Portland Oregon,Phoenix or Scottsdale (Medford, Detroit: apartments, for rent, townhouses)

[crazyme4878]

I live close to Payson--go there to do all my shopping. But I don't like it. I often say that living where I do would be more tolerable if the closest town wasn't Payson. Just not much of a obvious community and such. I'm not a "shopper" persay, but when I do, I like to shop in small, locally owned stores and there isn't much of that here.

I don't like the snow because when it does comes, it melts right away, and then it is muddy. I grew up in the northern Midwest, so I'm use to winter-long snow. My least favorite season there is Spring because it is ugly and muddy and windy and not good for much of anything. I feel that sums up the entire winter season here. Plus, it is still the desert. I'm excited to have green, a ton of water, dark forests, and to explore the coastal habitats. My husband is there now and says that the cloudiness isn't that bad because it isn't a constant (like November in the northern Midwest)--it moves. Ask me again in a year, though...

(oh, and I'm looking forward to some decent roads. Arizona roads--outside the metro, city, and hwy areas are horrible!)

[Robby111]

I live the the phoenix area and it's the pits , absolutely awful place to live for many reasons .

I'm moving to portland as hear great things

[pabock71]

Phoenix and Scottsdale are a world of difference that Portland. I'm from originally Michigan too. Phoenix and Scottsdale are just too hot for me. Portland is nice. We (usually) don't get the snow you get in Michigan, the temperatures are higher too. BUT Portland is a BIG city now and not the "small" city it used to be. The people are generally very nice here. But it's becoming another big city like Seattle, Los Angeles or San Francisco. Weather wise I would choose Portland.

[lookinforhorseparadise]

I went to college in Tempe (just outside Phoenix). I came from green Virginia so the overall brown landscape was hard to get used to...also I missed the rolling hills, in Tempe it was either flat or mountains in the distance. Phoenix is very spread out because cities in AZ have virtually unlimited land to spread the sprawl, so a car is necessary. And I also made the incorrect assumption that in AZ I would never again be cold...this is not true because when you get used to 100+ degrees, the winter temps in the 50s feel cold and you see folks bundled up in heavy coats and hats...it is all relative. Comparing AZ to Portland is not comparing apples and apples as they are so very different. Since I suffer migraines from the sun, it is a no brainer as to which city I would choose.

[FSF]

I realize it's a preference thing and to each his own. But I just can't even remotely fathom how anyone would want to live in the blithering heat of Arizona, or the sweltering humidity of many areas of the South.

[arizonatransplant1978]

One of the things i hate most is having to have a car to get anywhere here. I live in Gilbert, Az but it's very like that anywhere. Even if you lived in, say, Downtown Scottsdale where you have lots of restaurants and clubs you would still have to drive to find groceries. And like another response mentioned, public transit is a joke here.

Also, like another person mentioned, there is a large church presence in the government here. Of course, I'm sort of a political lefty and maybe I *would* say that, but I don't think it's an overstatement.

As for the heat, I had a friend tell me she wanted to come visit this summer, she had never been to Az at all. I warned her that the first time she steps out of the ac to get gas or go to the bathroom on the drive out in 110+ degrees it'll be like stepping into an oven. It's really overwhelming.

We're researching Portland for a move this summer. Also the Bay area, which we lived in before. We loved it there, but it'll be much harder to find a rental that will work for a family of 5 + pets there. I also have lots of family in Portland.

Good luck with your decision!

[NWGirl74]

I've lived in the NW most of my life but moved to Phoenix in 2003. My late hubby was in a specialized field and he took a job there. We moved back in 2005. Phoenix wasn't bad; it just wasn't home.

I do not tolerate the heat. My Sunday routine during the summer was to go to the 8:15 church service, hit the grocery store, be home by 10:30 and not leave the house again. I only went out on Saturday if I had to. We never really explored the area because "oh, it will be nice next weekend," and then it got too hot, whereas I find here, we take advantage of all there is to do in the area when the sun comes out because we don't know when that will happen again. I found I actually got sick of the sun.

Also, having come from Portland, I was not expecting the first drops of rain to completely cripple traffic and bring it to a standstill. I worked in Scottsdale and lived in Gilbert and if it was sprinkling (well, by my standards-like barely needing the wipers), it could easily take 2 hours to get home.

[sforsmo]

I've lived in Phoenix since 1990 and before that in Tucson for about 10 years. Scottsdale is an affluent city but is part of what we call the "Valley" here since all the towns pretty much merge into one huge bustling, sprawled out place. Scottsdale is about 20 minutes from the heart of Phoenix (where I live). If you have money, like clubbing, restaurants, shopping, resorts, golf, and more shopping you'll love Scottsdale. The schools are rated as good, but that's by AZ standards.... It's not very diverse ethnically. Has a very nice contemporary art museum, but Old Town Scottsdale which once was a very vibrant art gallery scene has changed a lot (recession), and personally I think Phoenix is developing and "growing" more of an interesting arts environment. The northern stretches of Scottsdale are newer and more affluent, the southern part of Scottsdale merges into Tempe (ASU) and has a more ranch house, 50's modernist vibe.
Phoenix is changing and most of it (imho) is for the better. Downtown is finally growing into an urban hub with lots of good eating, a farmer's market in the cooler months, arts neighborhoods that are thriving, a new civic center which just hosted a very vibrant comicon, and light rail connecting it with ASU and the east valley. Lots of condos and (psuedo) loft type construction, a wonderful library designed by Wil Bruder, can you tell I love Central Phoenix? There's a fantastic school for the arts (performing) downtown and lots of historic neighborhoods, mid century modern architecture is very popular here. Tons of good eating in Phoenix (and cheaper than Scottsdale). Weather.....I'm from grey, rainy Ohio so Oregon is never going to be a place I will live (maybe vist.....) The weather cools in mid to late October and is gorgeous until May when temps climb to 100. May until September is very hot. It's not for everyone. I happen to love the desert. It's when I hibernate (or visit the beach in Cali), and get things done (I'm an artist). Everyone paints Phoenix as a very conservative place (yes, there are lots of Republicans, our sheriff is despicable) but I have lots of friends and colleagues who are liberal and progressively minded. It's a melting pot (good pun don't you think?) And I have conservative friends who aren't right wing whackos either. I'm not a cheerleader for people moving here because they always compare it to somewhere else....like the east coast or.....Pacific Northwest. It's the desert. It's unique.

[NickyBilly]

1. Scottsdale
2. Phoenix
Distance 3. Portland

[lurtsman]

Depends on heat and public transit. Honestly, Portland has public transit, but like most places, it sucks. I had to ride it for a few years when I was young and couldn't afford a car. Once I got one, I avoided it like the plague. It will take a long time to get any where, and you have to live very close to the tracks. If you don't live near the max, you will probably need a bus to take you to the max. If you live outside of Portland (IE Hillsboro) and are out late, the max will shut down and leave you stranded for hours in the middle of the night.

If you can afford a car, then public transit isn't a major issue. It's useful for getting to the rose garden, but not for much else. If you can't afford a car, then the housing costs and taxes in Portland may create a real problem.

If you can afford a car and want sun, phoenix and scottsdale are fine options. A little too hot for me, but otherwise they are fine cities. The state has a few absurd policies from political pressure, but Oregon has some very stupid **** in their laws also. I've lived a few places I spent time in Iowa City, which has a culture and climate very similar to detriot. It doesn't have those "city' things, like say...a costco, or good streets, or anything else like that. However, it does have similar temperatures and similar political views. I eventually got out and decided to put my roots down in Colorado. Great weather year round, affordable housing, and low traffic.

I can't say for sure which of those three cities you'll like best, though if you plan to avoid driving I'd think Oregon would win as long as you can stand cloudy and rainy for 8 to 9 months of the year. If you had a car, I'd have rated phoenix higher because I personally like the sunshine, but I wouldn't have rated it much higher because I just couldn't take the intense heat. When I was deciding where to put down roots, phoenix was a top 5 option. It couldn't get higher than that because the heat was simply too much.