Moving from Orlando to Phoenix (I need info). (home, live in)

[Boatdrinks]

Well Phoenix is about as flat as you can get so if you don't like that in Orlando, you're not gonna like it here. And it's set up on a grid system here so you can literally drive for miles in a long, straight, flat line.

Also, in Orlando you're closer to the ocean which, to me, is a plus. Though I'll admit the thought of the hurricanes and tornados is daunting to me. I don't know if I could live with that fear every year.

If you want something a bit similar to Orlando, I'd go with Phoenix. But if you're sick of that scene, I'd go with Portland.

Also, you mentioned you'd be working at Intel. I'm assuming you mean the Intel plant in Chandler? If so, that's a bit far from downtown Phoenix and Scottsdale. You could still live downtown and commute since you'd be going against traffic (assuming your shift is scheduled that way). Just wanted to throw that out there. If you're young and single, I'd suggest not living in Chandler. It's very family oriented and, personally, I'd have found it boring back in my younger days.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by mickey mouse is dead

Yep...it seems to me that a lot of the things people don't like about Phoenix are the same things I hate about Orlando.

Productive things in Florida? Well, not in Orlando. Downtown Orlando is ok for night life. Then there's the amusement parks, but that's not Orlando, that's Kissemme....but anyway, how many times can one go to Universal or Disney? That's something you do in one week, and move on.

Then there's the jobs. Orlando is all about tourism and service, so all you see is a lot of uneducated people with three or four jobs. All you have to do to get a job here is to go to a Disney job fair and say that you are available any time....boom, you get a job. They don't even look at your qualifications. Therefore, nobody lives in Orlando because of the cultural offerings, people live here because they can make some money to at least survive, without going through a lot of hazard.

Finally, there is no planning, not enough professional sports, no public transportation, and no life during the day in downtown or any other "urban like" area.

If I make a comparison between Orlando and Phoenix at a glance, I could say that Phoenix is better because of better jobs, geographically more interesting, better infrastructure, more professional teams, and a nicer downtown. But I'm still not sure, since it seems like people in Phoenix don't have any pride for living in it.....and that's bad because that means they won't support local activities....we suffer from that disease in Orlando too.

For those who want to move to Florida, I would suggest Miami (good business jobs, good food, lots of things to do during the day, and the best possible night life in the planet) if you don't mind caribbean latino culture, Fort Lauderdale (good technology jobs, better beaches than Miami, good night life ) if you still like the Miami culture, but you want to still be able to speak some english, or the Tampa Bay area (no freakin' jobs, the best beaches in Florida, some good museums) if you want some Orlando "amusement" park culture mixed with your Florida lifestyle.

You have just described Phoenix. I am not trying to be a hater, but seriously, I would look elsewhere. Phoenix is all service and tourism also. I would try a few other places first then come back to this one if you can't find something. We don't even have amusement parks. I don't know, I doubt Phoenix would be an improvement. Where does your family live? If they are on the east coast, I would try to stay on the same coast.

[JeepGirl118]

I agree with London and Drock.

If you are going to look at things with an extra scrutinizing eye - you will dislike Phoenix greatly. Many come to Phoenix with the notion that it is "Paradise on Earth" - silly people. It's bad enough that I am more than willing to tolerate FL humidity and the bugs.

[alterego]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

You have just described Phoenix. I am not trying to be a hater, but seriously, I would look elsewhere. Phoenix is all service and tourism also. I would try a few other places first then come back to this one if you can't find something. We don't even have amusement parks. I don't know, I doubt Phoenix would be an improvement. Where does your family live? If they are on the east coast, I would try to stay on the same coast.

I disagree. Although there is a strong service and tourism industry in Phoenix, it is not ALL service and tourism. There are multiple companies here in the valley that are in other industries such as Intel, Honeywell, ON Semiconductor, Banner Health, PetSmart, American Express, General Dynamics, and Chase Bank just to name a few. All have provided great employment opportunities and options to people in the Phoenix area.

As far as things to do in Phoenix compared to Orlando, that is a different story and it just depends on what your personal preferences are. It also depends on what type of person you are. Some people have the ability to never be bored and be happy and content with even the simplest things around while others will never find satisfaction and happiness even with everything at their fingertips.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by alterego

I disagree. Although there is a strong service and tourism industry in Phoenix, it is not ALL service and tourism. There are multiple companies here in the valley that are in other industries such as Intel, Honeywell, ON Semiconductor, Banner Health, PetSmart, American Express, General Dynamics, and Chase Bank just to name a few. All have provided great employment opportunities and options to people in the Phoenix area.

As far as things to do in Phoenix compared to Orlando, that is a different story and it just depends on what your personal preferences are. It also depends on what type of person you are. Some people have the ability to never be bored and be happy and content with even the simplest things around while others will never find satisfaction and happiness even with everything at their fingertips.

Well you've named just about all the other places to work. *smile* Do you know if Banner Health employs the most people compared to the rest? I think Phoenix is an okay place to live. I don't like the heat and yes, I am bored, but some people really love it here. Different strokes for different folks. I guess I got tired of the area when it exploded with growth. I liked it better 10 years ago....

[alterego]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

Well you've named just about all the other places to work. *smile* Do you know if Banner Health employs the most people compared to the rest?

Yes, I think I did name many of the big employers in AZ. But there are many more that I did not name. Here is a link to a list of top arizona employers that I like to use whenever I am curious about other job opportunities around the valley azcentral.com | Arizona Republic 100 (broken link). I like to go to the company's website for open jobs instead of something like monster.com because I will often find the company's website to be more comprehensive. This list gives a good overview of all the employers in AZ and ranks them based on number of employees in arizona (the number of employees listed is just the AZ number and not the total number in the company). And yes, Banner Health is towards the top at number 2 (Wal-mart is first).

[paleo99]

Originally Posted by JeepGirl118

Mickey Mouse - coming from FL, you will find there is absolutely nothing to do here in Phoenix. There are many more productive things to do in FL. My family is headed to FL in December - and we won't be looking back. There are a couple families that we are acquainted with here that are from FL - and they both want to hightail back to FL ASAP. For one, they cannot stand the amount of rude people. You'll find that the majority of people here are a polar opposite from where you are coming from.

I was about to say, when I resided in Orlando I never met so many vindictive, nasty people my entire life. I guess the combination of a poor transportation system, constant muggy weather, and the combination of Easterners and Caribbean people with an ax to grind make the place hellish. At least in Phoenix you don't pay 8 dollars a day to commute to work via turnpike and the place is close to real scenery and solitude. In Orlando it takes forever to just get away from the sprawl but your never far away from people.

[hikernut]

I don't consider Phoenix to be a cultural mecca. If you want access to world-class museums, there are honestly only a few cities in the U.S. that pass the test. The moderators here don't seem to like us discussing other places, but I think the list is fairly obvious, and can easily be counted on one hand.

During the nicer part of the year, which for Phoneix is roughly October through April, there are plenty of activities to keep you busy if you're open to ideas. Just off the top of my head, there's a pro golf tournament, Barrett-Jackson car show, spring training baseball, NASCAR twice a year, an IronMan competition, P.F Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon. There's a pro beach volleyball competition that used to come to Tempe, but now I think it's in Glendale. Lots of outdoor concerts... some of them are even free.

Most of the pro sports are represented, with the excption of MLS. There's some sort of professional baseball available nearly every month of the year. I think January and February are the only months when you can't go to a live game.

There are many miles of hiking and mountain biking trails available within a half hour's drive from virtually anywhere in the metro area.

Summers are admittedly tougher when it comes to daytime activities. It's a good time for a vacation, some road trips to California, Sedona, etc. Sure, it's not for everybody...

hikernut

[autism360]

I lived in South Florida for 15 years and have lived in Arizona for 6 years now. All factors considered Arizona is the hands down winner.
You cannot do weekend 6 hour trips from S Florida because it is much to far to travel in a weekend to get out of the state,in AZ you can do weekend trips to Vegas, N AZ , CA and mexico if you want a change of scenery,from S Florida you cannot. I suggest you do a map quest search to see how long it will take to drive from S Florida to Georgia or North Carolina which are the 2 closet states from S Florida. It will take you almost 12 hours to get to NC and 9 hours to get to Georgia which makes a day trip almost impossible.
Over 1/2 the population from S Florida are from New York where in Arizona they are from the Midwest and my 15 years of S Florida experience tell me New York City people do not have the same mentality as people from the Midwest.



1. better weather(7 months are better than Florida since you have over 320 sunny rain free days in AZ and the summer is more bearable than Florida)No humidity in AZ
2.closer proximity to weekend vacation areas(california, vegas, mexico and N arizona)
3 less bugs
4 friendlier people( more people with core family values live in Az)
5 better housing available in AZ (newer and cheaper)
6 cheaper food costs due to having over a dozen different food stores in AZ as opposed to 1 major monopoly in Florida (Publix)
7 home insurance costs in Arizona are over 66% less expensive than Florida
8This is the reason I moved (no natural disasters in Arizona where in Florida you never no when life or property will be ruined by a hurricane or a tornado)

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by hikernut

There's some sort of professional baseball available nearly every month of the year. I think January and February are the only months when you can't go to a live game.

Arizona Fall League ends on Saturday. December is off the table but pitchers and catchers arrive in February and sometimes they start having games in late February.