not much in terms of historical/local establishments, unless you're in central PHX)
2 - Conservative slant - Some people may consider this a pro, but people in general seemed a bit too conservative for me (coming from the SF Bay Area). However, given that the metro area has over 4 million people, you should be able to find like minded folks
3 - Lack of intellectualism - This may be tied to number 2, but once you leave the university community at ASU, people in general just don't seem as educated/progressive
4 - Job market - AZ has never had a TON of large companies and it is hurting even more with the downturn in the economy
5 - Home market - Housing values have crashed and foreclosures abound. Of course, if you're buying now, you may get a sweet deal

[MalteseJane]

I would like to know where the original poster lives right now.

[Xica_da_Silva]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Thanks for the con you mention - As a native Arizonan, I can agree with you on the Phoenix area being spread out, I guess that can be a disadvantage in some cases, especially if you own a house in Surprise, and you work in Mesa.

Ha- one of my workmates does just that! And it's horrible! Even though she has an economy car, it's still expensive and takes a long time. Plus, she often gets hung up due to one accident or another while on her way to work. I'm not sure why our company won't allow our dept to telecommute because there's really not a lot we can't do from home rather than in the office...the technology is already in place for us to be able to access our network from home(even remote desktop access!). Seems like such a waste with overhead costs for them, too. Hmmm . Luckily for me, I live downtown, so it's not that bad in my case.

[Valley Native]

My pros and cons about Phoenix haven't changed much in the last few years. Here they are:

The pros:
* Streets and freeways are generally wide and pretty well maintained, which makes them easy to get around on (outside of rush hour).
* Lack of labor unions.
* Laws that tend to favor the rights of property owners and gun owners more than the rights of criminals.
* A relatively short drive out of the summer heat to the high country, where it is 30 degrees cooler in most cases.

The cons:
* The weather (especially the summer heat, and lack of rain)
* Too many NIMBYs who oppose progress, and seem to get their way all too often.
* Not enough reputable corporations that are headquartered here.
* Traffic congestion, especially during rush hour.

[LBTRS]

Biggest con for me living in Phoenix is how spread out everything is. You have to travel a lot to get where you're going and spend a lot of time in the car. Second, the air quality...lots of dust. I can tolerate the blistering heat for the 3-4 months that it is up there.

Pro, the weather for 9 months out of the year.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

Biggest con for me living in Phoenix is how spread out everything is. You have to travel a lot to get where you're going and spend a lot of time in the car. Second, the air quality...lots of dust. I can tolerate the blistering heat for the 3-4 months that it is up there.

I would agree about the sprawl ... but on the other hand, most major metro areas have some sprawl, even the east coast areas. Sprawl is OK to a point, but a city/metro region built entirely on outward growth like Phoenix and L.A. is a little too much. Thankfully, L.A. has become a little more urbanized in recent years, and Phoenix is a work in progress. I think what bugs me the most about our outward sprawl is how some people think that everybody in this metro area wants a house in the far flung suburbs and a big SUV. With gas prices the way they are, and a trend to want more centralized locations, we know that suburban/exurban living is not everybody's desire.

I also agree about the air quality ... however, the dust and all the other irritants in the air are the result of a warm, dry winter. When there is a lack of rain, there is often an increase in pollution and dust. They say this spring is one of the worst on record for allergy sufferers, and a lot of it is because there was not much rain to wash out all the irritants.

[khuntrevor]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

My pros and cons about Phoenix haven't changed much in the last few years. Here they are:

The pros:
* Streets and freeways are generally wide and pretty well maintained, which makes them easy to get around on (outside of rush hour).
* Lack of labor unions.

Except for most municipal workers including Teachers, Firefighters, and PD.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

Biggest con for me living in Phoenix is how spread out everything is. You have to travel a lot to get where you're going and spend a lot of time in the car. Second, the air quality...lots of dust. I can tolerate the blistering heat for the 3-4 months that it is up there.

Pro, the weather for 9 months out of the year.

True, and commuting can be very stressful during crush hour, especially if you have to drive a long distance.

I don't like the dust or air pollution either but it's really not all that bad on the whole, seems to be only certain times of the year.

Nine months of good weather, yes I agree, the horrid heat really only lasts three months. This weekend's record heatwave I think was just a blip on the radar, it will turn nice again for a little while.

[motormaker]

Originally Posted by MalteseJane

I would like to know where the original poster lives right now.

France.