Heh, everybody that comes to Phoenix wants to move here...

[gigi927]

As a former resident of San Fran and Phoenix...I agree with Irwin and the others, there is no comparison. Yes, San Francisco has a homeless problem. New York has homeless. Chicago has homeless. The homeless tend to go to concentrated urban centers where they can hopefully find a way to get by. Phoenix does not have a concentrated urban center - downtown PHoenix is not a destination spot by any stretch of the imagination - so you don't see the concentration of homeless. San Francisco has something like 7 to 800,000 people crammed into a very small area - I think it's 49 square miles? Compare that to Phoenix metro, which takes 3 hours to get across from end to end. Comparing Phoenix, and Peoria?????? to San Francisco in terms of cleanliness is an apples and oranges thing.

What makes San Francisco incredible is that every home and flat is different. There is a different view from every street. There are tons of individually owned businesses - unique bookstores, record shops, corner delis. I used to walk and get a turkey sandwich at the corner deli every afternoon and the guy knew me by name. There are more individually owned restaurants than there are chain operations. There's a reason it's the best place to dine (maybe better than NY). You can walk to access just about everything you need. It has an incredibly active and healthy city population. We miss it every day that we're gone. Fortunately, we've been blessed to land in Austin, which has its own uniqueness. It's a city full of undiscovered treasures.

If it weren't so darn expensive, there would be no other place in the U.S. I'd choose to live before San Francisco. But, you have to like that lifestyle v. the known commodity of suburbia. Nothing wrong with either - but if you think Peoria is the bees' knees, yeah, you're probably gonna hate San Francisco!

[newbeginnings]

I am 43 and have been offered a security position at Sky Harbor airport starting next week and I'm getting cold feet. I'm in a quiet suburb of NYC and driving/traffic makes me jittery. I usually take trains and subways into and around the city, so I tried planning the commute with your Valley metro bus system online, and it would entail 2 transfers and take nearly 2 hours. The place I'm thinking of renting is 10 miles south of the airport and the commute is making me nervous; how are the areas around the airport? I've never been to Phoenix but wanted a change, I'm a very quiet lady living alone. The main reason for me applying for this location was the weather. Help! It's the 11th hour and I need all your opinions!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by newbeginnings

I am 43 and have been offered a security position at Sky Harbor airport starting next week and I'm getting cold feet. I'm in a quiet suburb of NYC and driving/traffic makes me jittery. I usually take trains and subways into and around the city, so I tried planning the commute with your Valley metro bus system online, and it would entail 2 transfers and take nearly 2 hours. The place I'm thinking of renting is 10 miles south of the airport and the commute is making me nervous; how are the areas around the airport? I've never been to Phoenix but wanted a change, I'm a very quiet lady living alone. The main reason for me applying for this location was the weather. Help! It's the 11th hour and I need all your opinions!

You better plan on driving a car. Even if you could get to work, you could not carry on your life here just relying on public transportation.

[newbeginnings]

I was aware that public transport was limited before I applied for the job, but thought I'd have time to visit and check out the city. Foolish to accept a position just for the warm climate and reasonable rent, I know! So many negatives have been posted here, perhaps I'll reconsider.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by newbeginnings

I was aware that public transport was limited before I applied for the job, but thought I'd have time to visit and check out the city. Foolish to accept a position just for the warm climate and reasonable rent, I know! So many negatives have been posted here, perhaps I'll reconsider.

Phoenix is a post-automobile city unlike the cities of the east that existed before the private car did. That makes a car essential but it is also easier to get around by auto, I think, than it is in NYC. The roads are straight and wide and well-lit, signal lights easy to see, people don't honk at each other like a bunch of *&%holes like in NY, and parking is everywhere and free. I think you would adjust just fine.