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The LA Forum had a few threads questioning why many people didn't view LA as the "be all end all" haven that it is portrayed as by so many. So I presented my POV on the subject. I figured I could give them some keen insight on the topic considering I lived there for twenty years and in Phoenix for nine years, by CHOICE. I was not financially forced to move to Phoenix, which is the main belief (possibly true) people have about LA transplant living in Phoenix. Some Phoenicians are seen as bitter valley residents who could not hack it in LA and now they are a group bitter and jealous people dying to get back to LA, only if they could afford to. This does not apply to me, so I figured I would give the the most objective opinion possible and shed a little light on the flaws of LA, because many Los Angelenos believe LA in con free; and if you see anything wrong with it you are crazy.
Now, being from Phoenix and providing an opinion about LA I knew I was asking for trouble it went like this:The Conundrum of LA.
If you want to skip the original thread you can read on. I posted the ending below.
I was trying to be positive on LA's behalf, but people kept attacking Phoenix's usual suspect, "the weather!!." After a few exaggerations that I debunked and the many frivolous attacks on the weather, I was asked this question:
Quote: Originally Posted bymbell75 ...and how is your quality of life in Phoenix while its in the triple digits 4 months out of the year and you are forced to be indoors?
I knew I liked Phoenix, but this question and previous back and forth on the thread made me realize not only did I like Phoenix, but I love Phoenix. I was forced to evaluate the question before I answered it. This is what I said and I thought it would be cool for some of the people who are under the LA hype machine and think Phoenix is the pits:
My response:
Excellent. If it wasn't I wouldn't be living in Phoenix. I sold my L.A. home for a large gain, bought three rentals in the Mid-West and make a good sum of money. My wife is an RN and I teach, our income would be in the top 9 percent if we lived in L.A. let alone the top 5 percent in Phoenix.
I live in a brand new 3400 sq ft house on a 17k sq ft lot. I have a real theater room and 96 inch windows that make up the back of my house with a view of the mountain less than four hundred meters from my house, downtown Phoenix, and all of the other mountains that comprise the valley. I have an observation deck that overlooks everything. I watch the sunsets and planes take-off from Phoenix Harbor Airport with my 3 year old as the sun goes down. I have 8 ft doorways throughout and 10 foot arches in the hall ways. It is all single story with 15 feet ceilings. French doors off of the master, kit and Family room leading to the back yard with views of the city; I have french doors off of the study leading to the front court-yard. The Kitchen has an island and stainless steel appliances. It is an open floor plan with an enclosed court-yard in the front of the house. We are in the process of completing our backyard with the pool, trellis, gas grill and bar, and fire pit with sitting wall, playground, along with a garden for my wife. I am not going to talk about my 3 car attached garage, master bedroom w/ an enormous closet, pendant lights, floors et al....you get the point.
It is a five minute bike ride to L.A. fitness. It takes me and my wife two minutes to get to the bike trail (view of city and mountains). It takes my 12-15 minutes to get downtown. Things I have done Children's museum, Science Center, Heard Museum, City Scape, D'Backs, Coyotes, Cardinals and Phoenix Suns. Comedy Club, shopping, Dodge Theater, Canyon Lake, Salt River, First Friday's arts displays, restaurants, Civic Center; all the things L.A. but smaller and less of them. 10 minutes to the airport, 18 minutes to school (15 minutes for my wife to her job). The Mesa Natural Museum of History and Science. The Lost Dutchman mine at Superstition Mountain; with in a two hour drive: Jerome, Sedona: slide rock and hiking, Flagstaff (skiing), Camp Verde Wild Animal tour, Tuscon resort, Tombstone, the Biosphere. I have done the Phoenix Zoo, Payson Camping (with pines) Tempe Lake, the Circus, Prescott park in the mid-summer, ATV riding just north of the city (AWESOME) entertainers, Scottsdale Clubs blah blah blah. Oh and I drive 280 mile to Vegas for fun just like SoCal people. And I was at Santa Monica pier Friday, Old Town Pasadena Thursday, Magic Mountain Saturday, Griffith Today. I come to LA ANYTIME I need my jones filled.
The freeways are SMOOTH and free from graffiti. My daughter went to a top notch school (Chandler School District), never had to pick her up or drop her off . My little one will be in the Kyrene School district. Everything is so CLEAN and new. Chandler Fashion Square and San Tan Village, Scottsdale Fashion Mall, Arizona Mills, Tempe Market Place, Westgate in Glendale, The Phoenix Premium Outlet, and the Biltmore........ so clean from filth and riff rafts; the good thing about being a Pink state (voted for Clinton in 96', Republicans don't play that crap) The stores and gas stations are clean except in the "hood." But there is more affordable nice places for the middle to upper middle class to live here, unlike LA (rich or poor, middle class has to live in SVF next to a ton of apts. throughout the city. The rich, but not wealthy has to live far away in Calabasas, although San Marino, South Pasadena, Flintridge and Rose bowl area is where they should live if they can't afford a nice central location like the Hills, Brentwood, and Bel Air) No traffic but in rush hour.
My income tax is 4.24%!!! My sales, property tax and gas taxes are lower (when I left I paid $ 3.39 to fill up!). I am in LA right now, don't let me start on the food prices.
I have a pension as does my wife and we will still get SSN (if it is there). The extra money I am saving is ridiculous. I had enough in LA, but I have so much more here. Other than my mortgage, I have no debt....none, zero. I can go, fly, buy whatever I want when I want, and when I get lonesome or miss LA, I can get in the car and drive over here in five hours and stay ON THE BEACH if I want to.
I lived in LA for 20 years and Phoenix for 9 years by CHOICE. If Phoenix sucked all that much and LA was the crim della crim as it is portrayed I would have never moved and STAYED in little ole redneck-ville, unbearably hot, boring, dusty-ass Phoenix.
There are some things that LA can't offer people and these people choose to live in cities other than LA. If you want the hassle of LA just so you can enjoy the year round weather or brag that you live in LA and everyone is envious of you, that is your choice. I knew better. LA is great and I come back all the time to visit for a reason, but right now, it isn't a place I want to live on a day to day basis.
Every city has pros and cons, you just have to weigh what is right for you. Yea, if I was retired and didn't have to deal with NORMAL everyday grind of LA, then maybe I would live in LA, but why live in LA if you don't do all of the "LA" things on an everyday basis? So, I choose to visit and get it when I need it; and that makes me happy; 108 degrees be damned!
I was born, raised and educated in LA and moved to Phoenix over 20 years ago. I can live anywhere based on my job and I chose to live in Phoenix. I can't speak for everyone else but these are my reasons for choosing Phoenix over LA
1. Income - as a physician, I would make 1/2 of what I earn now in LA. There is too much managed care(HMO's) and too many providers. The area is overly saturated. Overall, the pay and income in LA is not high enough to justify the higher cost of living for everyone. This is why many choose Phoenix
2. Home Prices - In Phoenix, you can buy a large luxury home in a nice gated community for a fraction of what it would cost in LA. Even the most upscale communities in the Valley can be afforded many people. It's not that exclusive which I like. In LA, you would pay the same amount of money for a cookie cutter home in a nice community as you would for Phoenix custom luxury gated home.
3. Cost of Entertainment - I can afford season tickets with club level at all 4 major professional sports teams in Phoenix. In LA, I probably would not be able to afford season tickets let alone club level or box seats. Professional sports in Phoenix is a pleasant experience. The fans are civil and professional. They behave. In LA, you risk running into gang members at Dodgers, and Angels games. Laker and Kings games are overpriced. I don't want to sit in a nosebleed section with no parking for what I pay for nice seats here. Oh, and they have no NFL team. Upscale dining, movies is more affordable
4. Safe - LA has a lot of bad areas. Even their nice and upscale areas border bad areas. You can be in a nice part of LA and if you go two blocks in one direction, you are in the hood. In Phoenix, the overwhelming majority of city is clean, upscale and nice. Sure, we have some bad areas but nothing remotely as dangerous as LA both in terms of scale and threat level. I hated the crime in L.A. It was everywhere. You had to be careful of where you drove and who you ran into on the freeways, because gang members were more prominent.
5. No Traffic - relatively speaking. In L.A. I hated the standard one hour commute everywhere you went. I hated dealing with weekday rush hour traffic on the weekends in LA. I hated how a 3 mile commute could take you 45 minutes.
6. Midwest quality - I like the Midwest quality of Phoenix residents It may be near the West Coast, but the people in Phoenix have a midwest quality. They are nicer, more approachable and grounded. In LA, everyone thought they were someone important even if they were making minimum wage waiting tables. They all name dropped and faked this persona because they lived in LA. There are so many wannabes who want to break into the entertainment industry and most leave after 5-10 years and move back in with their parents in Texas or wherever they are from. The women especially were rather annoying. If they were attractive, they would get courted by celebrities and wealthy men which would provide these women with a false sense of success and security. These women would work retail but would act so pompous because of who they knew. I don't miss that about L.A
7. Proximity to Entertainment options - If I missed LA, I can always drive or fly to the amusement parks, beach etc. I would rather live like a king here and then drive 5 hours versus having to deal with the daily inconvenience of living in L.A.
8. Better winter weather - I prefer the winters in Phoenix. It's warmer and more sunny. You can still wear shorts and bbq outdoors in December if you want to. I enjoy that. Sure, your summers are much nicer, but the nicer winter weather in Phoenix is a perk
9. Schools - quality private education in L.A. is a ripoff. The same quality charter or private education in Phoenix is much more affordable.
10. Airport - I love Sky Harbor airport. It's so easy to get in and out of it. Parking is a breeze with east economy lot. It has enough flights to places I like. And if I need to go international, it's just a short connecting flight to LAX.
Overall: Phoenix is a smaller better quality version of L.A.
I think there is truth to Phoenix being a compromise to living in LA, at least when it comes to money. Even the two people who posted above, who said they could afford to live in either place, talked first and foremost about how much more affordable things are in Phoenix and how much more you can get for your money. 15' ceiling and large lots can be had in LA too...but at a much much higher price...but again, it's about the money, at least that part of it. Even other things...schools? With enough money I'm sure the kids could go to the best in LA. Traffic?
Phoenix does have positives which were pointed out that if you were well off you may still not be able to get away from in LA, but in the end I still think it mostly comes down to money.
Overall: Phoenix is a smaller better quality version of L.A.
While this is a shared sentiment by many. I consider Phoenix to be an equal size version of Phoenix.
I understand the similarities (aesthetics and West Coast Vibe) but Phoenix is a big part of Arizona and as such has many unique characteristics LA lacks (and vice versa).
And just to be mean, Phoenix NFL Team > LA's NFL Team
#6 alone is almost worth living here in AZ. The people in LA are rude and you can't get through the week without having some kind of road rage incident.
Here in AZ, people are much nicer. Strangers say hello to you and I've even had people driving by my house waving to me when I'm outside. Sometimes it feels like I'm in Mayberry RFD.
When I was in Newport Beach, your own neighbors would avoid saying hello when they passed you on the sidewalk.
Maybe Im getting the wrong message, But to me it seems a lot of people need to tell way to much about there life and living standards.
I think people can get there message out, without going into so much detail.
Most people probably don't even realize, that it looks way to much like "Bragging"
jmac, tries to prove his point about life in LA vs Phoenix, but do we really need to know every detail about his house?
I walked away from "Facebook" because way to many people on there lately, seem to just want to tell how wonderful there lives are.
it appears this is the new trend online, to Tell everyone how great there lives are and how much material wealth they have stored up.
Has the world become so SAD?
I Chose Phoenix, because it's Affordable for one, Im not stupid,Im not going to pay a million dollars for a house in L.A. that I could get in the PHX for $100,000.
I Love the Heat, it keeps my allergies at bay.
We don't have hurricanes, or tornadoes or any real natural disasters, so PHX just seems like a great place to live.
who cares if it's percieved as "World Class" it's a great city with a lot to offer.
and "Normal" middle class people can live here comfortably.
So let's all just enjoy our great city and if you have a HUGE house on some mountaintop or whatever, well good for you.
but does everyone really need to know every detail about it.
and the OP said they had this great 3 car garage and wasn't going to go into it.
That's funny, just mentioning it, you already went into it. why even bother?
it's just funny, Im seeing more and more of this attitude online and it kind of makes you feel pity on humans for becoming like that.
If Bragging is the new trend, I wonder what will be next.
If you have the income Los Angeles is a much better city. One city is world class and the other is not.
Better city for what? Everyday living, not even close! You missed the entire point of my post and others. In order to live in a "world class" city, you have to deal with world class garbage; that is the reason LA is never mentioned in best cities to live, but best cities to vacation.
Maybe Im getting the wrong message, But to me it seems a lot of people need to tell way to much about there life and living standards.
I think people can get there message out, without going into so much detail.
Most people probably don't even realize, that it looks way to much like "Bragging"
jmac, tries to prove his point about life in LA vs Phoenix, but do we really need to know every detail about his house?
I walked away from "Facebook" because way to many people on there lately, seem to just want to tell how wonderful there lives are.
it appears this is the new trend online, to Tell everyone how great there lives are and how much material wealth they have stored up.
Has the world become so SAD?
I Chose Phoenix, because it's Affordable for one, Im not stupid,Im not going to pay a million dollars for a house in L.A. that I could get in the PHX for $100,000.
I Love the Heat, it keeps my allergies at bay.
We don't have hurricanes, or tornadoes or any real natural disasters, so PHX just seems like a great place to live.
who cares if it's percieved as "World Class" it's a great city with a lot to offer.
and "Normal" middle class people can live here comfortably.
So let's all just enjoy our great city and if you have a HUGE house on some mountaintop or whatever, well good for you.
but does everyone really need to know every detail about it.
and the OP said they had this great 3 car garage and wasn't going to go into it.
That's funny, just mentioning it, you already went into it. why even bother?
it's just funny, Im seeing more and more of this attitude online and it kind of makes you feel pity on humans for becoming like that.
If Bragging is the new trend, I wonder what will be next.
Sorry my post upset you. I was responding to a question; I chose to go into detail to make sure there was very little room for error in understanding what I believed was high quality of living. I don't post on Facebook either. If you have an issue with people bragging online, don't read it. Some people don't mind the detail, it gives them a clear picture of what life is like for some people.
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. My little one will be in the Kyrene School district. Everything is so CLEAN and new. Chandler Fashion Square and San Tan Village, Scottsdale Fashion Mall, Arizona Mills, Tempe Market Place, Westgate in Glendale, The Phoenix Premium Outlet, and the Biltmore........ so clean from filth and riff rafts; the good thing about being a Pink state (voted for Clinton in 96', Republicans don't play that crap) The stores and gas stations are clean except in the "hood." But there is more affordable nice places for the middle to upper middle class to live here, unlike LA (rich or poor, middle class has to live in SVF next to a ton of apts. throughout the city. The rich, but not wealthy has to live far away in Calabasas, although San Marino, South Pasadena, Flintridge and Rose bowl area is where they should live if they can't afford a nice central location like the Hills, Brentwood, and Bel Air) No traffic but in rush hour. 
