High number of people seem to want to leave

[ctr88]

Although I didn't move to az, I have chime in and say I'm another case of some who moved for lower taxes and lower home prices. I moved from CA to WA State. Went from a whopping 10% state income tax in CA to ZERO income tax in WA. I have a small business and I moved it. In CA was tired of seeing high income people busting their butts in the private sector taxed to death to pay all those fat cat six figure Government pensions in CA. A lot of the Northeast U.S. has insanely high taxes, pension issues, etc.. I grew up there and wouldn't move back because I would get crushed by taxes. I think the lower tax states and "right to work" states will get most of the pop growth and job growth in the future. And I'm not really a political guy. I'm an independent and have views that lean on both sides.

[aboveordinary]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I'm not sure if people leave the state due to politics but from personal experience, I know people who don't move here due to our political climate. I get that you can't please everyone but consider what type of people you are going to attract with conservative social policies. Do you want to attract white collar educated people that create jobs or do you want to attract blue collar neoconservatives? Even educated white Republicans are socially liberal. They vote Republican to lower their taxes but don't endorse tea party and evangelical dogma. This is why there has been a shift among educated people toward the Democratic party as they have become disenchanted with Republicans catering toward the Tea Party.

That's what makes me laugh about the conservatives in this state. They want to lure Tesla and the tech industry from California but fail to consider that the people they are attempting to lure are not gun touting, evangelical conservatives like themselves They are liberals who espouse protecting the environment, gay rights, gun control and education spending. Do you really think guys like Elon Musk are people who think Global Warming is fake and endorse people like Sheriff Joe? Do you realize many of them are not even Caucasian? Many of them are born to immigrants and aren't particularly fond of discrimination of immigrants. Get a clue people

Yes, I get that they care about saving money. But when everyone is offering money, you can be assured they are looking at intangibles ie "Do I really want to move my family here?" "Do I want to send my kids to school here?" "Do I really want to live next door to these people?" If Arizona eased up and became more socially liberal, it would attract a lot more educated white collar professionals.

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Politics is one of the reasons I would like to leave. I don't want to live in a liberal, high-tax state either, but AZ has changed in the 40 years I have lived here and it is not for the better. You hit it on the head with the social conservative angle. AZ was just as conservative 40 years ago. We have never been blue. But we also were not crazy like now. We voted in the occasional Democrat when it was clear he was the best candidate. We even voted for a Mexican-born democrat at one point - Raul Castro. We voted for expanding health care to millions of our residents beyond what was required by Medicaid. We built new schools and repaired others. Our universities were financially accessible.

Today, we seem to hate everyone. Our legislature is more focused on divisive and meaningless legislation than dealing with our challenges. We vote for Republicans just because they are Republicans never looking at what their views are. Our legislature, rather than embracing the votes of residents past, now actively tries to unravel the limited safety net set up by the voters. They try to gut and destroy the public school system we once supported. The schools are crumbling, the buses are broken down, art and music are gone, and the funding has been slashed as the student body has "browned". The libertarian views of live and let live that characterized this state have been replaced by a vindictiveness toward gays, workers and womens rights, and an ugly attack driven by bigotry on hispanics that has sullied our reputation. Our state has become an ugly place politically - not more conservative, just more self-serving and vicious. Once the envy of many, our state is now the brunt of jokes. I am embarrassed to tell people I live here anymore.

This is why I stay out of Arizona. Arizona has beautiful parts like Flagstaff and Sedona but the Social Conservative politics make it ugly. I have Hispanic friends that won't go into Arizona out of fear.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by aboveordinary

This is why I stay out of Arizona. Arizona has beautiful parts like Flagstaff and Sedona but the Social Conservative politics make it ugly. I have Hispanic friends that won't go into Arizona out of fear.

No offense but this is getting a bit "boogey man" Cmon, Hispanic friends won't go into Arizona out of fear? I'm Hispanic and I deal with no prejudice on a daily basis. 1/3 of the state is Hispanic. Yes, we have problems but this isn't Mississippi circa 1960's.

And you do realize it hasn't always been this way. Not long ago, the state voted for a perceived lesbian as Governor (she is not a lesbian just perceived to be one). Tempe had an openly gay mayor. The sheriff of Pinal (Tucson) County is openly gay. Jim Kolbe was a former congressman that was openly gay. We have an openly bisexual congresswoman in Kirsten Sinema. Arizona voted against an anti-gay marriage bill in 2006 (we overturned it in 2008). We just legalized medical marijuana.

Arizona has a long way to go but we aren't that bad.

[Drewjdeg]

I'm pretty sure most states have one of these threads up right now. (I just finished reading one like this in the Connecticut forum). Its seems like lots of people, everywhere, are not satisfied where they live.

[omaraz]

It appears that according to the article many people are moving because of the lack of job opportunities. That's understandable. I lived in Arizona for 10 years before moving and I moved to be closer to family. I think a lot of people who moved to Arizona did because the cost of living was much lower (before the housing boom, it still isn't bad) than many larger places in the US, beautiful scenery, constant sun and no snow (at least in the desert). With that said I think a lot of people who moved to Arizona did so because they fell in love with the idea of the life they imagined in Phoenix. I think with some people when the "novelty" of the idea wears off they have to answer the question of whether or not they truly want to stay in Arizona (which is probably the same question they asked themselves when they moved to the state). As many have stated here, Arizona is very transient people will always continue to come and go.

[11Hungrybb]

Originally Posted by ctr88

Although I didn't move to az, I have chime in and say I'm another case of some who moved for lower taxes and lower home prices. I moved from CA to WA State. Went from a whopping 10% state income tax in CA to ZERO income tax in WA. I have a small business and I moved it. In CA was tired of seeing high income people busting their butts in the private sector taxed to death to pay all those fat cat six figure Government pensions in CA. A lot of the Northeast U.S. has insanely high taxes, pension issues, etc.. I grew up there and wouldn't move back because I would get crushed by taxes. I think the lower tax states and "right to work" states will get most of the pop growth and job growth in the future. And I'm not really a political guy. I'm an independent and have views that lean on both sides.

I was a 33 year resident of Los Angeles, California and this is true. It's in a major quagmire/decay due to decades of leftist policies.

[11Hungrybb]

Originally Posted by autism360

I am simply making an observation based on the facts of the poll, why are you trying to silence my voice?
I am having trouble with the fact that out of the list of top 10 states that have the highest number of people that want to leave their state 9 let me repeat 9 just happen to be Democratic states.
I do no think most fair minded people would agree that it is simply a coincidence.
The other column that has people less likely to move is more evenly split closer to 50/50.
Shooting the messenger does not change the message.

Yep...

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

No offense but this is getting a bit "boogey man" Cmon, Hispanic friends won't go into Arizona out of fear? I'm Hispanic and I deal with no prejudice on a daily basis. 1/3 of the state is Hispanic. Yes, we have problems but this isn't Mississippi circa 1960's.

And you do realize it hasn't always been this way. Not long ago, the state voted for a perceived lesbian as Governor (she is not a lesbian just perceived to be one). Tempe had an openly gay mayor. The sheriff of Pinal (Tucson) County is openly gay. Jim Kolbe was a former congressman that was openly gay. We have an openly bisexual congresswoman in Kirsten Sinema. Arizona voted against an anti-gay marriage bill in 2006 (we overturned it in 2008). We just legalized medical marijuana.

Complainers/attackers don't want to hear or comment on those things.....they just want to bash for bashing sake I think. Go figure.

[bigbuglf]

Originally Posted by Dan9190

Born and raised in the upper midwest, and have traveled the world for personal and professional purposes. Back in the mid eighties I began spending a week or so a year in the Phoenix area...gradually increasing my time in Arizona to over half the year, and buying a home here about five years ago. I am now an Arizona resident. More important, I am proud to call myself an Arizona resident. I could list fifty reasons why I moved to Arizona...but the primary reason is the people. For the most part, the people here are fair and friendly, and hard working like where I came from. I cannot truthfully make this statement about most of the cities I have spent time in across the world. We have a pretty good deal here, in my opinion.

I quite agree! I think that is one of the better things about AZ. The people here, in general, are nice and not clannish. Maybe because so many of us came from somewhere else? Also, people seem to have a wide variety of interests because there is so much to do here.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by bigbuglf

I quite agree! I think that is one of the better things about AZ. The people here, in general, are nice and not clannish. Maybe because so many of us came from somewhere else? Also, people seem to have a wide variety of interests because there is so much to do here.

I miss that about AZ. People are not clannish there. People there genuinely want to become friends and get to know you because they just moved there too. It's not unusual to meet random people and make friends with them there. It's hard to get that same dynamic in other cities. In L.A. for example, people don't want you to enter their friendship circle. In L.A., if you are open and friendly, they perceive you as being strange or weak and lose respect for you. In Phoenix if you are friendly, it's seen as a good thing and is welcomed. In Phoenix, people routinely meet new people on a daily basis because half the Valley moved here after 1990.