Moving to Arizona - NEED ADVICE (Phoenix, Tucson: apartments, condo, job market)

[CA2KY2AZ]

I am moving from Lexington, KY to Arizona. Need some advice. Definitely want to live in southern AZ. Thinking Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Yuma to name a few. I have researched and researched and I keep going in circles.
I am going to AZ this weekend to check it out and get an idea and feel for the place.
Top questions include but are not limited to: Where to live that is affordable and what areas are best to work in. I would like to live and work around the same area.
How do people in AZ find apartments/jobs? In Lexington I use mostly craigslist. Do people in AZ use it as well?
I am also wondering if I should attempt to apply for housing/employment before I move. I work in the food and hospitality industry so I would be applying at various restaurants and the like. I figure I would be able to find a job fairly quickly since I figure the turnover rate is about the same as it is in Lexington. But you know what they say about assuming.
What are the average pay rates for line cooks/kitchen staff?
Any advice or ideas are greatly appreciated.

[KurtAZ]

If you are looking at Phoenix...I would try posting in that subforum. Many more posters in there than the General AZ forum.

[CA2KY2AZ]

I think I did but I will check. Thank you.

[Dangerous Dave]

If I were to give any advice, I'd say cross Yuma off of your list. It's sickeningly hot there, and depending on your career path you may be very limited in choices. Housing costs are higher than in Phoenix, while salaries are generally lower. During the summers, temps can go past the 120 degree mark for months at a time, and there aren't many options for getting away from it except for heading to San Diego. Phoenix is close to Payson, Strawberry, Flagstaff, etc within a reasonable drive.


Phoenix has bad traffic problems, but depending on where you're working there are generally decent neighborhoods close by.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave

If I were to give any advice, I'd say cross Yuma off of your list. It's sickeningly hot there, and depending on your career path you may be very limited in choices. Housing costs are higher than in Phoenix, while salaries are generally lower. During the summers, temps can go past the 120 degree mark for months at a time, and there aren't many options for getting away from it except for heading to San Diego. Phoenix is close to Payson, Strawberry, Flagstaff, etc within a reasonable drive.


Phoenix has bad traffic problems, but depending on where you're working there are generally decent neighborhoods close by.

Huh?


No it doesn't. It can reach 120 a few times, but "months at a time"? No. Not even close.

[curly5759]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

Huh?


No it doesn't. It can reach 120 a few times, but "months at a time"? No. Not even close.

Big Cats, thanks for that. Everyone seems to think Yuma is so much hotter than Phx. Its only one or two degrees warmer, if that. Although I no longer live there, I still watch the weather. It seems Phx is hotter than Yuma a lot, esp. at night. Probably the heat island effect, or the Ag fields/Colorado river near Yuma.

To the OP, I don't think you will find Yuma to be a good fit. Most of the service industry jobs are minimum wage and don't really offer a living wage to a full time worker. Summer is a very slow time overall for the town since those that can leave- leave. The winter visitors start arriving in October and then things pick up, and it slows down in April as they leave. It is a very seasonal job market.
As far as things to do, there isn't much in the way of night life, unless you cross the border to Algodones or San Luis. El Gulfo (Ocean) is a short drive into Mexico, and San Diego and Phx are about 3 hrs away. Lots of outdoor options if you are into that, desert activities in the winter, the river and San Diego/El Gulfo in the summer.

[CA2KY2AZ]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave

If I were to give any advice, I'd say cross Yuma off of your list. It's sickeningly hot there, and depending on your career path you may be very limited in choices. Housing costs are higher than in Phoenix, while salaries are generally lower. During the summers, temps can go past the 120 degree mark for months at a time, and there aren't many options for getting away from it except for heading to San Diego. Phoenix is close to Payson, Strawberry, Flagstaff, etc within a reasonable drive.


Phoenix has bad traffic problems, but depending on where you're working there are generally decent neighborhoods close by.

Thank you for the advice. I have actually decided on Phoenix indefinitely. I honestly decided awhile ago but I added it to the post just to get some feedback just in case I might have missed something during my research. At the moment I will be pursuing mainly line cook/prep jobs in restaurants because that's been the majority of my experience. Would you happen to know where the best places to live/work are for the service industry are? As far as the heat goes, I am actually moving for the heat. I like in KY and even though it gets hot, its unbearably humid.

[CA2KY2AZ]

Originally Posted by curly5759

Big Cats, thanks for that. Everyone seems to think Yuma is so much hotter than Phx. Its only one or two degrees warmer, if that. Although I no longer live there, I still watch the weather. It seems Phx is hotter than Yuma a lot, esp. at night. Probably the heat island effect, or the Ag fields/Colorado river near Yuma.

To the OP, I don't think you will find Yuma to be a good fit. Most of the service industry jobs are minimum wage and don't really offer a living wage to a full time worker. Summer is a very slow time overall for the town since those that can leave- leave. The winter visitors start arriving in October and then things pick up, and it slows down in April as they leave. It is a very seasonal job market.
As far as things to do, there isn't much in the way of night life, unless you cross the border to Algodones or San Luis. El Gulfo (Ocean) is a short drive into Mexico, and San Diego and Phx are about 3 hrs away. Lots of outdoor options if you are into that, desert activities in the winter, the river and San Diego/El Gulfo in the summer.

Thank you. I replied to someone else about moving to Yuma and I decided on Phoenix indefinitely. I honestly decided awhile ago but I added it to the post just to get some feedback just in case I might have missed something during my research. A friend told me that Yuma is a military city and said I would not like it because there wasn't much to do so thank you for confirming that. Do you know if Phoenix has jobs as a line cook/prep cook that will pay a living wage?

[Hal Roach]

As a newbie, seeking work, you will be best off in the core of the Valley. Fifteen years ago, I would have said Tucson, but it has really lagged since the Crisis. I did well for fifteen months in Bullhead, living in a condo I bought from an estate for 26,000...furnished, and worked as a Sub Teacher. Anyone, who could pass a whiz quiz could work at a Laughlin casino across the river. Worst case you did the Graveyard, but sleeping during the high heat is a good thing. That area has seriously contracted, too. If you were on a pension, Nogales, Yuma would come into play, but they can have high unemployment with full employment in the Valley.