Is it really Hell.... Should I move to Phoenix? (Scottsdale: relocate, travel)

[Lehi]

Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ

And also if it was so bad, then would all these sports stars live here? I don't mean our poor Cardinals but rather people like Mike Tyson, Rod Stewart, Jennifer Aniston etc chose to live in Phoenix/ Scottsdale/ Paradise Valley rather than Seattle, San Fran etc? They can afford to live anywhere but they chose to have their main or second residence in this area. Phil Mickelson lives literally 3 blocks from my home, I see him golfing in the winter!

I don't think the original poster is looking for a second residence. I believe this would be his only residence if he chose to move here. There's a big difference between living here part time and living here year around.

[prizm]

You're right... Im thinking about moving there full time, not half time. But rapidly changing my mind.

I've lived in Seattle, NYC, St. Louis, Atlanta. I feel that if I moved to Phoenix I would be sorely disappointed. People just don't seem to like it.

[SpeedyAZ]

I've lived in Seattle, NYC, St. Louis, Atlanta. I feel that if I moved to Phoenix I would be sorely disappointed. People just don't seem to like it.

In all honesty, you can't judge a city on the opinions of a few people. You must know that, opinions are based on the person's experience rather than what the city is really like. Come here for 2 week in September if you can. Visit here and get a feel for the area. You can't come in the Summer and believe it's going to be 110F+ every day as you can't come in the Winter and think it'll be a perfect 75F every day.

I knew you meant a full-time residence, I was just giving an example.

[a1m1700]

Originally Posted by prizm

You're right... Im thinking about moving there full time, not half time. But rapidly changing my mind.

I've lived in Seattle, NYC, St. Louis, Atlanta. I feel that if I moved to Phoenix I would be sorely disappointed. People just don't seem to like it.

Come in the Summer because that is the season you have to see if you can put up with. I do think if you came in Late Fall or Winter you may like it. I don't know how you feel about the change of Seasons though. If you enjoy NY you probably like to see the seasons change too. I did not like NY AT ALL. I hated the weather so when I came here I thought I was in heaven. I also loved Palm trees. I was always a California wannabe thought. Like I posted previoulsy the novelty has worn off for me after 18 years.

Take a trip here in the Summer and drive around. Go downtown and see if this is what you can handle as a downtown. Don't look to compare it to any NYC area you will be disappointed. If you like good pizza forget it or a street hotdog like NYC it's not gonna happen.

Go to Scottsdale that's suppose to be our highlite although Gilbert is nice too but Scottsdale has more to offer and it more $$$ also though.

If you want a nice place to live go to the Islands in Gilbert and buy a waterfront property. It looks like a fake Ft Lauderdale. You can get a waterfront home with a pool and your very only pontoon for 530,000 4 bedroom about 2200 sqft.

You may just want to go for it. You know you only live once. If you don;t like it go back home. I know it's a hassle but you'll never know. We are doing the same. We are going to NC. I visited there once and said let's go. I hope I like it when I'm living there.

[steve22]

Originally Posted by Lehi

I don't think the original poster is looking for a second residence. I believe this would be his only residence if he chose to move here. There's a big difference between living here part time and living here year around.

Again, if you have enough money, you can have a pretty high quality of life anywhere. Sports stars live in every major city in the country, and seem to make pretty good lives for themselves no matter what their environment is. If you're a millionaire, and can afford to have a nice, big place in North Scottsdale that you keep as a vacation home so that you can golf during the winter, then I'm sure life's great for you. You can enjoy Phoenix's rather expensive indulgences and leave if you get too hot, bored, or want to go do something else. I'm not talking about that guy, I'm talking about Joe Average, college grad, twenty-to-thirty-something heterosexual single making a decent but not exorbitant living. And for him, Phoenix just has nothing. That's my experience.

When I go out in places like Boston, Chicago, Seattle, San Fran, Denver, etc., those cities are bursting with lively, fun places to go and things to do with tons of people my own age who have similar backgrounds and interests. Where are they here? The answer is, they're not. Men's Fitness actually just rated Phoenix a C- (the lowest grade they gave any major city) for quality of life for young single guys. Sperling's website lists Phoenix as the 273rd best city in the country to live in, just 2 notches ahead of Gary, Indiana. Now there's something to be proud of. We beat GARY!!!

So what is good about Phoenix? Hmm.. nice weather for half the year. Whoopee, it's brutal for the other half. No downtown, no character, no personality, no culture, just big-box sprawl in every direction. Downtown only employs statistically about 3% of Maricopa County's workforce. Gee, no wonder it's a deserted wasteland with nothing going on. The desert's beautiful, but it's become difficult to enjoy it with so many people creating huge weekend crowds at the city's park & rec areas.

New York might be a crowded, dirty place to live, but again it's a matter of weighing the positives vs. the negatives. Every big city's got bad things about it, but the difference between a "good" city and a "bad " one is that the positives outweigh the negatives. And while there's the obvious myriad number of reasons to dislike Phoenix, many of which I've mentioned and most of which have nothing at all to do with the weather, there just isn't much about Phoenix that I find very endearing to offset the bad things and make it a place I could enjoy living. Just watched MSNBC today, they had a special report about the 3 different serial killers/rapists/robbers on the loose in Phoenix right now. It's amazing that it took them this long to fill the public in on some of the problems going on here. Welcome to the Valley of Misery, hope you like it.

[prizm]

Everyone keeps citing NYC as an example of an overcrowed, rude, dirty place. It you're in Time's Square yes.... duh...

For the most part the city is extremely friendly... You actually get used to just striking up a conversation with random people because it's just natural. Why not- They might have a good story to tell. Anf funny. And quick witted. And smart. Cab drivers are even friendly.... Go figure.

And cleanliness... sure when the people put garbage out.. but it goes away quick. It's all part of the tapestry of living in the epicenter of energy. There's a lot of adrenaline here. And intellect.

NYC is nice... it's all about experiencing things. Not buying a house and filling it up with a bunch of crap you don't need. That's why Phoenix kinda freaks me out. Sounds like that's exactly what people do there. Drive around and buy crap. Yikes.

So despite all that, I'm still looking for the diamond in rough reason to move there. I am a single guy in my 30's.... is it tough to meet people there? I really want the facts about living there. Good and Bad... thanks. I want to move... but................

[SpeedyAZ]

So despite all that, I'm still looking for the diamond in rough reason to move there. I am a single guy in my 30's.... is it tough to meet people there? I really want the facts about living there. Good and Bad... thanks. I want to move... but................

Come and visit, none of us can tell you everything about the area, you need to come and experience it yourself. I love it, Steve hates it. Two very different opinions, neither of us can magically know if you'll like it. You need to come down for at least a week or two and experience it. It sounds as if you want a reason to move here but you won't know until you see it.

[QUOTEDrive around and buy crap][/quote]

...we do have jobs!

[Bill M]

Prizm, if you LIKE living in NYC, then like Speedy says, you gotta go visit and try the area on for size. I don't even like to visit the Apple anymore, so, you never know until you try, I guess.
Steve, I now know why you don't like Phoenix! Alot of what you mention is the same stuff not to like in any city. Given that the area is a destination for retirees and snowbirds, etc., it is no wonder you don't find the social scene to your taste. Get out, man, and go somewhere your scene is happening. Don't hang in there being miserable.

[steve22]

Bill, I have no doubt that young professionals do live here; the economy here is booming, one of the main reasons that people continue to move here and the real estate market has been so hot recently.

So, the issue isn't necessarily that the city lacks a population of young professionals or that it's only immigrants, families and snowbirds moving here; the problem, as I alluded to, is that it's just so decentralized and there isn't a place like a nice, lively, "real" downtown (which all of the aforementioned cities have) where young educated working people work, live, and mingle. The young people here, I have to imagine, are scattered so far in between throughout the vast suburban sprawl that you're unlikely to run into many of them.

You certainly won't find anything here remotely resembling great downtown areas like Lodo in Denver, Boston's Beacon St. district, or Chicago's Wicker Park. There's no "epicenter of energy", as you put it, prizm, no enclaves or cultural communities at all here. And you're right- since there's not much to experience, the way people seem to justify their existences here is to drive around and buy stuff. You pretty much hit the nail on the head with that characterization.

Scottsdale's the closest thing to a "scene", but that's no scene I have any interest in being a part of. The people there, in my experience, aren't the sorts that I ever wanted to know existed outside of southern California and frankly don't care to ever see again. Like you said, the kinds who believe that life's about buying useless expensive crap, going to the salon and getting as much plastic surgery as money can buy. Um, no thanks.

The bottom line, as I said before, is that the entire place feels like a giant suburb scattered haphazardly for 60+ miles in every direction, with nothing but generically bland cookie-cutter neighborhoods and big-box strip developments. In my opinion, if you're going to live in a suburb, you might as well be anywhere. A downtown is what gives a place its character, its energy, and its personality. This "city" completely lacks anything of the sort. I've lived lots of places, visited lots more, and I really feel like I have a lot of experience with other cities on which to base a fair comparison. Prizm, you sound like a guy who really loves the true "city" experience. I can relate, b/c I'm the same type of person. And my honest, objective opinion is that, if you're like me and I get the impression that you are, you'll hate it here.

[lmarcos1]

I am a Native New Yorker that lived in the Phoenix suberbs for 9 years. At first it seemed like a Paradise - beautiful blue skies and mountains. However, the last few years were miserable. I missed the "4" seasons, the greenery and trees of the Northeast, rain more than twice a year and cozy snowy days.

I moved back East several years ago and count my blessings every day. To me the Phoenix area seems like a big sandbox with scorching and triple digit temperatures for 6 months out of the year. The homes all look alike - pink adobe with red roofs (boring!!).

As the old cliche goes - "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there (ever again!!!!)"

NYCGIRL