Phoenix Livin' (crime, homes, scorpion)

[Bravofan07]

A little background, I was born and raised in Atlanta so I do enjoy the city life. My friend has family in Phoenix and he swears by the city, says weather is great, cost of living isnt too bad, and crime is low...sounds great!

But he has only visited and lived for a couple of weeks max.

I am an engineer by degree and have experience in manufacturing. I was actually at a training and the instructor, who was from originally from Idaho, had flown in from Phoenix. Said he had lived there the last 10 years and in comparison to his hometown....was miles different and said he really enjoyed the weather year round.

Sounds like Phoenix area is a solid 2 for 2...

Anywho, for those of you who actually live in phoenix now and have for any length of time, id like to get more opinions..

Is the weather unbearably hot? Large utility bills?
Are scorpions, venomous snakes, spiders, etc. really as prevalant in and around the city and suburbs?
Winters seem to be great, how is the overall food cost (it is the desert)?

Any and all inputs welcome!

[omaraz]

Compared to Atlanta I would say you're friend is giving you accurate information. The crime in Phoenix is much lower and the cost of living isn't bad. You should do fine with an engineering degree just try to have something lined up before moving.

The weather is extremely hot but you'll get used to it, the humidity is non-existent in the summer. Depending on what type of heating/cooling you have the electric bills can get really expensive but everything else is fairly reasonable.

You might see a scorpion or a few depending on where you live in the Phoenix area but honestly in the 10 years I lived there I've never seen a scorpion. Never had an issue with snakes but there are some parts of the city where people call to have them removed, typically desert critters stay outside the areas where people live. It'll be more of an issue in the remote areas of the suburbs. Food is surprisingly inexpensive, especially if you go to a farmer's market.

[observer53]

Whether the heat is "unbearable" will be entirely personal to you. There are dozens of threads here where that subject comes up, but no matter how someone else feels about it, it's not going to be predictive for you.

Electric bills are higher in the summer, how high depends on a multitude of factors. You can go on a managed payment plan to even out the charges every month.

Bugs are not as big an issue as people who don't live here tend to think they are.

[thatguyoverther]

Originally Posted by Bravofan07

A little background, I was born and raised in Atlanta so I do enjoy the city life. My friend has family in Phoenix and he swears by the city, says weather is great, cost of living isnt too bad, and crime is low...sounds great!

But he has only visited and lived for a couple of weeks max.

I am an engineer by degree and have experience in manufacturing. I was actually at a training and the instructor, who was from originally from Idaho, had flown in from Phoenix. Said he had lived there the last 10 years and in comparison to his hometown....was miles different and said he really enjoyed the weather year round.

Sounds like Phoenix area is a solid 2 for 2...

Anywho, for those of you who actually live in phoenix now and have for any length of time, id like to get more opinions..

Is the weather unbearably hot? Large utility bills?
Are scorpions, venomous snakes, spiders, etc. really as prevalant in and around the city and suburbs?
Winters seem to be great, how is the overall food cost (it is the desert)?

Any and all inputs welcome!

Well, the weather affects everyone differently. I guess you should ask yourself: Would I want to deal with 110 to 115 almost everyday in the summertime? In my opinion, it isn't bad at all, but other people cannot handle it. Utility bills in the summer can run high because of cooling costs. In the winter, they are quite low. Scorpions, snakes, spiders, etc. should not be a problem inside the cities/suburbs. People only tend to see them in places that border the desert, or if someone is way out in a remote part of the desert. Food is not expensive at all. There are plenty of threads on city-data that should answer all of your questions and more! If there is anything in particular though you want to ask, feel free to ask me! Phoenix is awesome! Best of luck to you should you decide to move here!!

[cacto]

I had a friend who lived here in PHX for 3 years or so from Georgia and he loved most everything about here. He loved the wilderness, the mountains, the wildlife. He and his girl would take day hiking trips every weekend and had a great time seeing some awesome postcard Southwest landscapes, but the one thing he couldn't get over was the lack of water. He loved lakes and rivers, loved to fish, or just take the boat out and he really got homesick. There's lakes and rivers here but after me seeing the Southeast (as a lifelong Phoenician), we have nothing like what they have back in there. If you can deal with dry and heat, life in AZ is pretty good. If you need lots of outdoor water type activities then you're up the dry sandy creek without a paddle.

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by cacto

I had a friend who lived here in PHX for 3 years or so from Georgia and he loved most everything about here. He loved the wilderness, the mountains, the wildlife. He and his girl would take day hiking trips every weekend and had a great time seeing some awesome postcard Southwest landscapes, but the one thing he couldn't get over was the lack of water. He loved lakes and rivers, loved to fish, or just take the boat out and he really got homesick. There's lakes and rivers here but after me seeing the Southeast (as a lifelong Phoenician), we have nothing like what they have back in there. If you can deal with dry and heat, life in AZ is pretty good. If you need lots of outdoor water type activities then you're up the dry sandy creek without a paddle.

This is great! The Southwest has beautiful, sometimes breathtaking, scenery. However, the vibrant greenery of the Southeast can't be matched because we do not have the precipitation or humidity out here. We do have lakes, but not too many rivers. In order to make it here you really have to let go of where you are leaving. Take it for what it is (heat and all) and you should be fine.

[Java Jolt]

Summertime is our only unbearable season, it can be blazing hot in June and then uncomfortably hot in July and August when the monsoon season arrives because of the heat combined with extra humidity.

Don't worry about snakes, scorpions, and other creepy-crawlies so much, they won't be found except around desert areas or if you go looking for them.