Any reason to stay in Phoenix?

[klovesdenver]

welp- I guess all I can say is look at my name- I live in phoenix now, and would move home in a second- I really miss the weather, the people and all the stuff to do- although the weather is very nice in Phoenix now, nothing compares. It does get cold but I read a statistic lately that said that on Average Denver has more sunshiney days than Miami - over 300, and believe me it is true.- On another note- The people in Denver and surrounding areas are very friendly, unless you dont like the Broncos- jk!

[wilberry]

Denver is great a lot better than Phoenix , it does get cold and it does snow , snow melts within a few days if not the same day, the scenery is amazing, Boulder , ( Flatirons)Colorado springs,( Garden of the Gods ) Denver(Redrocks,) Golden ( Coors brewery )
There are rivers and creeks and Mountains so close .
Stay away from AURORA unleess you want a very long commute .
Sometimes you wait for summer and it seems like it will never come but every year is different , weather changes constantly, Beautiful parks everywhere , TREES< everywhere ,
One thing in winter in Denver they have " the Brown cloud " caused by temperature inversion , a good windy day moves it all out usually,
The mountain towns are a lot of fun but the traffic on weekends coming back from the mountains is Horrendous !
Still 4 seasons vs. stifling 115 degress ?
cheers,
,

[rocknrollstar]

Originally Posted by Robin Holland

It's funny how people can observe things. It seems to me that Phoenix is the most hated compared to most other cities that I have browsed on this site

I've seen just as much hatred on other city boards, and more on some boards.

[rocknrollstar]

Originally Posted by FrAZToCO

I recently got a job offer in Denver so I found this site researching info on Denver. I have lived in Arizona most of my life and the last 10 or so in Tempe. My family all lives here and they don't want me to leave and I hate leaving them but it's a good job offer (not great) and I would kind of like to try living in a cooler climate. The cooler parts of Arizona don't have a work for me. I've been reading and posted a couple time in the Denver Forum and they seem to have mostly good things to say about life in Denver. Some people on here don't have a lot of good to say about Phoenix. I know what I expect if I stay but I wanted others opinions or experiences.
What are the reasons you stay? or would leave?
Given a choice of Denver or Phoenix where would you live and why?

Why not try it out? You can always move back if you don't like it. Make sure you go into it with an open mind and make yourself stay for at least one or two years so you give it a chance. If it doesn't work, move back to AZ or even go somewhere else.

Since you've lived here most of your life, you know Phoenix better then most on this board do, so you're in a better position to judge Phoenix. I wouldn't worry about what a few people on this board are saying. Denver is a great place to live and so is Phoenix. Just depends on the person. Leaving family might be hard for some people, not so hard for others It's a short plane ride for visits.

[not_a_fan]

Originally Posted by Cj81

I think you are really going to have to find your own reasons to stay in Phoenix. This site will give you all the reasons in the world to leave, it seems that everyone on this site hates Phoenix with a passion. I have never seen people bash thier own city like they do on this site, well we aslo get help from people in other cities that feel the need to bash Phoenix as well. I honestly don't know any of these people and everyone I know does like it here. I like it here except for the lack of an urban core, which is changing. I mean sunshine is natures prozac, I love the sun. People often think the grass is greener on the other side only to find that its not the case when they get there. But you will never know unless you go and see. If you hate Phoenix , like so many others, you should move. Do your kids hate Phoenix also? Maybe you should ask them (if they are old enough).

True, to each their own, and life's too short to wait out a miserable situation any longer than you have to. Everyone has a different ideal place. I have to say the gross majority of the people I meet in my demographic hate this city passionately. Usually the occasional person I encounter that really likes Phoenix shares one or more of the following things in common: construction related industry, from mid-west, born and raised in Arizona, from Latin cultural background, or older/retired/retiring soon. It's even evident in the students at ASU. More so than any other campus I've seen, a particular brand of student (and academic capability) tends to be attracted to the area. Usually state schools are much more diverse based on a broad level of background and ability being continuously admitted to a large student body, from the top 10% to the bottom 10% that can feasibly obtain a bachelor's degree.

Everywhere for certain has its quirks and no city is without negative attributes. Certainly different strokes for different folks applies and you have every right to pick your poison carefully. Trying cities is a time consuming, expensive, and family-challenging experience, so the average person doesn't have a lot of shots to get it right. I would tend to say in unofficial, non-scientifically tested personal experience, regional demographic will weigh heavily with whether or not you will fit into the "Tribe" that dominates an area. I would say these sites offer priceless, yet free insight. If a particular city is being picked on, there may be some merit to it. Being a tourist to an area is ok, but usually the bad stays well hidden until you've already committed to a move and you're stuck.

[irwin]

Originally Posted by not_a_fan

... but usually the bad stays well hidden until you've already committed to a move and you're stuck.

Agree 100%!

I was stuck in the proverbial bug trap for two years but thankfully I wiggled my way out! I'm gone and never coming back!

[Cj81]

True, to each their own, and life's too short to wait out a miserable situation any longer than you have to. Everyone has a different ideal place. I have to say the gross majority of the people I meet in my demographic hate this city passionately. Usually the occasional person I encounter that really likes Phoenix shares one or more of the following things in common: construction related industry, from mid-west, born and raised in Arizona, from Latin cultural background, or older/retired/retiring soon. It's even evident in the students at ASU. More so than any other campus I've seen, a particular brand of student (and academic capability) tends to be attracted to the area. Usually state schools are much more diverse based on a broad level of background and ability being continuously admitted to a large student body, from the top 10% to the bottom 10% that can feasibly obtain a bachelor's degree.

Everywhere for certain has its quirks and no city is without negative attributes. Certainly different strokes for different folks applies and you have every right to pick your poison carefully. Trying cities is a time consuming, expensive, and family-challenging experience, so the average person doesn't have a lot of shots to get it right. I would tend to say in unofficial, non-scientifically tested personal experience, regional demographic will weigh heavily with whether or not you will fit into the "Tribe" that dominates an area. I would say these sites offer priceless, yet free insight. If a particular city is being picked on, there may be some merit to it. Being a tourist to an area is ok, but usually the bad stays well hidden until you've already committed to a move and you're stuck.

Well I don't know what to tell you, you have spent a lot of time stating the obvious. I personally find it a little strange that so many people base happiness on where they are living. Maybe I am just an optimist but I believe that I could be happy anywhere as long as I had good company. What I find so interesting about this city is the growth, the fact that we are experiencing the building of a city. Just look at the transition New York has made since the poor slum ridden neighborhoods of the mid 1800's on into the mid 1900's. You sure as hell wouldn't have wanted to be an immigrant living in NY during that time and now NY is considered the capital of the world. Do you think any of those immigrants could have predicted that. The point I am trying to make is that all cities have to come from somewhere and the culture of a city develops along with the buildings. Phoenix is just a pup but it has just recently started to mature and I think the transition is probably more exciting than any street in NY or Chicago. Imagine in 50 years when Phoenix is potentially as big as NY or Chicago and you can look back and say that you were a part of that. Now when NY was growing up most people didn't have a choice, they couldn't move, they were stuck there dealing with the growing pains of that city. So here we are in 2007 experiencing the growth of a city and people move here and expect to much. They want the gratification NOW, vs putting in the time and effort to make the city your own. I am just rambling on here and I will shutup , but if I were you I would just keep an eye out for this city! Go ahead and move out of here and find your hidden culture that you belong to in a different city. The rest of us that like it here will continue to create a new culture in THE new city and then you can come back and try to fit in like you never left. There is so much going on in this city that you obviously have no idea about because you are so busy worrying about how bad it sucks and how you need to move, just try living a little, no matter where you are!!

[nevercoldcall]

The important thing to realize about Phoenix is that it's a huge metro area and moving 10 miles can be like moving to a different world. I lived in Scottsdale and HATED it. I've also lived in Arcadia and north-central Phoenix and LOVED it. A good friend left after living in Scottsdale for 5 years, and he unfortunately had the impression that all of Phoenix is as rude and unfriendly as Scottsdale, which is a shame, because he would have been happy in north-central or Arcadia. A lot of people who trash Phoenix might love it if they just moved to the right area.

One thing I'll give you, though, is that the air quality in Phoenix is horrific. I had no idea how bad it was until I moved here to CA and my sinus problems suddenly disappeared.