Relocate to Mesa, AZ? (Chandler, Tempe: low income, fit in, rentals)

[Caldus]

Hello all,

I'm from Charlotte, NC. Most of my family lives there. I lived there until I was 22 and graduated college. Then I moved to St. Louis, MO and have lived here for about 3 years now. I'm thinking about moving again. I know jobs are scarce everywhere these days, but I also would really like to move on to a new job some time soon. I see a few job openings in Mesa, AZ here and there for my company. I see other openings in Maryland and Colorado but neither of those places sound all that appealing to me. I was originally thinking about California, but the more I read about Arizona on here, the more interested I become.

I don't really have any friends in St. Louis and I don't really miss Charlotte itself a whole lot other then, of course, that my family is there. I can always fly to see them and they can always fly to see me too. That's not too big of a deal to me. My company does not have any jobs in NC though and I'm not so sure about trying to move on to another company there, especially in our current economy. At least I can move around within my company safely for the most part.

I'm single. I'm not a big club/bar kind of guy. I'd rather do things like go to museums or do outdoorsy kind of things like ride my bike or hike. One thing I miss about NC is being near the beach and the mountains. At least in AZ, I can drive to beaches more easily. Obviously, I've never been to AZ during the middle of July, so I can't say for sure if I would be able to deal with the heat or not. I hate the winters here in St. Louis for sure, but while the summers are humid, I'm usually OK with it. I'm thinking about going to grad school soon too. I would've applied to Wash-U (my field is Computer Science) here in St. Louis, but then I would be stuck at my current job unless more jobs become available for my company in St. Louis again.

So having said all of that, do you guys think AZ could be the place for me? Give me your honest opinion. Obviously, you don't know me at all but at least I tried to provide some background. I would appreciate it!

[sidrah]

It's not horrible here. You might want to live outside of Mesa and travel there. What beach will you be driving to? In CA? I wasn't sure what you meant there.
Chandler is prety nice. ASU is Tempe, so if you went to school there, it would be nice, too. You would be closer to the transportation and can hop on and go into Phx and see things there.

It really is honestly not that hot here. It's like in winter where you stay in when it's freezing, here they stay in when it is too hot. I got used to it quickly. I am from NY, so to me Phx is just too ....I don't know. But, it is not horrible. I would say the job might be the driving force for you, though.

[AZgarden]

You would probably fit in just fine. Alot of bike riding, hiking, pools, outdoor stuff here. But the nearest beach is San Diego, 5 hours away. We have lakes but nothing like a real beach. As far as the heat goes, you really should come here during the summer and see if you can take it. Its constant air conditioning for a few months. In the car, in stores, at home, etc. Good luck.

[Caldus]

I am from NY, so to me Phx is just too ....I don't know. But, it is not horrible. I would say the job might be the driving force for you, though.

Is just too ... what? I'm curious. Why do you say the job would be the driving factor?

Thanks for the responses.

[snowflake13]

My family and I are a step past you in the whole relocating deal...my husband recently found out that he will be transferred to the Tempe office. We currently live in the SW mountains of Colorado, and are very happy here though where the job is, is where we go. So long story short.....we took a weekend trip and drove down.
We did decide on Mesa, the Dobson Ranch area....we really liked it and have a friend that lives in the neighborhood. A lot of people on this forum seem to shy away from Mesa, not really sure why....perhaps some input on that would be helpful. Anyway we are very outdoorsy kind of people and like to spend a lot of time outside...even when it is cold we like to snowboard, and I like to snow shoe. I am going to have to say goodbye to that. With that said after visiting we realized that there really is a lot you can do outdoors, and get nice weather during the winter. So we think Mesa is a good spot for us, due to proximity to my husbands work and like I said before, we like the Dobson neighborhood. Plus the crime stats are not bad, and the schools in that particular neighborhood are not horrible. Good luck to you!!

[MarianR]

Mesa is actually a big city with a small town feel, at least IMO. It's the fourth largest city in Arizona and actually bigger than you'd think. We lived in south Tempe for two years and have been in east Mesa for six months. In Tempe we didn't notice the winter influx of snowbirds like we do in Mesa, at least in our part of Mesa. In Tempe the grocery stores and gas stations seemed to be closer together. The summers haven't bothered us, in fact we're anxious for it to warm up, it's too cool right now. So come ahead, you'll love it!

[Jukesgrrl]

The majority of Mesa residents are, above all, conservative. If you're Republican, a family man, and/or church-going, you'll be fine. If not, you might want to consider adjusting your choice.

[Captain Bill]

Mesa has many demographic areas.

Dobson Ranch is a very popular middle income community in West Mesa, which extends below Baseline Rd.

North Mesa has older homes, with larger lots, well kept, with an aging population whose children have grown up in the homes.

Parts of central Mesa are low income and homes are older and some neighborhoods not as well kept. There are many rentals in this area.

North Mesa around Val Vista and Brown is somewhat upper income, with million dollar plus homes in the area.

North east Mesa near the 202 is a middle to upper middle income area with newer homes. Los Sendas, an upscale community with a golf course is there.

East to south east Mesa is a middle income area with newer homes. Parts of south east Mesa attend Desert Ridge, a Gilbert High School.

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl

The majority of Mesa residents are, above all, conservative. If you're Republican, a family man, and/or church-going, you'll be fine. If not, you might want to consider adjusting your choice.

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

Mesa has many demographic areas.

Dobson Ranch is a very popular middle income community in West Mesa, which extends below Baseline Rd.

North Mesa has older homes, with larger lots, well kept, with an aging population whose children have grown up in the homes.

Parts of central Mesa are low income and homes are older and some neighborhoods not as well kept. There are many rentals in this area.

North Mesa around Val Vista and Brown is somewhat upper income, with million dollar plus homes in the area.

North east Mesa near the 202 is a middle to upper middle income area with newer homes. Los Sendas, an upscale community with a golf course is there.

East to south east Mesa is a middle income area with newer homes. Parts of south east Mesa attend Desert Ridge, a Gilbert High School.

Thank you, Captain Bill. Actual facts are much more useful than broad, sweeping statements that reflect only the author's biases.

[dougstech]

Originally Posted by Caldus

Is just too ... what? I'm curious. Why do you say the job would be the driving factor?

Thanks for the responses.

Probably hot