How long have you lived in Metro PHX, and how long will you stay? (Phoenix: sales, renting)

[YAZ]

Originally Posted by ZonaZoo

Fair enough. However, the East Coast will always be home to me. Additionally, I hate cold weather, and because of that, I've essentially limited my graduate school and future employment prospects to southern California; Arizona; Florida; and, to a lesser extent, Texas. After 18 long years of eight-month New England winters, I'm all set with regard to cold weather.

This past winter, my first in Arizona, was brutally cold, IMO. It seems as though people in Arizona warn you plenty about the heat, but they're not necessarily as forthcoming about the cold weather in the wintertime. One morning in January as I was waiting at a shuttle stop, it was 18 degrees in Tucson! To my understanding, this past winter was unusually cold; however, to be honest, I don't find the winter weather in Phoenix or Tucson to be much of a respite from the long, brutally hot summers unlike a south or central Florida winter. That's my $0.02.

Last winter was a "once every 30 years" event.

You may change your tune the next time you have Christmas dinner on the patio.

My first summer here was in 2005, and I gotta tell ya.....it was brutal.

After that, I learned to enjoy it. I've been known to crank up the fire pit in the middle of summer. And the cement pond in the backyard is delightful, especially at night.

[Scottay]

Originally Posted by ZonaZoo

To my understanding, the job market in Arizona has always been a hard nut to crack, even more so than Florida.

In general I disagree but it depends on what industry you're in. Microchip, Intel, Motorola, Honeywell, Lockheed, General Dynamics all have offices and plants here. On the other hand if your degree is in early 17th century French Poetry then yeah, you're going to have trouble finding work.

[Scottay]

Originally Posted by YAZ

My first summer here was in 2005, and I gotta tell ya.....it was brutal.

#1 on the suck-o-meter was 2004 IMO. I remember it being soooo humid all summer long. Very uncharacteristic of the Valley.

#2 on the suck-o-meter was 1990. Was over 115 every day for like 3 weeks in July and eventually topped out at 122.

[ZonaZoo]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

While I have to agree with your statement about competitive salaries, I'd have to disagree about the job market being tougher to crack than Florida's. I lived in Florida and believe me, many employers feel they are doing you a favor if they pay you between $7-$7.50!...that's with a college degree! Phoenix is not that bad. Although, for a city the size of Phoenix, I was surprised by the lack of competitive salaries compared to cities of similar size. It could also have something to do with it being a Right-to-Work state.

Long story short, there are jobs here. In spite of what I, or anyone else, say I think the OP should toss their hat into the ring and see if anything opens up. Good luck.

Well, both AZ and FL are Right-to-Work states, so I'm not quite sure what you're getting at there. IMO, the lack of competitive salaries is an issue afflicting both AZ and FL. It seems like both places are subject to the "Sunshine tax," though AZ less so than FL.

If you're a healthcare professional or you intend to enter the healthcare field like myself, you're certainly going to have many more employment options in FL vs. AZ because FL has nearly three times as many residents as AZ. In addition to having a larger population, FL is home to more elderly folks than AZ: nearly 18% of FL's population is 65 years of age or older compared to about 14% of AZ's population. As an aside, FL is the "oldest" state in the country. That being said, more residents, as well as a larger elderly population, contribute to a more robust healthcare industry.

I'm curious as to what it was you did for a living when you lived in FL, making only $7.00-$7.50/hour? When I was in school down there, I found a part-time job (25-32 hours/week) I loved at which I was making $10/hour with partial benefits (dental/vision/profit-sharing/assurance). I declined the benefits because I didn't need them; I'm on my Mom's medical/dental/vision insurance plans. Come to think of it, as a part-time employee, I may not have been eligible to receive benefits. My full-time co-workers were all making $12-14/hour, and most of them were either still in school like myself or uneducated.

In my experience, minimum wage (~$7.50/hour) jobs in FL are reserved for immigrants whereas unskilled, uneducated workers tend to work $10-$15/hour service sector jobs like me at the time.

[ZonaZoo]

Originally Posted by YAZ

Last winter was a "once every 30 years" event.

Well, it's comforting to know that last winter was one for the record books because I'm definitely spending at least one more winter in AZ, seeing as how I don't graduate from the U of A until next spring.

Originally Posted by YAZ

You may change your tune the next time you have Christmas dinner on the patio.

Unfortunately, if I don't remain in AZ beyond college, I'm probably never going to spend a Christmas here. Lol.

[43north87west]

9 years as a primary residence. Was a part timer before that and a snowbird since.

I'll probably be here for a while but that mostly depends on work. I like the area and the outdoor activities. Wouldn't mind living in Flagstaff, actually, which is where I spend weekends when I'm out here in the hot season. But if I did that, I'd have two houses in winter climates.

One of the things I like about this state is the ability to shift climates on a whim in a matter of a couple hours.

[Golden_Monkey]

Originally Posted by Scottay

In general I disagree but it depends on what industry you're in. Microchip, Intel, Motorola, Honeywell, Lockheed, General Dynamics all have offices and plants here. On the other hand if your degree is in early 17th century French Poetry then yeah, you're going to have trouble finding work.

Yes, there are definitely pockets where the employment situation is good--semiconductors, for example. I get the idea it's a good area to be an Electrical Engineer. It's the overall job market I've found to be pretty limited. There seem to be huge companies like Intel, and a lot of tiny companies of 20 people or less, but not a whole lot in between.

If you have a degree in French Poetry, you'll have trouble finding work just about anywhere.

[AlohaAZ]

I've been here almost 10 years after spending my whole life in rural Wisconsin. I moved out here for a change of scenery and opportunity. I had some family in Mesa that helped with transition to life here. I enjoy it here and have adapted to the summers pretty well. I do miss the friendliness of the midwest. You find it here, but in pockets. My only other negative is the amount of idiot drivers. I met my wife, got married, and bought a house within the last six years. We will probably establish some roots here for awhile. We have no desire to move back to the midwest. My in-laws may also retire out here. I can't think of too many places that I would want to live, besides the California coast. I'm not going to be able to afford that anytime soon.

[Vinny536]

Originally Posted by Rachel127

Hi everyone, I am in my late 20's and I have lived in Phoenix for 13 years now. To the original poster, what part of NEPA are you from? I was born and raised in Scranton, PA and I absolutely can't wait to have an opportunity to leave Phoenix! I really miss having 4 seasons, the greenery (grass, trees, ect...) I don't know that I would go back to PA, but I am currently looking at jobs in the Charlotte, NC area; I found it kind of interesting that the OP is also planning to move to NC.

crazy! I'm from Wilkes-barre!

[techaz]

Been here 6 years now, moved from Wisconsin. It's hard to say how long my wife and I will be here for. I would like to move to Seattle, but that might not be in the cards for us. I really do like it here, there are only a few places in the US I would rather live.