Planning on Moving to AZ in a few years (Phoenix: rent, mortgage)

[Shaun2.0]

Hello,

My family and I plan on moving to Arizona in a few years. I scrolled many posts on here and other sites and feel like I know a lot about some of the places in AZ. My wife and I will be visiting for sure this April. So we plan on having a good time and also scoping the scene to see if this is a place we'd like to continue rasing our boys. We are a young couple (late 20s) and have 3 little boys. We are from Cleveland, Ohio, her career in Dental and mines in Education. We just want a change of scenery, warm weather of course, and new opportunity. After college, we never planned on staying in Cleveland forever. So with preparation within these next few years, I think we'll be ready.

What caught our attention the most is the clean, modern look of the environment and housing. We want a big home, and from the looks, AZ has plenty.. The city that we kind of end up keep researching or coming back to is Maricopa. The houses there are big, and from what we hear and read, the city is up and coming big time. But of course, we want somewhere family oriented, with a night life, and safe for the most part. So we are definitely open to hearing about other places.. After visiting and doing more research, who knows what our end result will be. But based off the YouTube videos, forums, and articles, Maricopa (the city) is winning and in my opinion, the housing for the buck is unbeatable from what we've compared to the other cities like goodyear, Gilbert, Scottdales, etc.... But there may be a different perspective from people who actually live there, so we want to hear from you...
-What other cities out there are family oriented, have a night life (or some), safe, culture, FUN, etc ?
-Since I'm a teacher, will I be able to find a job? Will my Ohio licence be granted there?
-With my wife being in the Dental field (EFDA), is there a lot of career opportunities out there for her?
-Is the summers that bad? Lol. I mean the heat really doesn't phase me.. We've been to Miami Florida and it was HOT too but barable for us...
-My wife is a little scared because when she thinks of the desert, she pictures seclusion lol. I don't think it's like that from what we've researched but we aren't country (no man's land) type of people, so is it like that in a lot of parts of AZ?
-And any other information that could be fun to know or helpful. We have another prospective State in mind (San Antonio, Texas) we also plan on visiting in Early Fall 2017.

At this point based off the information we learned, we're excited and I'm extremely drawn to AZ right now. But I want to hear from the natives or residents of AZ now. I need detail.

Thanks!

[observer53]

Whether Maricopa has "night life" depends on what you are looking for, but not nearly as many options in that department as you would find in the closer-in suburbs in the Valley.

I never know what "family oriented" means. There are lots of families (households with children) in every city, except retirement communities like Sun City.

The commute in and out of Maricopa, if either or both of you end up doing that, would get old for me after a while. You should be able to find a teaching job (the particulars of getting an Arizona certificate are something I don't know about, but I don't think there would be a big issue), but you would want to be in Maricopa or Casa Grande or, if toward Phoenix, Chandler, to avoid the time and expense of a long commute. Same with the dental office jobs.

[Shaun2.0]

Ok, cool! And family oriented for a lot of people I think means is the place "singles ready to mingle" dominate or "college kid" dominate. For night life, meant like clubs, bar & grills, comedy clubs or karaoke, etc. But cool, I'm glad finding a job won't be that big of an issue.

Thank you for the feedback!

[DetroitN8V]

Maricopa only if that's all you can afford. I can't see another reason to live way out there. Nightlife is nonexistent as are any amenities outside of the HOAs. A friend of mine bought there, against my advice, and is miserable.

[ajonesaz]

Originally Posted by Shaun2.0

-My wife is a little scared because when she thinks of the desert, she pictures seclusion lol.

Maricopa is secluded - I don't even consider it part of the Phoenix area really.
If you both can snag a job in Maricopa - then by all means do it. If you are commuting to a job anywhere in the Phx metro you will hate life.

There is a reason housing in Maricopa is so much cheaper - you get what you pay for.

[ScottsdaleMark]

Maricopa is kind of like if you took an Xacto knife and cut out a few square miles of suburbia..and then placed it in the middle of nowhere, 20 miles away from the rest of suburbia (and further still from the city).

The distance and isolation is because there is Indian land between Maricopa and Chandler, which makes for the isolation and the 20-mile drive on 347 to get through the reservation and to the edge of suburbia (Chandler/GR Reservation border).

I have nothing against it, but I don't understand the magnetic pull it seems to have on many people. I guess it's got to be the home prices per square foot compared to everything else they're seeing in Greater Phoenix.

Of course, the post-election spike in mortgage rates is impacting some people's home searches, so perhaps if rates continue to rise, we'll see a surge in popularity for lower-priced areas on the edges of the sprawl again. With such low inventory on the market and rising prices and mortgage rates, it's not the easiest time to be searching for a home, I imagine.

[sandy6879]

I'd also caution against Maricopa. It's one thing if you work there. It's another if you don't. You have limited shopping, restaurants (other than fast food, they have plenty of that) and if there is an accident on 347, you could be stuck for a long time on your commute, as that's really the only way in or out.

There have been several threads about people who moved to Maricopa from out of state, not really knowing what it was like, and not being happy. I'd do some searches on that. The above posters are correct in how secluded Maricopa is from everything. Even if you are purchasing for the home prices there - consider the time spent commuting and wear and tear on your vehicles getting in and out. You'll end up spending more money, one way or the other.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Shaun2.0

Ok, cool! And family oriented for a lot of people I think means is the place "singles ready to mingle" dominate or "college kid" dominate. For night life, meant like clubs, bar & grills, comedy clubs or karaoke, etc. But cool, I'm glad finding a job won't be that big of an issue.

Thank you for the feedback!

No city in the Valley is dominated by singles or college kids, even Tempe where I live has areas, even relatively close to campus, that are not college student dominated. The further from the campus, the more it is just a nice suburb.


Again, unless you both find jobs in Maricopa or Casa Grande, I think the commute into the Valley for work, and for variety in entertainment or shopping, will wear on you very quickly. As others have said, there is a reason why those homes are less expensive than you see in metro Phoenix proper.

[Zathras]

Some good advice so far about Maricopa.

I'd also suggest that since you have the luxury of a few years that you plan a long weekend getaway with your wife and come out here for a look around. It will ease her fears of the deserted desert (which it is not of course) and also if you do it in the summer you'll get a first hand experience of the heat. We love it, but it's not for everyone. 114 degrees for a week straight can be brutal, but it's the price we happily pay for 70 degree December 12th's when Ohio (where we're also from) is entering into a 3 month long period where you get excited for a day above freezing.

And you can also take a drive down to Maricopa and see just how remote that feels.

[dvxhd]

Maricopa isn't likely a good town for you. I would also strongly suggest you rent a home for a year or two before buying. That would give you enough time to know if the area is right for you, and also explore your options before committing yourself to one area. To address some of your specific questions:

-What other cities out there are family oriented, have a night life (or some), safe, culture, FUN, etc ?
I think this whole town is generally family-oriented, and it's pretty suburban in nature if you're looking for that type of lifestyle.

-Since I'm a teacher, will I be able to find a job? Will my Ohio licence be granted there?
Yes, you can find one and likely pretty quickly; no, your license won't be granted here. I looked into teaching here, and applied for jobs before having required clearance, and districts were desperate to get me in... but needed those requirements fulfilled before they could interview me. First, you'll need to request fingerprint clearance and you will have to be physically in the state to do that because you'll need to go to a police station for that (I think... that's where I had to go). You'll also have to take a test at your own expense and a board will determine if you're qualified. I think that's about it, aside from applying, but keep in mind there's a teacher shortage here, and for good reason. I'm doing much better financially than I would have if I pursued teaching.

-Is the summers that bad? Lol. I mean the heat really doesn't phase me.. We've been to Miami Florida and it was HOT too but barable for us...
I think it depends on you. I hate them and I find them unbearable. Just stepping outside puts me in an instant bad mood when it's been day after day after day of triple-digit heat. Bear in mind that in the summer it can still be over 100 after midnight. People say it's hot only three months out of the year, which I think is a load because I feel like it's hot April through October. Ideally I'd like higher humidity, and cool, cloudy weather.

-My wife is a little scared because when she thinks of the desert, she pictures seclusion lol. I don't think it's like that from what we've researched but we aren't country (no man's land) type of people, so is it like that in a lot of parts of AZ?
Yes, away from urban areas. If you look up a satellite image of the US at night you'll see that towns are farther apart on this side of the country. If she's a little scared, I'll reiterate: rent first. I think it will be to your benefit to leave an exit option open, which I'd recommend no matter where you intend to move.

At this point based off the information we learned, we're excited and I'm extremely drawn to AZ right now. But I want to hear from the natives or residents of AZ now. I need detail.
I personally don't like it here and am currently working on leaving the state. I have a very long list of reasons, but at the top of the list is career development. I can't really progress much further at my current job or at a different company in the area, and cost of living is rising much faster than my raises. I interviewed with multiple companies and right now I'm getting paid the most where I am than if I had been hired at any of the others. Culturally, it's a little too shallow and superficial for my liking, and I find it hard to connect with locals because there seems to be little to discuss.