Transplants , why did you leave AZ if you aren't still here? (Phoenix: apartments, renting)

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by Creature of the Wheel

It's my home state. I go back every once in awhile to visit my parents, relatives, and good friends in Tempe, Buckeye, and Gilbert. I left in 2011 because the candidate pool for my choice of profession is over saturated to the point where wages are way too low for the cost of living, for a single person. It hasn't gotten any better since I've left. They keep dropping! WTF? Only stupid and desperate people will accept crappy wages, and that is the way many companies out there prefer their candidates to be. From the other posts, it looks like many of us left for better career pastures.

It might just be your career field because wages in Phoenix are excellent after factoring in cost of living...in fact local purchasing power in Phoenix is 28+% higher than Philly after factoring COL. This is likely the biggest factor in Phoenix leading the nation in population growth.

[Creature of the Wheel]

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

It might just be your career field because wages in Phoenix are excellent after factoring in cost of living...in fact local purchasing power in Phoenix is 28+% higher than Philly after factoring COL. This is likely the biggest factor in Phoenix leading the nation in population growth.

Perhaps. It's the same situation for those in white collar positions. Since leaving, I've been able to make and save more money living in blue states. AZ is a pretty place but it's not all that and a bag of chips. There are way better places to live than there.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by Creature of the Wheel

Perhaps. It's the same situation for those in white collar positions. Since leaving, I've been able to make and save more money living in blue states. AZ is a pretty place but it's not all that and a bag of chips. There are way better places to live than there.

You should go where your happiest. My best friend from the SF bay area makes over $250K in Phoenix and could live anywhere he wanted and has chosen Scottsdale....he wouldn't consider going back to Cali or leaving Scottsdale. No amount of money would entice me to live where you're living now.

All of my PNW are living better in Arizona than they lived up here....I get it that Phoenix doesn't pay what Seattle pays but after factoring in cost, Phoenix is better imo.

[Crazybreakfast]

I am originally from Scottsdale- grew up there but moved away for high school to Tennessee. Phoenix and Scottsdale have changed so much since the 90s, to me at least. They are too big for me and so much of it is unrecognizable to me now. Still a lovely place and my family still lives there and I go back basically every year but it has just changed a lot. Also, I have asthma so the breathing is pretty rough on me- however, where I live now, NOLA, is freaking bad for that too... I think Phoenix, and the surrounding areas, are still great places for folks in general and I highly recommend it!

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

If I was on the move primarily for higher paying jobs in a reputable national/global corporation, I would definitely choose Dallas or Houston. Those two metros are still larger than the Phoenix metro, but not by a whole lot when you look at the numbers ... however, the number of Fortune 500/Fortune 1,000 firms headquartered in Dallas & Houston makes Phoenix look like Mayberry in comparison when we're talking about corporations & job opportunities.

I hate to admit this, but there is one thing Phoenix has going for it over Dallas, and that is the climate. Phoenix's climate isn't anything to brag about when you factor in the blast furnace summers and the dryness/lack of rain, but Dallas has very hot, humid summers, cold winters, frequent severe storms (including a rather high tornado risk), and drastic temperature variations during other times of the year.

Dallas and Houston metro populations are 7mi +
Phoenix is 4.8mil


I do agree with the point though.

[Ping322]

good thread

I moved to metro Phoenix a few months ago for a new, good-paying job (I was unemployed and willing to move anywhere in the country). I'm fairly happy here. But already planning some fall weekend trips to greener parts of the country (midwest, northeast).

Does anyone else find that the "lifeless" nature of living in a desert can get depressing at times?

[popwar]

Originally Posted by Ping322

good thread

I moved to metro Phoenix a few months ago for a new, good-paying job (I was unemployed and willing to move anywhere in the country). I'm fairly happy here. But already planning some fall weekend trips to greener parts of the country (midwest, northeast).

Does anyone else find that the "lifeless" nature of living in a desert can get depressing at times?

I somewhat agree with this . I was in the Valley for 2.5 months earlier this year and loved the scenery at first, but it got kinda old after some weeks . I've been back in SC at my dads for a few months before I come back west, leaving the desert because I missed non stop greenery. Now I kinda miss the desert again and just the west in general. Even going up to Payson every weekend wasnt enough to get my green fix as its not as abundant as the east.

[wase4711]

the desert is FAR from lifeless; you just need to adjust your perspective, and learn to observe the variety of different types of flora and fauna here..endless plants, endless animals, unusual and freakishly cool nature, couldn't disagree with you more about the desert being "lifeless"..

[Dangerous Dave]

Originally Posted by wase4711

the desert is FAR from lifeless; you just need to adjust your perspective, and learn to observe the variety of different types of flora and fauna here..endless plants, endless animals, unusual and freakishly cool nature, couldn't disagree with you more about the desert being "lifeless"..

Naw, the low desert is pretty lifeless. Granted, during the el nino years, things started blooming but in every other year, it was all dead and different shades of dirt.

[kell490]

Wife and I want to get out of Phoenix so bad been here since the 90's we both have high paying jobs for last 12 years. Difficult to leave high paying job where good job security at the same time not good to stay with the same company so long. If we want to go this is best time to do it when job market is best has been in years.

We would like 4 season weather before we get any older somewhere north of I-40.

My brother came to Phoenix in 2012 he's also a truck driver he found local trucking company was worst he ever worked for. Theft, dangerous un-maintained equipment, loading hazardous cargo on his truck without him knowing he almost got arrested for that.

He left went back to our home state where he ended up finding a better job then the one he left.