AZ or NM, Im leaving the NH cold! (Phoenix, Tucson: house, employment)

[crazyme4878]

We were seriously looking into the Taos area. My husband's job was getting worse and worse, but there was a position there that would be have been easy to slide in most likely (another job popped up first, so we didn't). What we liked about that area was the cultured small town, a little more liberal minded, and some different weather. Everyone is different, but I missed clouds and changing weather patterns and yes, winter. My husband didn't miss the winter. So Taos gave me a little change in seasons, but not the long, prolonged winter of up north that he disliked. So that is something else to think about. It's easy to say, in the middle of a harsh NE winter, that all you want is sunny, warm weather, but it's another thing to go to the total opposite side. Of course, many people seem not to have that problem at all. That, and I can't imagine the job market in Taos and Sante Fe are terribly great, but I would definitely check them out and keep them on your radar.

[KingBlunted]

Originally Posted by bigbuglf

Both states have a lot of beauty, but I agree with magnum, you will have better job prospects in AZ. If they make you take a pay cut, you can always look for a higher paying job either before you come or when you get here. Don't come w/o a job though.

Renting first is an excellent idea. The valley (Phx metro area) is very spread out and you will want to ultimately live near your job or the commute can be gnarly.

Yeah either I will transfer my current job to Phoenix, or I will be sending out resumes until I get another job. I would NEVER move without having a job already lined up.

Figure I would be better off renting until I figured out what part of the state I want to permanently call home. Ill have a better sense of the economy/ job market/ and my standard of living after living out there for a yr or so, So ill know where I can look for work other than Phoenix(hate traffic) Who knows I may get home sick and head back to the snow... DOUBT IT!

[8to32characters]

Well, if it's cold weather you're looking to avoid, then forget New Mexico. Albuquerque and Santa Fe are much higher in altitude than Phoenix and Tucson, so they tend to get and stay colder during the wintertime. FWIW, it only snows, on average, once every couple of decades in the Phoenix area whereas snow is more of a regular winter occurrence in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by 8to32characters

Well, if it's cold weather you're looking to avoid, then forget New Mexico. Albuquerque and Santa Fe are much higher in altitude than Phoenix and Tucson, so they tend to get and stay colder during the wintertime. FWIW, it only snows, on average, once every couple of decades in the Phoenix area whereas snow is more of a regular winter occurrence in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Compared to NH, almost anywhere in New Mexico would be downright balmy. It was in the 70's this past weekend and high 60's here today. Santa Fe can be quite chilly at 7,000' altitude, ABQ is usually always 10 degrees warmer, and Las Cruces is mostly warm throughout the year. Cold snaps tend to come and go quickly in ABQ and Las Cruces, Northern NM tends to have more of a real winter though not much of one this year as the whole Southwest has been in a prolonged drought. What I would miss most about ABQ when I leave is a near perfect climate for those that enjoy seasonal changes with a long summer but not too hot, short winter, and lots of sunny days.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by magnum0417

Great post. As a Phoenician, I also love ABQ and always stay at The Hyatt in Uptown and enjoy some microbrews at ABQ Brew Pub. Favorite New Mex places to eat are El Patio near UNM and Monroe's near the Lomas Central intersection.

ABQ is an active mid sized city with some potential. However, one can clearly see the poverty outside of Bernalillo County in rural areas along I 40 and I 25. Assuming you move to PHX, be sure to get your New Mex fix at Carlsbad Tavern in Scottsdale. Green Chili is awesome and they get all their stuff from Hatch. The spiciness varies from month to month which confirms the authenticity. Best of luck !

When I first explored ABQ, potential was the word that first came to mind. It's got a lot of character, nice climate, and I thought for sure it would be the next boom city in the West. I'll admit that came with a bit of naive outlook. I think ABQ will like always be a medium sized metro, and growth and improvement will come but it will be slow. Nob Hill and Old Town are interesting, but downtown leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully a cool and cohesive corridor can grow with more infill and investment along Central Ave between the three neighborhoods as there are a lot of seedy gaps in between.

Good to know I can get my New Mexican food fix when I move to the Valley. I love my green chiles.

Originally Posted by nmnita

The job market in most of NM is good to very good. But I think the same can be said about AZ. AZ does have more to do: NM is probably prettier. I always called NM: truly Gods land. Of course the cost of living in NM will be a little less.

Well the economy in NM is not bad but not really that good either. There are many job reliant on Fed Gov't funding with the Los Alamos and Sandia labs so that comes with vulnerability. HP and Intel in Rio Rancho are scaling back quite a bit. There's always call center jobs for what those are worth, but not very much robust economic growth here and not a lot of incentive to get big companies to locate here. The state of education in NM is also big hindrance.

[MichiVegas]

One warning- much of NM and AZ is cold too. In fact, most of NM is quite cold (though not NH cold).

Now if you're talking Phoenix or Tuscon, that's something else. But if you live somewhere like Santa Fe you will deal with snow and cold.

[Hawk J]

Originally Posted by KingBlunted

Yeah either I will transfer my current job to Phoenix, or I will be sending out resumes until I get another job. I would NEVER move without having a job already lined up.

Figure I would be better off renting until I figured out what part of the state I want to permanently call home. Ill have a better sense of the economy/ job market/ and my standard of living after living out there for a yr or so, So ill know where I can look for work other than Phoenix(hate traffic) Who knows I may get home sick and head back to the snow... DOUBT IT!

Over the years we have been fortunate to spend 3 winters having Fun, traveling in our ol' motorhome, doing some fishing along the Colorado River, Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu, etc...... &
www.avicasino.com ......great folks who treat us like family......we've had many great times. Nice beach/pool area.

The winters have been fairly cold at night & windy,, not too bad...

Then about late May at times it's been getting up to around 120 degrees......too dang HOT

Time for us to head North to our Oregon forests.

Until the next time we head south...

Enjoy your Adventure bro...

[bigbuglf]

I looked back at your OP and this made me pause: "I need good reasons to convince my close family members..."

I am not dissing you at all, but if you are single and worried about convincing your family members, you may want to reconsider moving 2000+ miles away. I left the great lakes when I was 29. I was married and loved my family, but we both wanted to live out west (plus the economy was horrible). Close family was not happy at all. I miss them to this day, but we did what was right for us.

Think about what it is you *really want*. Weather can matter, but I know NH and it is beautiful there. I was in the UP of MI for awhile and I loved it, but it was savage weather. Phoenix has savage weather too, in the opposite way. If being near family is something YOU don't want to give up, then look at closer options. If family wants you to stay and you really want to go, then now is the time, before you put down roots.

The other thing I would say is that savage heat is different than savage cold. Check out a PHX summer before you move. If you don't need to live in PHX, then you are better off. There are other areas in AZ that are much more temperate. As a "northern girl" I liked PHX at first (hubby liked it better), then I quickly grew to hate the heat. Fortunately, we moved to central AZ, which is not as bad, but it is still very different than MI or NH.

[KingBlunted]

Originally Posted by bigbuglf

I looked back at your OP and this made me pause: "I need good reasons to convince my close family members..."

I am not dissing you at all, but if you are single and worried about convincing your family members, you may want to reconsider moving 2000+ miles away. I left the great lakes when I was 29. I was married and loved my family, but we both wanted to live out west (plus the economy was horrible). Close family was not happy at all. I miss them to this day, but we did what was right for us.

Think about what it is you *really want*. Weather can matter, but I know NH and it is beautiful there. I was in the UP of MI for awhile and I loved it, but it was savage weather. Phoenix has savage weather too, in the opposite way. If being near family is something YOU don't want to give up, then look at closer options. If family wants you to stay and you really want to go, then now is the time, before you put down roots.

The other thing I would say is that savage heat is different than savage cold. Check out a PHX summer before you move. If you don't need to live in PHX, then you are better off. There are other areas in AZ that are much more temperate. As a "northern girl" I liked PHX at first (hubby liked it better), then I quickly grew to hate the heat. Fortunately, we moved to central AZ, which is not as bad, but it is still very different than MI or NH.

It would be nice to have someone I knew in the area, right off the bat. Ive never been overly family oriented, until my dad passed away out of the blue last yr. Now I spend more time with my Grams and my Mom. Typically just dinner on Wednesdays, but its nice to stay up to date.

My mom is all for moving to AZ, she just needs to convince her BF. My retired grams says no to AZ because "she likes gardening and playing in the dirt too much". I told her that NH you only have 6 months to garden or so and AZ will give her more time. Then I hear complaints about the heat. I think thats the typical outsider mindset, "AZ is nothing but desert, HOT HOT HOT desert". The extreme heat is the main reason I want to avoid moving to phoenix. Also traffic is a concern, but I really would much rather live in an area with a high of 100 and a little bit of grass or even lakes nearby. Im assuming that leaves me elevated, which im fine with. All in all I can pick and choose all I want, but where I get my job is going to be the #1 factor for where I live.

Im not saying I want my family living in the same house as me, but it would be good to celebrate xmas/birthdays/holidays together in the desert.. So I wouldn't mind if they were neighbors or within a drive.

I can make it without my family without an issue, Just would make the initial move easier, and I feel everyone would enjoy it!

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Have you ever been to the Southwest at all?