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Phoenix is a LOT more scenic that Tampa. I mean you have Grand Canyon a few hours away...also California with its beautiful landscapes is just 4 hours west of PHX. Also California is around the corner work opportunities wise IF PHX goes to the pooper......Yes there is an IT scene in Florida, but not nearly as large and popular as the one in CA. If you were to live in PHX your moving costs to California would be a lot cheaper than moving from Tampa to CA. BUT it depends greatly on what YOU think is "Scenic beauty/easy access to recreation"....its between hiking and fishing really....
So in your circumstance my vote goes to PHX. If the weather there becomes unbearable you can always drive up in the mountains (Sedona, Flagstaff etc) and cool off in a gorgeous landscape, unlike Florida both Tampa and FT where the closest cooling of is 9 hours away.....
The closest 'cooling off' in Tampa is right next door.. it's called the Gulf of Mexico.
Last November we returned to Clearwater from the PHX metro area. We are retired and have no job considerations. We lived in FL for 28 years before moving to AZ. We didn't live in Ft Lauderdale but were 5 years in Boca Raton. We found the gulf coast much friendlier than the Atlantic coast.
In AZ we experienced 115 degrees in summer and the winters were much cooler than FL.
The dust is endless and it is very, very dry there. That area gets about 7 inches of rain in a year.
We never considered Calif, high cost of living, earthquakes, goofy politics, etc.
I did military time in San Diego. You don't go to the beach, the Pacific is always COLD.
Phoenix is a LOT more scenic that Tampa. I mean you have Grand Canyon a few hours away...also California with its beautiful landscapes is just 4 hours west of PHX. Also California is around the corner work opportunities wise IF PHX goes to the pooper......Yes there is an IT scene in Florida, but not nearly as large and popular as the one in CA. If you were to live in PHX your moving costs to California would be a lot cheaper than moving from Tampa to CA. BUT it depends greatly on what YOU think is "Scenic beauty/easy access to recreation"....its between hiking and fishing really....
So in your circumstance my vote goes to PHX. If the weather there becomes unbearable you can always drive up in the mountains (Sedona, Flagstaff etc) and cool off in a gorgeous landscape, unlike Florida both Tampa and FT where the closest cooling of is 9 hours away.....
Then go! whats holding you??
I cant stand Californians like you who brag about your state endlessly as if nowhere else is as good or nothing else exists outside of there.
I used to lived in Broward for two years, then Phoenix for almost 3 years (Chandler in the east valley) and now Tampa for 3 years all within the last 13 years. Personally, I love Phoenix more than any place I've lived. You can't beat the lifestyle be it the weather or the people.
Phoenix definitely is more safe than any major city in Florida and it's more peaceful and relaxing. It was like being a vacation for the years that I was there. However, you want to avoid housing near Baseline Rd west of i-10 and Maryvale.
As far as traffic, South Florida would be worse than Phoenix only by a small margin and Phoenix would be worse than Tampa. But it depends on where you're commuting to and from. I used to make the trip down 95 from Broward into downtown Miami and it was bad. I used to make the trip on i-10 from the east Valley into downtown Phoenix and it was bad. Tampa isn't that bad but if you're trying to come from north Tampa in downtown it's gonna be a serious problem.
Phoenix has the better scenery bar none. I used to hike every Saturday morning at South Mountain. You get to the top and you can see all of the east valley and downtown Phoenix. Camelback Mountain has good hiking as well and it's really beautiful up there in Paradise Valley, which is also in the east valley but is in northern Maricopa County. Driving on the expressways in the valley, allows you to see all of the beauty that is Maricopa County, especially around Paradise Valley and Scottsdale.
I've read that housing prices are rebounding in Phoenix so I don't really know where that stands. When I lived there it was cheaper than South Florida and about the same as Tampa. Obviously, South Florida is the highest out of all the places on your list. Your money would definitely go further in Tampa or Phoenix.
Intel has a strong presence in the east valley and a number of other tech companies have a decent presence in the Phoenix metro. I don't know how that compares to Tampa or Broward.
Weather is about the same between Phoenix and most cities in Florida. The heat in Phoenix is dry but it gets really hot. Having been born and raised in Florida, the heat in Phoenix wasn't a problem for me. However, people coming from Phoenix to FL have a hard time making that transition to high humidity.
Overall, after having lived in all 3 areas, I feel like PHX is the best fit for someone that wants a laid back, somewhat west coast lifestyle that is totally different from the east coast. If you want excellent, awe inspiring, OMG God made this, type of scenery PHX is your area. If you want safety and low crime comparatively speaking, PHX is your area. Tampa would be my second choice out of the three cities you listed.
Now if you throw San Diego in the mix, all bets are off. SD hands down. Weather is perfect. But cost of living and taxes are a killer. Best scenery of any city I've been to, La Jolla, Torrey Pines, Coronado, Del Mar, North SD County all with scenery that is to die for. Hike Torrey Pines State Reserve and you over look the Pacific. Awesome stuff.
As far as the people go ya, I'd be looking forward to worse traffic than Tampa and so would anyone else. They and I would also be looking forward to racial tensions that are sky high with the mexicans and white westerners.. ya you can keep it. And Joe Arpaio is one of the biggest attention whores of all time!
west coast vibe is WAY different than anything you will find in florida. sure there is sketchy trash out there too but nowhere near the numbers and influence that you'll find in florida. AZ also has serious issues with illegal immigration, mex drug cartels and wacked out of their mind conservative elected officials stuck in 1920s rhetoric but if you can navigate all that it can be a cool place to live. Again, I would just live in SoCal or NoCal if possible
Everything has trade offs. What I couldnt stand about my time in CA though is the amount of ratchet trash I would see there, only many try to hide it. The blacks there are the only ones who acted real it seemed or the muslims. The asians and whites out there were FAKE as hell. CA was too sickeningly polite for me. I am glad to be in FL for that very reason and of course the traffic is terrible too. Oh and Cali also has the nazi scene. A bigger one I feel than in FL or the Tampa area and they hide in public a lot and only show up for the demonstrations or protests at the capitol or something.
I lived in Phoenix for 15 years and have now lived in Tampa for 4 so her is my two cents worth:
Traffic in Tampa is generally worse (unless you live in the East Valley of Phoenix) than Phoenix. The roads and freeways in AZ are MUCH better maintained and planned than in FL.
The weather is a toss up - both are not especially pleasant in the summer and I would say Tampa has nicer winters.
Crime is much worse in Florida - as another poster said AZ has their share of trashy people but nothing like here in Florida.
Phoenix is much cleaner and more attractive - Tampa within city limits is an ugly dumpy city, but there are nice areas nearby. And Florida does have great beaches. AZ has great diversity in terrain from low to high desert to mountain areas. It can be 100 degrees in Phoenix and you can drive 2 hours up north and it's 75.
The vibe in people is extremely different out west than in the southeast US. In Florida most people came from New York and New England - in AZ most came from the Midwest and CA. That makes a HUGE difference in attitude and outlook.
For us as soon as our family obligations in FL are no longer an issue we will most assuredly be back in Phoenix. Although there are some things we will miss about Florida we won't miss the white trash population, the horrible roads and traffic, the bugs and the blight that is Tampa south of Bearse.
What I don't miss about Phoenix - the dust, the extreme dryness at times and...that's about it.
Politically...... both places are ridiculous but on the corruption front I would say Florida has a slight worse edge.
I am not sure why anyone would ever want to live in Ft Lauderdale other than for the proximity to cruise ships that take you somewhere else.
As far as the people go ya, I'd be looking forward to worse traffic than Tampa and so would anyone else. They and I would also be looking forward to racial tensions that are sky high with the mexicans and white westerners.. ya you can keep it. And Joe Arpaio is one of the biggest attention whores of all time!
It's a metropolitan area of about 4.2 million people, of course there is going to be some rush hour traffic. But for the most part you can get all around this huge valley quickly thanks to its awesome freeways. As far as the racial tensions, I've worked in warehouses with all mexican-americans and a few blacks. Everyone was laid-back and were nice to work with. We're not carrying around all that civil war angst like in the southeast US. Most People in Phoenix come from all over, not to become beach bum alcoholics, but to rebuild their lives, improve their lives, in an uplifting and beautiful environment.
It's a metropolitan area of about 4.2 million people, of course there is going to be some rush hour traffic. But for the most part you can get all around this huge valley quickly thanks to its awesome freeways. As far as the racial tensions, I've worked in warehouses with all mexican-americans and a few blacks. Everyone was laid-back and were nice to work with. We're not carrying around all that civil war angst like in the southeast US. Most People in Phoenix come from all over, not to become beach bum alcoholics, but to rebuild their lives, improve their lives, in an uplifting and beautiful environment.
I could not agree more. Of all the places I have lived Phoenix had the least amount of racial tensions. I always thought it was such a breath of fresh air.
One can always debate whether people are nicer in one place or another but to me people in the valley always seemed happier. Having worked with the general public all over the US I would certainly say I loved the customers in Phoenix better than anywhere - by far.
It's a metropolitan area of about 4.2 million people, of course there is going to be some rush hour traffic. But for the most part you can get all around this huge valley quickly thanks to its awesome freeways. As far as the racial tensions, I've worked in warehouses with all mexican-americans and a few blacks. Everyone was laid-back and were nice to work with. We're not carrying around all that civil war angst like in the southeast US. Most People in Phoenix come from all over, not to become beach bum alcoholics, but to rebuild their lives, improve their lives, in an uplifting and beautiful environment.
Civil war angst?? really? I dont see any of that here. I see a few confederate flags yes and I've run into locals but personally have not met anyone whos had anything against me and if they did, I'd rather they'd tell me and I am sure most would too or maybe I just come off in such a way that I don't get that kind of negative attention like I am a "damn yank". I only wonder about places like Winn Dixie if they're sexist or prefer to hire blacks more but thats about it but they're all over the South, not just FL. Publix happens to be nicely run and good to their employees and they're out of FL so..
I dont believe things are as bad as you're making them about FL though. And I know for a fact Arizona has tension and isnt as laid back as you're trying to make it sound. Plus the dry heat would kill me. Maybe in your workplace its fine and people are ok but I am talking about most of the place. They take that open carry stuff too far too. So yea I am under the impression that its even a hostile place for someone white or non mexican (italian) to move to even more than it is in Tampa area. I felt California even was. Arizona takes red politics to a whole new level though although places like Auburn/Grass Valley were pretty bad too.
Arizona takes red politics to a whole new level though although places like Auburn/Grass Valley were pretty bad too.
That's what people think, but AZ has the medical marijuana dispensaries, Florida doesn't. Maybe on the next vote they will. Also AZ banned tobacco in all commercial establishments, including non-food serving bars. Florida till this day doesn't have non smoking municipalities. And they can't either because Florida actually has a state statute that a city can't impose a stricter ordinance than the state one. That's got tobacco lobby written all over it.
Those are major liberal policies I described. Could be the changing demographic shift in Phoenix, maybe it's the Californians bringing their ways here.
As for the open carry, I've only seen it twice in my two years here. Both times at Harley Davidson dealers which are redneck magnets anyway. But the truth is, most states in middle America allow such people to carry guns openly. Thank goodness most people don't. There is enough tension out there in the world already!
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