Tempe, AZ. . . What are the pros and cons for a migrating college student. (Phoenix: middle-class, apartment complexes)

[midchild]

My girlfriend(long story) and I will be moving to Tempe, Arizona next Summer to start our 3rd year of college. I'm from Chicago and go to Indiana University-Bloomington and she goes to the Univesity-o-Kentucky in Lexington,KY. We'll be attending ASU and are already getting the information about the campus, job opportunities, and apartments. I personally think the apartments are very, very, cheap. Compared to where I'm from at least. . .

. . . I especially would like to hear about the area from a personal standpoint and not just a review on a website.

Anywho, she's in the medical field wanting to be a doctor and I am majoring in international business. I would just like to know about some good things and some bad things about the area, jobs, allergies, insects, community involvement, cost-of-living, friend-making, etc.. Bascally things a (mature) college student should and shouldn't worry about. The topic is broad, I know, but your input will be helpful.

I can't put up with another winter downtown. . .

[azdr0710]

lots of stuff to mention....others will say things I don't....

Tempe is a great, middle-class, mostly progressive, happenin' Phx suburb....very convenient location to most of the valley.....the old downtown (Mill Avenue) is very near ASU and has lots of great businesses, but is now meeting stiff competition from new Tempe Marketplace, a glorified mall a couple miles away (actually, it's a bit cooler than a mall).....

the weather out here is very dry, except humidity goes up in July and August when we have our sometimes-dramatic summer rainy season.....you may want to bring extra skin lotion and chapstick, along with a wide-brimmed hat....clothes dry in ten minutes outside!...big diff between night and day temps.....

the new light rail has three or so stops right near ASU and connects you to near the pro baseball and basketball arenas in downtown Phx among other areas....

Phx is very spread out and you may want a car.....

formerly one of the best places (dry air) for people with allergies, it's now one of the worst because of non-native plants having been planted by the newcomers.....don't know what you're allergic to.....

cost-of-living is generally low for almost everything because of lots of competition........lots of food store competition......

bugs: I occasionally see a roach run across my kitchen floor....all those scary desert bugs sometimes show up....just be aware and keep a clean house....spray if you must

Phx has grown, of course, and that makes some areas old and junky while other areas are new and full of big boxes and familiar chains....drivers are sometimes important and don't want to come in second....honking is common in some areas.....traffic jams at rush hour.....the whole bit

lots of social options: meetup has lots of choices, New Times is the weekly arts paper and has music, food, arts listings....ASU will have a ton of clubs, etc.....

big, big city: all kinds of people, most friendly, some not.....still a bit of a casual, Western vibe....lots of outdoor activities - boating, hiking, tubing, biking are among the most popular.....

summer is long, very bright, hot, not easy....with no daylight savings time in most of Az, it gets light very early in June (5:17am is actual sunrise on June 21) and heats up very quickly .....temp rarely gets below 85 at night in July and Aug with the humidity.....winter is usually sunny with lows in 30s or 40s and highs in 60s or 70s....three or four cold rainy spells in winter.....cold in the shade in winter, nice in the sun

[observer53]

Along with azdr's great post, let me add that Tempe has a very good parks and rec department with lots of classes/activities; the best public transit in the Valley (but I agree that having a car to take full advantage of what metro Phx has to offer is a requirement) You can live close to campus or a little further out in Tempe if you want more of a mix of tenants and not all young undergraduates.

Bugs are really not a huge problem, any more than anywhere else, as long as you keep things tidy, it's really not a major issue.

[ggallegos_5]

I am also thinking of moving to Arizona. I have three adult children ages 18, 20 and 22. I am pretty sure that my 18 almost 19 year old will be moving with us. She is attending junior college at the moment and it working on her AA Degree in Theatrical Arts. She loves to act in theater. I want to make sure that she will be happy if we decide to move to Arizona. My husband is planning on retiring in a year or so. We are still a young couple as he will only be 56 when he retires. We love to eat and enjoy outdoor activities. Are we making the right choice thinking about Arizona. My husband loves the heat, I don't care for it that much - but will go wherever we decide.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by ggallegos_5

I am also thinking of moving to Arizona. I have three adult children ages 18, 20 and 22. I am pretty sure that my 18 almost 19 year old will be moving with us. She is attending junior college at the moment and it working on her AA Degree in Theatrical Arts. She loves to act in theater. I want to make sure that she will be happy if we decide to move to Arizona. My husband is planning on retiring in a year or so. We are still a young couple as he will only be 56 when he retires. We love to eat and enjoy outdoor activities. Are we making the right choice thinking about Arizona. My husband loves the heat, I don't care for it that much - but will go wherever we decide.

Your best bet would be to visit Phx in the summer.............the winters here are roughly comparable to San Jose.

[Comedy]

I am an ASU Lifetime Alumni Member, and let me tell you from personal experience...I did not enjoy living in Tempe. I loved North Scottsdale. It more mature, as in people in their late 20's and 30's. Most of the people that live their are middle class Californians. Rarely did I ever run into a snob.

If your looking for some great apartments North Scottsdale is way better than Tempe. I spent days looking for a nice Apartment in Tempe and found one. North Scottsdale has many, and they are all affordable. Living in Scottsdale your 30 minutes from everything, which is true throughout the valley. There are nice apartments on 96th and Redfield and east of the 101 and Frank Loydd Wright. There right across the street from the Hawaiin BBQ Restaurant. There are also some nice apartments across from the strip mall Scottsdale 101, which is off Scottsdale and the 101. Like Tempe Market Place you would be near Desert Ridge Marketplace.

I lived in North Phoenix and North Scottsdale while attending ASU. The commute was 5 to 10 minutes longer than when I lived on Baseline and Rural. The people in Tempe don't say high to often when passing by, but people in Scottsdale are more friendly. Also another benefit of living up North is you can play in Tempe and leave to your nice home in Scottsdale. If your in to desert landscaping Scottsdale has more of it than Tempe. Tempe is taken over by midwesterners.

As for Allergies, I wouldn't say its the worst. Colorado kicks my rear and Oregon nearly knocked me out. I have grass allergies, and in Phoenix i dealt with them lightly 2-4 times a year, where as here in Colorado I am misserable for 6 to 8 long weeks.

I could go on and on and on about how great Phoenix is but if you have any specific questions you would like to know feel free to ask.

[observer53]

Re: north Scottsdale and your 5 to 10 minute longer commute-- how long ago did you live "there"? At any time of day, I don't believe that it took you only that much longer to come from the area you describe (Redfield, Frank Lloyd Wright) than from Baseline and Rural. There are quite a few nice apartment complexes in Tempe, comparable to whereever you were at Baseline and Rural. I'm sure there are nice people in both cities-- I've known several.

I am not saying that Scottsdale isn't an option for the OP, but IMO it's inaccurate to give the OP the impression that at any time of day, it is that short a commute, or to overgeneralize and say that the people in Tempe aren't nice and the ones in Scottsdale are.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Comedy

I am an ASU Lifetime Alumni Member, and let me tell you from personal experience...I did not enjoy living in Tempe. I loved North Scottsdale. It more mature, as in people in their late 20's and 30's. Most of the people that live their are middle class Californians. Rarely did I ever run into a snob.

If your looking for some great apartments North Scottsdale is way better than Tempe. I spent days looking for a nice Apartment in Tempe and found one. North Scottsdale has many, and they are all affordable. Living in Scottsdale your 30 minutes from everything, which is true throughout the valley. There are nice apartments on 96th and Redfield and east of the 101 and Frank Loydd Wright. There right across the street from the Hawaiin BBQ Restaurant. There are also some nice apartments across from the strip mall Scottsdale 101, which is off Scottsdale and the 101. Like Tempe Market Place you would be near Desert Ridge Marketplace.

I lived in North Phoenix and North Scottsdale while attending ASU. The commute was 5 to 10 minutes longer than when I lived on Baseline and Rural. The people in Tempe don't say high to often when passing by, but people in Scottsdale are more friendly. Also another benefit of living up North is you can play in Tempe and leave to your nice home in Scottsdale. If your in to desert landscaping Scottsdale has more of it than Tempe. Tempe is taken over by midwesterners.

As for Allergies, I wouldn't say its the worst. Colorado kicks my rear and Oregon nearly knocked me out. I have grass allergies, and in Phoenix i dealt with them lightly 2-4 times a year, where as here in Colorado I am misserable for 6 to 8 long weeks.

I could go on and on and on about how great Phoenix is but if you have any specific questions you would like to know feel free to ask.

Scottsdale (especially the north end) has one fatal flaw: the public transportation there is poor.

I personally prefer Tempe-------and, any price over Scottsdale myself. And; I lived in S Scottsdale for years.

[asufan]

Originally Posted by Comedy

I am an ASU Lifetime Alumni Member, and let me tell you from personal experience...I did not enjoy living in Tempe. I loved North Scottsdale. It more mature, as in people in their late 20's and 30's. Most of the people that live their are middle class Californians. Rarely did I ever run into a snob.

If your looking for some great apartments North Scottsdale is way better than Tempe. I spent days looking for a nice Apartment in Tempe and found one. North Scottsdale has many, and they are all affordable. Living in Scottsdale your 30 minutes from everything, which is true throughout the valley. There are nice apartments on 96th and Redfield and east of the 101 and Frank Loydd Wright. There right across the street from the Hawaiin BBQ Restaurant. There are also some nice apartments across from the strip mall Scottsdale 101, which is off Scottsdale and the 101. Like Tempe Market Place you would be near Desert Ridge Marketplace.

I lived in North Phoenix and North Scottsdale while attending ASU. The commute was 5 to 10 minutes longer than when I lived on Baseline and Rural. The people in Tempe don't say high to often when passing by, but people in Scottsdale are more friendly. Also another benefit of living up North is you can play in Tempe and leave to your nice home in Scottsdale. If your in to desert landscaping Scottsdale has more of it than Tempe. Tempe is taken over by midwesterners.

As for Allergies, I wouldn't say its the worst. Colorado kicks my rear and Oregon nearly knocked me out. I have grass allergies, and in Phoenix i dealt with them lightly 2-4 times a year, where as here in Colorado I am misserable for 6 to 8 long weeks.

I could go on and on and on about how great Phoenix is but if you have any specific questions you would like to know feel free to ask.

Wow, I could drive someone around Tempe, and in about 20 minutes find about a dozen apartments as good or better than anything in North Scottsdale. Not to mention all the cool condo's that are usually available for rent. Sure, North Scottsdale is more mature, but then again, so is Sun City.

For an ASU student, Tempe or South Scottsdale is the place to be.

[Comedy]

I'm sure the OP can distinguish between rush hour and normal traffic. 30 minutes is about the average, especially if you live near the 101. Tempe apartments are not nicer than the ones in North Scottsdale, and are not better priced. I saved $0 moving to Tempe. Aside from the new highrises the condos are not even as uniques as the ones in Scottsdale. North Scottsdale is the place to be.

Outside of Lightrail, you have to drive yourself all over the valley, so who cares about public transportation?

People in Tempe are not as friendly as people who live in North Scottsdale. That was my experience for years, and everyone elses opiion that I knew when I was there. Which is funny how I get called out for generalizing, but I always herd how I lived in Snobsdale.

If you enjoy college parties live in Tempe. If you enjoy the best parties in the valley live in Scottsdale. Afterall, Scottsdale has been called the South Beach of the West!