Want to leave depressing Salem, Oregon & move to the sunny Phoenix area - Feedback WELCOME! :) (Mesa: rent, house)

[Storm00]

Originally Posted by sunluv

You owe it to yourself to go for it-sooner rather than later. That's it, in a nutshell.

The weather is glorious; someone like you (I recognize this from my own views) will be in heaven, and will be willing to pay the price and initial tumult of a move. Many people don't have the guts to do this, but I did and you will, I suspect. Yes, it is hot here right now, but then again it's hot in most of the continent now and besides, once living here you make lifestyle adjustments and know when to be in AC. Plus, some people actually like the heat.

That's exactly what I think. I am not worried about the heat, I know we can adapt.

Originally Posted by sunluv

I suggest that you connect with as many people as possible on here, contact the relative/friend here, and start setting goals and timelines to make the move.

Again, that's exactly what I think, and my mom is already in contact with my cousin who lives in Phoenix. Mom mom isn't 100% on board yet, but she's getting there, I can tell.

Originally Posted by sunluv

Moderator cut: RUDE if you apply for work beforehand and during your move, and factoring in your savings, it will happen, be more difficult initially then over time, become easier. That initial move and transition will be the hardest part, as with any move. When you first get here, if you really want to be here, you'll find something/ anything, to pay the bills, until something better comes along.

That's what you, I and many here have done-do what it takes.

I have moved many times from city to city, always without a job, and I have no qualms about taking whatever I can get. Take one, keep applying, take a better one, keep applying, take an even better one, etc., until you get the job you want. Have lots of experience with that!

Originally Posted by sunluv

And there are nice beaches here, plus Cali's 6 hour drive is close enough for weekends.

I know, that's a selling point for my mom - the thought of being so close to So Cal is very appealing to her, lol.

[Storm00]

Originally Posted by Renebo

My wife is from Eugene and she would never go back. she loves it here. We visit Oregon and it is a great place for a vacation, but life in Arizona is a better standard of living.

We moved here in 1998 from NH with 2 kids because we were tired of snow and gloomy weather. We just quit our jobs, sold house, loaded up the moving van and headed west. when we got here in June, it was soo hot! Our first home was a hotel for a couple days. But within a week, we had a house rented and I had a job. My wife got a job within a month. The key is to have savings that you can live on.

That's what I was thinking about doing - either a hotel or a really cheap, easy-move-in apartment until I get a job, because I think where we choose to live will be based on my job and maybe the schools, so I would hate to find a great place in Chandler and get a job in Glendale...

Also, thanks for sharing because it's very reassuring to hear that other people have successfully made a similar move when they had responsiblities to consider!

Originally Posted by Renebo

You would be amazed at what lots of sunshine will do to a persons' happiness. There is nothing like living in southwest. We have tried NH again and then VA after that, but we came back to AZ both times and now we will never leave..

Awesome, can't wait! Salem (and other surrounding cities) is known for having large Vitamin D deficiencies because of the lack of sunshine. And also a high rate of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I welcome the sun like you wouldn't believe!

Originally Posted by Renebo

I have see that the job market is much better here now, plus you do not have to make as much money to live here compared to Oregon.

If you have the moving bug in you, then go for it. But at least come here during the summer to check it out and look at some rentals so you understand what it is like to live here. The houses are much closer than in Oregon and some people like more space.

Good luck.

Thank you!!

[Storm00]

Originally Posted by Stefanie99
Hello. I am trying to convince my mom to move to Phoenix, AZ with me and would very much appreciate any helpful tips/suggestions/thoughts/etc. And yes, this post is very long, I’m sorry – I really hope it doesn’t stop you from continuing on, but if it does, thanks for stopping by!

Some background: I’m 32 and I have a 13-year-old son and my 53-year-old mom who can’t work, living with me. My mom takes care of the house, chauffeurs my son around, etc, and I work and pay the bills. It’s an arrangement that has worked, I have no complaints, except I can’t stand my job and can’t stand the city I live in!

I have a boring state government office job and live in Salem, Oregon. The job wouldn’t be so bad if I loved my city, or maybe the city wouldn’t be so bad if I loved my job, but either way, I’ve applied, applied, and applied for other jobs and can’t get anything, and I’m soooo tired of the grey skies, 9 months of raining winters, and Oregon in general. I’ve lived in Oregon almost my whole life, in Burns, Ontario, Klamath Falls, Newport, Bend, and Salem, which, if you know anything about Oregon, you know is pretty much all areas of the state! I came to Salem in 2004 and chose to stay put, even though I didn’t particularly like it anymore than I liked the other towns, because my son was starting school and I wanted him to be able to grow up with all the same friends, a luxury I didn’t have when I was a kid. But now he is 13, about to go into the 8th grade, and I just can’t stand it. I feel like I’m suffocating here. I believe, in trying to do the right thing and tough it out for the sake of my son, I’ve made myself so miserable to the point where I’ve contemplated walking out on my job, which would really screw my family’s living situation!

I have been where you are in terms of not liking your job or the city you live in. As one who has moved a number of times without work and other times for work, I'd have to say having work sure makes things easier. However, if you have enough savings stored away it also helps. Try not to walk away from your job, if you can. Moving is extremely expensive and every little bit helps.

I will not walk away from it until the day before moving day, I’m sure – I just like to daydream about it! LOL

My family knows how I feel and both my mom and my son have said they would actually be okay with moving to a sunny California city; however, after tons of research I have found that there is no way I could afford for us to live in a So Cal coastal town, and the other cities (Sacramento, S.F., Bakersfield, etc.) have either waaaaay too much crime, super high unemployment rates, or have weather almost as bad as Salem, so it wouldn’t be worth it. After figuring this out, I started to look at Arizona.

I need sunshine, blue skies, and hot weather. I would prefer a beach, but I know that’s not an option, so if I can at least get 3 out of the 4, that sounds good to me! I think the hardest part about convincing my mom that the Phoenix area is the way to go, is the extreme summer heat. She wants warm, sunny weather year-round – however, 100+ degree weather is not something she will be thrilled about. The rest of it, yes. That part, no. If I can sell her on everything else, if the positives drastically outweigh the negatives, then I think I can convince her that spending most of her time inside an air-conditioned home a few months out of the year isn’t a terrible life.

We certainly have blue skies and hot weather, but there is so much more. People forget to mention that in the summer we Arizonans also get to retreat to our mountain cities where temps can sometimes be 15-20 degrees cooler than the valley! Yes, it does get hot and humid like it is now during our monsoon season, however, it has been cooling off rather nicely in the evenings. People freak out over the high temps and believe me, there can be tough stretches that wear on you but that happens three and a half, maybe four, months of the year. The other nine months are just glorious...really! Show your mom the temps in the mountain cities, which are anywhere from 0ne to two and a half hours away. There are also lakes and streams up north if she's into that sort of thing.

I just told her today how awesome it would be to drive up to Flagstaff in the winter, play in the snow, then come back to our nice, sunny, hassle-free home! LOL

I have compiled a list of “positives” from other threads about Phoenix-area relocation (no, I’m not just posting blindly ). But I was hoping that I could get some more specific-to-my-situation-type responses, if anyone has anything to say.

I will just be renting and I have already researched average rental costs for all the surrounding areas of Phoenix and know that they are within my budget. I have also compared some of the school districts and decided that within Phoenix city limits probably isn’t the way to go, so I am assuming I will choose an outlying area (e.g., Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe…) to live in.

I too was worried about the schools when we moved here. I read a lot of negatives, and some of it is true, but no one ever mentioned that there also were some really good public schools as well. My wife and I decided that since Arizona had open enrollment we would commit to driving our kids to the best schools within a reasonable distance. We eventually moved into a neighborhood (Chandler) where the schools are quite good and have been pleased with our daughters' education. So, in short, not all the schools are bad. You just have to do your research to find the good ones because they are here.

I am considering Chandler. Also Gilbert, Glendale, and Scottsdale. Really it will come down to my job mostly, but a good school system is very important to me.

Since I currently live so far away, and since my line of work isn’t the kind that you fly out for interviews for, I will be going without a job already lined up (unless I happen to get super lucky and get hired sight-unseen). I will, of course, have a lot of money saved up to carry us until I find a job. I have researched Phoenix-area employment and I would guess that it shouldn’t be too difficult, even if I do have to accept a lesser position to start with. Do you think I’m right in not being too worried about this? (I do have a cousin in Phoenix that works for the state government, and since I work for Oregon state government currently, I am hoping that might help me land an AZ state government job…)

This is the part where I have some slight hesitations. The fact that you have never visited Arizona and don't have a job is a bit of a concern. Not that I don't think you'd like it, but I feel it would be better for your feet to actually walk the ground and for you to get a "feel" for the place before making such a huge move. As one poster said, there have been many who have moved here thinking this was the place for them only to realize that it wasn't what they thought. On another note, my daughter and I were in the DMV a few weeks ago and the woman behind the desk heard my daughter talking about looking for a job and she suggested looking at state jobs, which she said were plentiful. You may want to look there.

I will definitely be looking at the state office jobs since that’s what I currently do, but I also have a pretty diverse employment history so I am hopeful that will help me land a job quickly, even if it’s just a stepping stone.

So, just to summarize, single mother with two other people to support (son and mom); only source of income; can expect to land a job in the $25,000-a-year range, plus child support bumps it up to about $30,000 a year; moving without a house or job already lined up; one cousin in Phoenix who I barely know; one former co-worker in Phoenix who might be able to help me out with connections; never been to Arizona at all but done tons and tons of “research”; do have lots of experience “moving blindly” from tons of moves (city to city, not state to state) between 5-25 years old; will have to convince mom that summers will be bearable and convince son that he will have no problem making new friends; do have two brothers and lots of extended family in Salem, which might make the convincing even harder; DYING to quit my job and move -seriously - this is not just a fleeting feeling - for the last two years I have wanted nothing more than to move out of Salem, so I think that means I really, really do want to move out of Salem .…So….am I crazy? LOL Again, any feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

No, I don't think you're crazy, just a woman who is seeking change. You can live off those figures here, but depending on how well you manage your money you may or may not be able to do much else. The COL here is cheaper than many other places, but so is the pay! Really talk with your son about the move as that is a tough age to pull him away from his friends and family and bring him to a strange place. The upside about moving here is that people, for the most part, are friendly and helpful so he would probably make friends rather quickly depending on his personality. For your mom we have tons of active seniors here, if she is open to making new friends. As for you, if you could take even a weekend trip here to see and get a feel for the place I think it would be good. Good luck on your decision and please don't hesitate to PM me if you have questions.

Thanks so much for your feedback! My son seems to be excited at the prospect - I haven't talked to him about it more than just very casually yet as I was waiting to see if it my mom will be on board first, but he is an awesome kid, really...friendly, outgoing, smart...he was identified as a TAG (talented & gifted) student in elementary school, and he's VERY into sports. He has had mostly the same group of friends since 2nd grade, so that will be very hard to leave them, but I believe that he can not only adapt, but thrive, in any situation.

[Storm00]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

All I will say about your situation is rent in a good school district. Chandler, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek or Kyrene are pretty much the best performing districts. People criticized us for buying a smaller house in a good district instead of a McMansion in the "Drive till you Qualify" locales but their school systems are HORRIBLE. We settled on Chandler and LOVE the school district, close to the freeway for work and a great family oriented city to live in.

Thanks for the info! Chandler, Gilbert, and Scottsdale are all areas I think we would consider, and the school system will definitely be a priority!

[Storm00]

Originally Posted by mydogisyella

I work for the state. Love my job and the benefits. The health insurance provided is amazing. All state jobs are posted to a database you can find through azdoa DOT gov. There are some search features that will help you sort. Wouldn't hurt to look at the jobs for Maricopa County, City of Phoenix, City of Scottsdale, City of Tempe, Gilbert and Mesa. I mention these cities since they are larger and would likely have more positions. Wouldn't recommend City of Glendale as they are facing big debts and lots of talks of layoffs. Also, usajobs DOT gov has listings for all federal jobs. Also also, look at jobs posted at ASU. They have a separate job listing database from other state job listings.

Awesome, thank you so much for the info! I did not know that about Glendale, that helps, and I forgot about applying with the various 'cities', too.

As someone who has moved crossed country three times, 2 times with a job already lined up, it's not impossible to find a job before moving. My job is a little more specialized though so not sure how it would work for your situation. Anyway, just saying its not impossible.

I will definitely look and apply for as many jobs as I can online close to moving time, but flying out for an interview would not be plausible for me, so I would have to be careful about the timing so I can start interviewing after I get there.

The summers can be hard at first but you do get used to them. The rest of the year is glorious. I haven't looked into activities for kids much as I don't have any but I know the park systems ofter a lot, YMCA has a good network with lower cost activities. Lots of parks, hiking, outdoor stuff that are less expensive to do.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

[Storm00]

Stefanie99
I have a boring state government office job and live in Salem, Oregon.

I dont think the word "boring" applies only to state office jobs in Oregon. Government office jobs are boring no matter where you live. You need to choose a new line of work. Get some schooling at night online if you have to.

I know, I do. I actually have a pretty diverse employment history. I started this job 2 years ago and knew in the first couple months that I was going to hate it, and started applying elsewhere. However, Salem’s job market hasn’t been great and, despite what several major news stations report about other areas of the country, here they like to hire the unemployed over the employed. That’s what I’ve noticed anyhow. So after 2 years of being miserable and the job search yielding no results, coupled with my utter distaste for this city, I thought it was time to finally move on.

Stefanie99
I’m soooo tired of the grey skies, 9 months of raining winters, and Oregon in general.

As a former Eugene resident I can sympathize with you. Just keep in mind that you will be going from one extreme to another. Also, the lack of green trees and grass can wear on some people over time. Others don't mind it because they enjoy not having to mow and do yard work.

Stefanie99
Bend

Bend OR ROCKS!! Plenty of sunshine. Not to cold in the winter, not to hot in the summer. Low humidity. An outdoor adventure loves dream come true not to mention the view of Bachelor and the Sisters. I'd live there in a heartbeat if there were any jobs there. I've got a good job, good references and a masters degree and I still cant find a job there. The only drawback is it's relative geographic isolation and high, almost Boulder CO like cost of living.

Bend was alright – it’s a beautiful town, but too far to travel to a different place, and travelling in the winter is out of the question because the passes are inundated with snow. Also, job market sucks. And yes, pretty high COL.

Stefanie99
I need sunshine, blue skies, and hot weather.

You'll get more than enough sunshine here. It's called the Valley of the Sun for a reason. Tons of heat. The weather forecast may say 113 or 114 but with all the pavement in Phoenix the real temperature is much higher. Take a thermometer and hold about 3 feet above the surface of your local residential street and it will measure around 130 to 135. This is something I've measured, I didnt just make that up. So if you're a heat lover then Phoenix will seem like paradise.

Me, my son, and my mom all have to take a Vitamin D supplement because of the lack of sunshine here. I’m SO over it! And we can handle the heat.

Stefanie99
I have also compared some of the school districts and decided that within Phoenix city limits probably isn’t the way to go, so I am assuming I will choose an outlying area (e.g., Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe…) to live in.

Not sure about each individual city but Arizona in general has the third worst public education system in the country behind Mississipi and ??? some other state I cant remember. If I were you I'd look at private schools. If you cant afford private schools then research the schools in the area you plan on living, they cant all be bad.

I have already begun researching the school systems and Chandler and Scottsdale seem to have the best so far (just from the little I’ve looked at). Oregon’s schools aren’t great either, and I have actually lied about our address to be able to send my son to the school I wanted him to go to, because they are so overbearing about school zones here. I will definitely do my research b/c the school system is a priority for me.

Stefanie99
I will, of course, have a lot of money saved up to carry us until I find a job.

Smart. I've read quite a few sad stories on this site from people who have moved with no savings and no job lined up who then end up SOL or moving back to where they came from.

Stefanie99
So, just to summarize, single mother with two other people to support (son and mom); only source of income; can expect to land a job in the $25,000-a-year range, plus child support bumps it up to about $30,000 a year;

Wow!!! How do you make it? I earn double that of the second number written there, have one daughter not in school so I have to pay for day care and can just make ends meet with a little left over at the end of the month (and I mean a little, like $400). You young lady are my heroe. And huge credit to you for thinking of your son before moving around a lot and making him change schools a bunch of times.

LOL

My family has always been working class, paycheck-to-paycheck. I started working when I was 16 and have worked ever since. I wish I had went to college but I went to high school in a very small hick town and college just wasn’t something very many of us did. I got pregnant right after graduation, moved to a slightly bigger town, and just worked.

I make sure to live within my means – I choose a rent that’s only 1/3 of my monthly income, and do what I can to keep my other bills low. Currently, I have about a $400 a month surplus and that always goes to whatever is needed at the time, like school clothes shopping, fix the car, Christmas, birthdays…whatever it is that month. If it’s nothing, then we will go out to eat, go to the coast, go to the movies, splurge on things like that. It’s all actually very normal to me, lol. I really like “free” activities, so if we can go hiking, bike-riding, go to the park, the lake, etc, then awesome, because it takes little to no money.

However, I am always very aware that if something were to happen to me, things would be very bad. That is a constant worry in the back of my mind. I make sure my son gets good grades in school and I always talk to him about WHEN he goes to college, not IF, because I am going to make sure that he has it a lot easier than me.

Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it!!

[Storm00]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

I live in both. (Salem Area and Arizona). My Mom moved back down there with my sisters a few years ago. The sun really takes a toll on a senior. But the gloomy weather did also. If you have a job keep it and get over the "SAD" syndrome. Your mothers decision should be her's and her's alone. Not your wishes or wants.

All I can say is unless it is a weather related dislike, if you don't like Salem, you are going to hate the South West.

My mother is not a senior yet - she's about to turn 53. She's still quite active and fit, however she has a couple different physical conditions that keep her from working right now. Instead, she drives my son around, maintains the house, cooks dinner a lot, things like that. That's her way of contributing, and she chooses to do that. But I am the only one who brings in any income and I pay all of the bills and expenses, even hers. Her decision may be hers to make, but mine is mine to make also, and I have toughed it out for as long as I plan to. I most likely will make the decision to move, and when I do, my mom will move with me. I just don't want her to think she doesn't have a choice. I want her to feel as if she is making the decision to move also. I am not going to tell her "Mom, we're moving and that's it." Which is why I said in my original post that I wanted help in talking her into it.

As far as "getting over" the SAD syndrome...I never said I had it, for one thing. My whole family is very Vitamin-D deficient, as is most of the Pac NW, and we have to take supplements because of it, all because we don't get enough sunshine. That's ridiculous IMO and I don't see anything wrong with wanting to live in a sunnier, warmer, dryer climate.

Why would I hate the Southwest if I hate Salem? Are there similarities you failed to mention? By the way, most of my dislike IS weather-related, so it problably doesn't even matter, but I'm curious about your last statement.

[johnp292]

Originally Posted by Stefanie99

My mother is not a senior yet - she's about to turn 53. She's still quite active and fit, however she has a couple different physical conditions that keep her from working right now. Instead, she drives my son around, maintains the house, cooks dinner a lot, things like that. That's her way of contributing, and she chooses to do that. But I am the only one who brings in any income and I pay all of the bills and expenses, even hers. Her decision may be hers to make, but mine is mine to make also, and I have toughed it out for as long as I plan to. I most likely will make the decision to move, and when I do, my mom will move with me. I just don't want her to think she doesn't have a choice. I want her to feel as if she is making the decision to move also. I am not going to tell her "Mom, we're moving and that's it." Which is why I said in my original post that I wanted help in talking her into it.

As far as "getting over" the SAD syndrome...I never said I had it, for one thing. My whole family is very Vitamin-D deficient, as is most of the Pac NW, and we have to take supplements because of it, all because we don't get enough sunshine. That's ridiculous IMO and I don't see anything wrong with wanting to live in a sunnier, warmer, dryer climate.

Why would I hate the Southwest if I hate Salem? Are there similarities you failed to mention? By the way, most of my dislike IS weather-related, so it problably doesn't even matter, but I'm curious about your last statement.

Absolutely fantastic response.

[johnp292]

We moved here from the East Coast about a month ago and so far we love it. There's been some bumps along the way (see this thread -> Oh No, Not Another Scorpion Thread! ) but we are still loving it. And its the height of summer so the weather is only going to get better. I agree with the other posters about checking the schools and maybe seeing if you can get a job before you move. I know that's not easy, but its very comforting making that long distance move knowing you have a job waiting for you. You mentioned a casino background there are a lot of resorts in this area. I know nothing of that industry though, and common sense would seem to indicate that its a seasonal business. I've had a couple of brief bouts of homesickness since we moved, but nothing too serious and probably to be expected.

[GSXRScott]

One thing I should ad, and I dont mean to rain on your parade but $30/yr is going to have you living in a pretty sketchy neighborhood and will have your son going to a high school like Carl Hayden or Trevor Brown. If your son is of any ethnic background other than Hispanic he will be a minority at these schools which may make the transition more difficult.

If on the other hand you have extra money and can afford to rent a house or apartment in a middle class neighborhood ($1200/month house, $800/month apartment) both you and your son should be fine.

Avoid west (Carl Hayden High School), south(South Mountain High School - regular shootings and periodic riots, armed cops patrolling the school grounds etc..) and east (Central and North High School) central Phoenix, central Tempe (Tempe High School), central Mesa and central Chandler.

Good middle class neighborhoods in Phoenix are Moon Valley (Moon Valley High School, Thunderbird High School, Greenway High School), Paradise Valley (not to be confused with the town of Paradise Valley) (Paradise Valley High School, Shadow Mountain High School, Horizon High School), Arrowhead, Ahwatukee has some affordable areas, and Arcadia. Most of Tempe is more or less ok. East Mesa is nice (avoid Apache Junction). Most of Gilbert is nice. Most of Chandler, except downtown is nice. South Scottsdale is a good middle class area.