relocating to phoenix from portland or need help. (Mesa, Glendale: real estate, HOA)

[cfuller1989]

Hi i currently live in portland oregon. My wife and i are wanting to move to phoenix and have some questions, we have never been to phoenix but have done a ton of research online and talked to our friends who have been there before. But i am wondering how are the schools around tempe and mesa area? how is the housing market there ( i figure its probably same as portland) we both like the heat thats y we chosen az and we are tired of the cold and rainy weather of portland and its making my arthrits bad in my knees... and my wife has a breathing problem.. we hate only having 3 to 4 good months out the year to go camping or boating, do ppl who live in az usally go boating and camping almost yearround? or alot of outdoor recreation yearround? how is the night life? is there alot to do to keep yourself entertained? anything else anyone could tell me on there experiences or how they like living there or anything in general would be great to know! i also love hunting and fishing to how is it there? well thnaks for everyones help!


thanks cory

[cmist]

The housing market is probably much cheaper than Portland. Tempe is more expensive than Mesa and also has a better known school district, "kyrene". Tempe is also a college town with the most night life and activities in the valley I would say. I like it there better than any other part.

The issue of a breathing problem for one of you and arthritis for the other is going to be a tough one to settle. Air quality in Phoenix is dusty, somewhat polluted and more stagnant than Portland because we don't have ocean breezes pushing it around as much. There isn't a very big mass transit system so there are alot of cars on the road contributing to the air quality problems. However the warm, dry air is a huge relief for arthritis so you guys might have to fight that one out.

Camping and boating is at a minimum in the winter, but pretty busy in the summer, although there are certain places you might camp in lower elevations during the winter... maybe in southern az, or near the local lakes in Phoenix. Not many are camping up north where its snowing in the winter.

With you being used to colder temperatures, you might find our winter days equal to your summer days at first. You will have the whole lake practically to yourself in the winter if you go out on them... that is until your blood thins out after a few summers and you start considering 60 degrees cold.

If you end up in a home, if you have a boat,RV or camper to bring with you, you will want to make sure you are in a neighborhood that does not have an HOA because they are prohibited to be stored on your own property even if they are behind your own fence line if they can be seen at all from the street. If you need a home in such a community they will need to be stored at a facility that will charge over $100 per month. Maybe other storage lots are cheaper, but its still an expense to consider.

I will let others fill you in on the things to do / entertainment aspect of things. I'm usually not real positive about the city's offerings in that department.

[maryjanel]

i've lived in Phoenix suburbs my whole life (32 years) We should trade places. I'm sick of this hot & dry boring place. You have to drive miles & miles to go anywhere even if you lived downtown phoenix. The only places to shop would be at a mall. Very poor people are the only people who use the sad excuse for public transportation.

A night on the town would include a whole lot of driving because nothing is really close to each other. Everything is very spread out.

There is no culture here because almost everyone is from somewhere else.

Every city here has good & bad schools. The best way to check the neighborhood would be too look at the greatschools website & check the percentage of kids receiving free & reduced lunch at a particular school. You also can check the demographics of the school there. Realtors can't tell you this type of info. Greatschools is a great place to choose the neighborhood you want to check out.

Right now there are decent home prices because Arizona is one of the leading states in foreclosre. Check realtor.com to look at home prices.

We also get about 4 good months. Winter months are our big tourist season & in the summer it's so dang hot you can get a 4 star resort for less than $100 & sometimes even $50. Visit in July & see if you still want to move here. Set your oven to 120 degrees & put your face in...that's our summer.

There are many places to hunt & fish. Mostly up north, about 2 or 3 hours away.

The Phoenix area is a great place to vacation but it's different once you live here.

Warning...most of the people here have moved here from big cities where real estate was more expensive. This is why maybe people here are not very friendly like they are in Portland

Sorry to sound so negative but I just can't see much better about phoenix. I've lived here 32 years & I know ony 1 person that has moved from Portland & she says she would go back if her husband would. I know people that have moved from phoenix to Portlan & love it. it's sort of a down grade to go from Portland to Phoenix.

Me? I'm moving to Portland ASAP.

[observer53]

If you have never been here, you need to come visit, in the summer and perhaps another season, to get a feel for the place, to see if it is what YOU want. You can't put that much stock in what friends tell you or what strangers here tell you.

Tempe gets my vote, too, I live there. I've never seen figures on home prices vs. Mesa, but it is smaller, with a good reputation. Demand keeps prices higher. There are older neighborhoods that are nice and not as pricey as the newer ones. It depends on what sort of home you need/want. Kyrene is an excellent school district, it covers south Tempe, a small part of Chandler, and parts of southeast Phoenix (Ahwatukee, the Foothills).

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by observer53

If you have never been here, you need to come visit, in the summer and perhaps another season, to get a feel for the place, to see if it is what YOU want. You can't put that much stock in what friends tell you or what strangers here tell you.

Tempe gets my vote, too, I live there. I've never seen figures on home prices vs. Mesa, but it is smaller, with a good reputation. Demand keeps prices higher. There are older neighborhoods that are nice and not as pricey as the newer ones. It depends on what sort of home you need/want. Kyrene is an excellent school district, it covers south Tempe, a small part of Chandler, and parts of southeast Phoenix (Ahwatukee, the Foothills).

I agree; Tempe has great schools and has a plethora of transit options and even a free bus service called Orbit (similar to downtown Phoenix' free DASH bus service). The light rail traverses the urban region from North Central Phoenix to one mile inside of Mesa (a 4 mile eastward expansion to downtown Mesa will likely receive "shovel ready" funding from the feds because of heavier than expected ridership).

The light rail in Phoenix is the longest initial startup and the nation's busiest one as well...we've reached over 41,000 daily riders and for the first year of service averaged over 35,000 daily riders. Since you are from Portland you're probably familiar with light rail. The art, cultural, museums, nightlife, and amenities in the Valley are mostly found along the light rail corridor including the universities and airport. You'll have to drive for now to Scottsdale and Glendale's Westgate City Center where the Cardinals and Coyotes play...

I am also a heat lover and lived in Seattle for the longest stretch compared to any other region so I understand how the cold and dampness can get to you. Tempe's air quality at its worst is "moderate" and the "poor" ratings usually occur in isolated spots in S. Phoenix, West Phoenix, Chandler, and the rural areas where farming and plowing create dust particulate problems. This winter has been rather "chilly" by Phoenix standards but nothing like the Northwest! There has been some pretty chilly nights however! I'm in NY for the holidays so I appreciate the relative warmth in Phoenix!

[crystalys]

Originally Posted by maryjanel

i've lived in Phoenix suburbs my whole life (32 years) We should trade places. I'm sick of this hot & dry boring place. You have to drive miles & miles to go anywhere even if you lived downtown phoenix. The only places to shop would be at a mall. Very poor people are the only people who use the sad excuse for public transportation.

A night on the town would include a whole lot of driving because nothing is really close to each other. Everything is very spread out.

There is no culture here because almost everyone is from somewhere else.

Every city here has good & bad schools. The best way to check the neighborhood would be too look at the greatschools website & check the percentage of kids receiving free & reduced lunch at a particular school. You also can check the demographics of the school there. Realtors can't tell you this type of info. Greatschools is a great place to choose the neighborhood you want to check out.

Right now there are decent home prices because Arizona is one of the leading states in foreclosre. Check realtor.com to look at home prices.

We also get about 4 good months. Winter months are our big tourist season & in the summer it's so dang hot you can get a 4 star resort for less than $100 & sometimes even $50. Visit in July & see if you still want to move here. Set your oven to 120 degrees & put your face in...that's our summer.

There are many places to hunt & fish. Mostly up north, about 2 or 3 hours away.

The Phoenix area is a great place to vacation but it's different once you live here.

Warning...most of the people here have moved here from big cities where real estate was more expensive. This is why maybe people here are not very friendly like they are in Portland

Sorry to sound so negative but I just can't see much better about phoenix. I've lived here 32 years & I know ony 1 person that has moved from Portland & she says she would go back if her husband would. I know people that have moved from phoenix to Portlan & love it. it's sort of a down grade to go from Portland to Phoenix.

Me? I'm moving to Portland ASAP.

Wow, those are huge generalizations. I know a lot of people who use the public transportation and use the park and ride because of many reasons, which one of them is not because they are poor. They like to save gas and wear and tear on their vehicles, they don't like traffic hassles, they like to read and let someone else drive, they like to be in their own world with their headphones on and have some "alone" time, they like to take the kids on an "adventure".....etc. Have you ever taken public transportation? You will find everyone from homeless people to suits.

As to your statement about checking out the free or reduced lunch %, that is the lowest barometer of at what level a school provides a decent education. A school is rated excelling by what and how it teaches it's students and students learn from that and how much parental involvement there is...not by whether the student can afford lunch or not.

I'm not judging a book by it's cover because I don't personally know you, but you seem to have a problem with poor people just by reading this particular post. I'm not looking for an argument and I'm not passing judgement on you, just stating my opinion from your post as to what you seem to see as "facts". And as everyone says on here...I'm entitled to my opinion just as you are.

After 32 years of being miserable in Phoenix, I do hope someday you make it to Portland or wherever else you think you will be happy. Happiness after all really does start at home and within ourselves.