How do I feel about living in PHOENIX after one year? (Flagstaff: fit in, rental)

[MissMouse111]

Originally Posted by petroglyphin

It sounds like you need to learn how to appropriately research. 'I heard'. That's your research? The roommate one was funny.

I did my research heavily based on the information I found in this forum. I'm guilty as charged. I'm humble so no worries. I kick myself for thinking that the heat wouldn't be a problem for me. It really was an ISSUE! All of us have issues and HEAT is one of mine. Mind you I was in Florida for the past seven years before moving to Phoenix so heat didn't seem to me at the time to be a problem. I feel I made the right decision.

[More Rock]

Surprised that the desert is hot? I am speechless.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by MissMouse111

I had many romantic notions about Phoenix BEFORE I moved here. Even so, there are many reasons to think TWICE before you make that jump! I failed to listen to the warnings! I consider my failure a learning experience and one that will never be forgotten! If you're curious about my reasons, please read on...

Here are some of the main reasons that made me move away from PHOENIX ASAP!

1. HEAT - I was under the impression that it WOULDN'T BE A BIG DEAL!! What's a little heat, right? Just use the a/c, right? It is a VERY big deal! In July around the time it reached 120, I suffered what appeared to be a MILD heat stroke with my left side going numb followed by many nights waking up with the most SEVERE muscle cramps. The doc believed it was simply a pinched nerve in my neck but I believe it was more than that as my whole upper back ached for days on end. It felt like somebody was stabbing me in the back. I had never experienced anything quite like it and this was all while the heat was well over a 100 degrees. Again, never anything like it! I'm finally on the mend three months later and I moved to a cooler climate. I have seen major improvement in my overall health by doing so. Deaths related to the heat in Phoenix are no joke. The heat is a serious issue that I figured before moving here wouldn't be as bad as suffering through a cold winter and I'm originally from the Northeast. In my opinion, it's worse than any winter I've ever experienced!

2. COST OF LIVING. I had this misconception that my money would go far here. Stop laughing! That is so not true! IT IS BLOODY EXPENSIVE to live in Phoenix! First, the rent you see advertised is not the real AMOUNT. You need to add water, sewer, trash, and tax so it's NEVER the amount advertised! Even if you make around $17.00 you will be struggling to scrape by if you have a high car payment to manage along with your rent. I've heard more than one horror story of someone's rent going up over $200 after one year of renting. That's absurd but the landlords in PHOENIX will do it simply because they CAN based on Phoenix's popularity at the moment. It's a dirty business, but they don't care.

3. MOST JOBS PAY NEXT TO NOTHING! There are so many jobs in the Phoenix area that barely approach $15/hr. Where on earth are those people going to live on that kind of salary? The rents are rising and the pay is stagnant. I can see it working if the rents matched relative to what someone earns, but they DO NOT in Phoenix! It's a recipe for disaster with many in Phoenix struggling to get by. And yet you have these rentals and Extended Stay hotels in the Phoenix area that are loaded with criminals, drug dealers and ladies of the night so any decent 9 to 5 hard working American would be hard pressed to find a SAFE rental without living in a high crime area based on what they can afford. And this in all fairness could be said about rents across the nation.

4. NO ACCESS TO A/C IN A ROOMMATE SITUATION. This was my breaking point! No ability to control the a/c. If you do manage to rent a small room in order to save money, good luck! Especially if that room faces West! The one who owns the unit will kindly tell you that you may not touch the a/c. Their idea of a/c is 80 to 85 and maybe 77 sometimes if you're lucky. And then when they are not there and you're at work, they keep it at 90 so you come home to a boiling room! A/C is not a luxury! IT IS A NECCESSITY! People die in this city without proper a/c. It's a very serious issue and people that I've encountered get downright bitter and nasty over their electric bills here. Some having to pay upward of $300 to $400 a month during the summer months. There goes your monthly cushion. The electric will eat up every last dollar!

5. BLACK MOLD. It's a serious problem in homes and apartments in the Phoenix area. Just google it! The shady owners use wallpaper or paint over it and hope you don't notice it. You can get serious health issues from mold. It can be devastating to your overall health if you don't get out sooner rather than later once you realize that it may be the CULPRIT as to why your health is suddenly taking a nose dive along with the heat. The MUSTY smell in your new apartment is a big warning sign! Of course when you looked at the unit, all the windows were kept wide open so you didn't smell it before you sign the dotted line. If you complain, they say that the a/c filter needed to be changed. It didn't change the fact that when my brother came to visit one of the first things he said was that my apartment smelled MUSTY and he could tell they painted over the mold on the ceiling as you could see black in the tiny cracks and crevices of the border. If you complain to your landlord about the issue, they will outright deny it and say they have never had a problem, but your health will tell you a different story!

6. TRAFFIC. When I came here in September of 2016, the traffic didn't seem that bad, but as of 2017, Phoenix has a rate of 88 people moving here a day. That's a lot of cars! And it will add a lot more pollution to this lovely city! Even my coworkers complain about how bad the traffic has become. And when the snowbirds arrive in October/November it's going to get even worse! The population is exploding in Phoenix and that's not necessarily a good thing! I'd be curious to see what Phoenix will look like in ten years with the increasing, traffic, heat and pollution.

On a positive note, if you make at least $20.00 an hour in Phoenix, you should be okay financially, but many jobs in Phoenix do not pay that well. There are many restaurants, shopping choices and beautiful parks and wildlife preserves to explore. A lot of desirable destinations are within driving distance too if you can AFFORD to drive to Flagstaff, San Diego, Vegas or LA for weekend trips. If you're struggling to get by, those destinations are really NEVER a feasible option.

Since moving away, my breathing is better and my health has improved big time, so it was the best decision I ever made. I NEED COOL FRESH AIR!!! Every city has problems, and I get that, BUT Phoenix has blind spots that you don't really get to encounter until you look past all the lovely opinions and pictures about this city from people who can actually AFFORD to live here. Phoenix is not for everyone and I failed to listen to all the warnings that were mentioned in previous posts and I paid dearly for it. My credit tanked. My job shattered into a million pieces because I could not take the HEAT or the MOLD and I lost pretty much everything. Listen and learn from others and save yourself a lot of heartache! Be careful! Pay attention! I am determined to rebuild my life one step at a time. I was thinking about Vegas, but didn't end up choosing it because the COL is even higher there and the HEAT there is a HUGE problem too! People say Phoenix is just like Vegas minus the Strip. Go figure!

I hope that my insight will help save someone from making a decision that they will later REGRET!

My replies:

1) heat - I guess you have to experience over time to see how well you react to it. The heat is no joke but the flip side is it makes great swimming weather and you do get 8 months of fantastic weather.
2) COL - Phoenix is cheaper than virtually every other big city in the West but still it's not as cheap as small towns.
3) Jobs/pay - you should have known what the job market was like and it's gotten better with the highest average pay increase in the nation.
4 & 5 - no comment
6) Traffic - again, the best traffic flow of any big city so if you want less traffic than Phoenix, you gotta go smaller city.

[MissMouse111]

Originally Posted by More Rock

Surprised that the desert is hot? I am speechless.

LOL. I am speechless too! I seriously thought since I came from Florida that it wouldn't be any problem at all. And I'm speechless on how it affected my health so wickedly!

[ElleTea]

Oh yeah. About black mold. I have not encountered that anywhere here yet. Is it really a huge problem?

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by locolife

Yeah, not too exciting when the highs from Nov to Feb don’t even average 50 and the lows in the 20s, no thanks. That’s ice scraping, snow falling, nearly full on winter.

It only snows a handful of times, and it melts fast. It aint North Dakota! And the sun is warm in winter, like ours, so it feels warmer than it is. The rest of the year has weather PHX can only dream about.

[convextech]

Originally Posted by MissMouse111

the rent you see advertised is not the real AMOUNT. You need to add water, sewer, trash, and tax so it's NEVER the amount advertised!

I don't know anyone that thinks the rent is all-inclusive unless they live in a nursing home.

Originally Posted by MissMouse111

There are so many jobs in the Phoenix area that barely approach $15/hr.

You moved to Phoenix without a career?

Originally Posted by MissMouse111

No ability to control the a/c. If you do manage to rent a small room in order to save money, good luck! Especially if that room faces West!

Because yes, that's Phoenix' fault that you chose a bedroom facing west.

Originally Posted by MissMouse111

The shady owners use wallpaper or paint over it and hope you don't notice it.

This sounds more like a problem with your income leading you to rent from unsavory landlords. Again, not Phoenix' fault.

Originally Posted by MissMouse111

A lot of desirable destinations are within driving distance too if you can AFFORD to drive to Flagstaff, San Diego, Vegas or LA for weekend trips. If you're struggling to get by, those destinations are really NEVER a feasible option.

None of this is on Phoenix. You chose to move to a fairly expensive city without having a decently-paying skill. Perhaps you did your homework better after you learned your lesson.

Glad you are happy now. Cheers!

[convextech]

Originally Posted by MissMouse111

I have a college degree in Political Science (International Relations) with a minor in Early Childhood. I also earned a certificate for medical transcription. I would like to go back to school for graphic design. For the past ten or even twenty years, administrative jobs PAID VERY WELL.

There's an awfully big difference between Political Science, Early Childhood, Medical Transcription, and Graphic Design. Seems like a waste of money to keep going to school, trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up, if you just want an administrative job that pays well. Very confusing.

[convextech]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

I'd love to visit...in the summer!

The last summer I visited my cousins, it was 102 in the shade and no breeze because its blocked by the mountains surrounding the town. I predict we'll be hearing from the OP again.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/clima...co-102246.html

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by convextech

The last summer I visited my cousins, it was 102 in the shade and no breeze because its blocked by the mountains surrounding the town. I predict we'll be hearing from the OP again.

Climate in Albuquerque, New Mexico | USA Today

I found summer in Albuquerque to be similar to our May, with more rain though, from when I drove OTR, and would go through there frequently. And as we know, it can get HOT here in May, but with mild to warm mornings. But winter in ABQ is downright chilly. Our coldest days in December and January are warmer than an AVERAGE December or January day there, and about the same as an average February day in ABQ