Geek friendly? (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe: home, movie theater, university)

[TheTravellers]

My husband and I are considering relocating to Phoenix (he usually posts, this is my first post). We are in our early 40s, have no kids and like to read, go to bookstores and record stores, watch weird movies, etc ...

My question is would we be so terribly out of place in Phoenix?

[silverbear]

Child-free couples that like to read -- I think those are illegal in Arizona. I've seen a bunch of them working Sheriff Joe's chain gangs.

Seriously, though, why would you be out of place? The Phoenix Metro Area is home to over 4 million people, and no two think alike. There are certain child-intensive suburbs where you might feel a little out of sync with your neighbors, but in most parts of town I just can't see a problem. The bigger question is deciding where to live so that you have the best access to the things you like.

[vegaspilgrim]

If those are the things you like to do, you would want to live in Tempe, or at least close by. Changing Hands (Guadalupe & McClintock) is the best used bookstore in the valley. Valley Art theatre on Mill Ave will have your independent films, along with Harkins Camelview in Scottsdale. A lot of neat coffee places in Tempe, such as Xtreme Bean, 3 Roots, and an internet cafe called E Joy. Record stores-- got that covered too-- Zia on University Dr. A lot of free lectures, guest speakers, free concerts, etc at ASU you could take advantage of.

[TheTravellers]

Originally Posted by silverbear

Child-free couples that like to read -- I think those are illegal in Arizona. I've seen a bunch of them working Sheriff Joe's chain gangs.

Seriously, though, why would you be out of place? The Phoenix Metro Area is home to over 4 million people, and no two think alike. There are certain child-intensive suburbs where you might feel a little out of sync with your neighbors, but in most parts of town I just can't see a problem. The bigger question is deciding where to live so that you have the best access to the things you like.

We are out of place most of the places we go . Seriously, we visited Scottsdale once for my husband's work, and saw a lot of "beautiful, fun-in-the-sun people," and no geeks like us, so maybe my view is slanted.

Also, we are fairly quiet (we do party, just not a lot) and I didn't know whether or not Phoenix is a party city. It seems like a lot of celebrities go there to get into trouble. It might have a bit of a rep.

It's important for us to have a very quiet place to live. Oh, and we aren't really intimidated or bothered by kids, unless they are juvenile delinquents. We actually like well-behaved children!

Thanks for your help.

[TheTravellers]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

If those are the things you like to do, you would want to live in Tempe, or at least close by. Changing Hands (Guadalupe & McClintock) is the best used bookstore in the valley. Valley Art theatre on Mill Ave will have your independent films, along with Harkins Camelview in Scottsdale. A lot of neat coffee places in Tempe, such as Xtreme Bean, 3 Roots, and an internet cafe called E Joy. Record stores-- got that covered too-- Zia on University Dr. A lot of free lectures, guest speakers, free concerts, etc at ASU you could take advantage of.

I have looked at information about Tempe before and thought it sounded pretty cool, but didn't know about the movie theater and bookstore. Thanks for the info, especially about the coffee shops. Can't live without that, though in the summer I expect I would have to switch to iced tea!

[sablebaby]

I don't get how anybody could feel out of place here. We have over 4 million people in the Phx metro area, so there are all kinds of people. This isn't a small town. Anything goes. You can definitely have a quiet life here. I've only seen maybe a celebrity or two walking around here (Alice Cooper - but he lives here). Other than that it's not Hollywood. Scottsdale will get some celebrities flying in for resorts, but it's not like you see famous people all around.

[sweettearose]

My husband saw this thread and had to chime in. He said "All About Books and Comics" is one of the nation's best comic stores and won the Eisner award for the best comic store in the country a few years ago. It's in Phoenix on the northwest corner of Camelback and Central. Yes, he is a Geek which is why I love him.