Why do so many people want to leave the Phoenix Metro Area? (Mesa: HOA, credit)

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by PhoenixInCentralArizona

The air quality is much worse in El Paso, TX. I don't mind the heat. I'd rather have heat than snow.

No snow here. I haven't seen a single flake in 14 years, haha!

The overall AQI is higher (i.e., worse) for Phoenix than El Paso. Perhaps it looks worse in El Paso, but that's not the whole story. An uncle of mine stopped snowbirding here because of the poor air... he did have some lung issues from smoking though.

[john3232]

Originally Posted by Nasudesu

Why is medical doctor making $230K renting a house in Gilbert when this person can easily purchase a place to own in metro Phoenix? That makes very little financial sense.

They moved here in early 2021 from out of state

They gambled thinking prices would drop.

They are now on a 6 month lease and I assume looking to buy

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by PhoenixInCentralArizona

My question is, why are people wanting to leave the Phoenix metro area? I get the heat isn't for everyone, but are there any other reasons? I don't see anything else wrong with the area as a whole. I'm just someone who likes it here.

On average, the heat is really bad for about 4 months out of the year (maybe 5 or 6 months if it's a year like 2020). What I've noticed about a fair share of transplants is how they seem to like the climate, but they hate other things about Phoenix (housing costs, traffic, driving habits, etc.). Then there are some of the natives who dislike the growth & development patterns, and prefer to return to the way things were 40 or 50 years ago because they think Phoenix has gotten too big. Some moved here for job/career opportunities which didn't work out. The reasons vary by individual. You may not see anything wrong with Phoenix, but everybody else isn't the same as you.

Originally Posted by PhoenixInCentralArizona

Well, I want to retire in Phoenix. See how hard it is to meet someone. So many people, especially women want to move to other states. Idk why a girl would rather live in Kansas City or Roanoke. Phoenix is much better than both those places. Roanoke I heard is very country. Phoenix is better.

Retiring in Phoenix (city) started to go out of style around the time Kelly Clarkson was a contestant on "American Idol". Retiring in a Phoenix suburb that's more suitable for older people, or in a smaller town like Coolidge or Casa Grande is a different story.

[PhoenixInCentralArizona]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

On average, the heat is really bad for about 4 months out of the year (maybe 5 or 6 months if it's a year like 2020). What I've noticed about a fair share of transplants is how they seem to like the climate, but they hate other things about Phoenix (housing costs, traffic, driving habits, etc.). Then there are some of the natives who dislike the growth & development patterns, and prefer to return to the way things were 40 or 50 years ago because they think Phoenix has gotten too big. Some moved here for job/career opportunities which didn't work out. The reasons vary by individual. You may not see anything wrong with Phoenix, but everybody else isn't the same as you.



Retiring in Phoenix (city) started to go out of style around the time Kelly Clarkson was a contestant on "American Idol". Retiring in a Phoenix suburb that's more suitable for older people, or in a smaller town like Coolidge or Casa Grande is a different story.

I meant a suburb of Phoenix. For some reason, every time I say how awesome Phoenix is, people tell me how rough it is here. They always probably think I'm talking about the city limits. I wonder if I said Chandler, Scottsdale, or Gilbert, if maybe I'll meet people who love this metro area.

[Woody01]

I am new(er) to AZ, and I don't live in Phx, but up in Prescott....whenever I visit Phx, which is a few times a year, I am always pleasantly surprised at the weather, the people and the variety of things to do. I admit I am a warm/hot weather lover though......

[CAHLUV]

Originally Posted by PhoenixInCentralArizona

Lately, I've noticed how much people want to leave the Phoenix Metro area. They always want to go to places like Tennessee, Kentucky, California, Colorado, etc. Some people even prefer to live in Tucson. I don't understand the reasoning why people don't like the Phoenix area. It's so nice here and there is nothing to dislike. I get that it's hot, but you adapt quickly. It seems I've never met anyone who likes living in Phoenix. When I tell them how I think it's really nice, they always give me a funny look. I've also had friends tell me that I'm probably going to have to relocate because I won't find a soulmate here. I don't understand. I am beginning to think people would rather live in San Francisco and in the Bay area.

My question is, why are people wanting to leave the Phoenix metro area? I get the heat isn't for everyone, but are there any other reasons? I don't see anything else wrong with the area as a whole. I'm just someone who likes it here.

A transient state...always will be in my opinion. From someone that has lived in major cities of the southern part of the west coast, it seems that L.A, Vegas, and San Diego are all very transient with a huge number of transplants. The reason for leaving will vary from economics to family.

[synapse]

I read somewhere that for every three people who move to the Valley, one leaves. I don't know if that's still true, but I can speak to my own experience. I moved to Phoenix from Chicago after getting tired of the endless winters and to be closer to family.

I did have a better job in Phoenix, and a more affordable space. I also really enjoyed the restaurants - as good food as Chicago has, there's plenty in Phoenix that rivals it. Spring training was great fun and there were some good cultural offerings - one of the best plays I've ever seen was at the Herberger, rivaling anything I've seen in Chicago, or even New York, for that matter. The Musical Instrument Museum is one of the best museums I've been to. And the hiking both within Phoenix and outside it was spectacular, with a 90 mile drive putting you into an entirely different environment.

But the city started to wear on me. The sprawl in particular. I know not everybody likes the Chicago style of being able to walk or take the train to most anything, but the fact that you had to drive miles to get to much of anywhere - theater, restaurants, museums, hiking, shops - started to get mind numbing. I think part of it, too, is that much of Phoenix looks the same. You drive by brown house, brown house, brown house, brown house, to a strip mall that contains much the same shops, and then back home. If you drive from Phoenix, where I lived, to Mesa, where a friend of mine lived, you drove by that same sequence over and over and over and over. Everything looks the same. There's no real neighborhoods, like you'd get in Chicago - a gay neighborhood, an Italian neighborhood, a Chinatown - just very similar strip malls and housing developments. And no fault of Phoenix, but the heat means that only certain trees and plants grow, so the scenery all looks the same everywhere too. And now put that sameness under 107 degree skies for six months of the year.

There's a lot to enjoy about Phoenix, and I do see why people like it, it's affordable and unique looking and has its charms, but it also has a certain empty feeling I can't quite put my finger on and really just don't like. I think that's why people leave. When you compare it to cities like New York and Chicago and even similar style cities like Los Angeles, it just doesn't feel like there's much of a "there" there.

[Voebe]

Originally Posted by PhoenixInCentralArizona

My question is, why are people wanting to leave the Phoenix metro area? I get the heat isn't for everyone, but are there any other reasons? I don't see anything else wrong with the area as a whole. I'm just someone who likes it here.

It's hot. Cultural options are limited. Public transportation is not great. Environmental issues are shrugged off. Too lackadaisical. Inert citizenry. Too much Mexican influence. Rising housing costs.

[Potential_Landlord]

It seems for everyone who leaves ten more arrive. Landlords must be loving it!

[john3232]

Originally Posted by Potential_Landlord

It seems for everyone who leaves ten more arrive. Landlords must be loving it!

The increase in rents allows for breathing room. (I own six SHF rentals.) However, operating costs have risen as well. A skilled handyman is no longer $40 an hour. More like $65. HOA dues, property taxes all have gone up. Landscapers, painters all charge more today.

Nevertheless, I will probably earn a pretty penny this year so come October I will think about replacing a roof (or two) before the end of 2022.

But none of this came easy: When my properties were worthless in 2010 (owned four at the time) the jokes were flying. "What do you call Phx these days" Ans. Atlantis. But I made my own bed. Nobody put a gun to my head and told me to buy four homes in 2005.

So I took on extra work to stay afloat. Then doubled down in 2011 (took out an equity loan) and bought 3 more properties. Friends and family thought I was crazy. However, I was fairly certain the market would turn around at some point. I saw 2011 as the flip side of 2005.