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Phoenix is filled with crime and corruption. Well all of Arizona is filled with crime and corruption. Arizona is the 2nd worst state in regards to crime and corruption. New Mexico is # 1.
I love Arizona and I love Phoenix. It takes about a year or two to adjust to all of the crime and corruption out here in Arizona. After a year or two you will adjust to all of the crime and corruption that goes on out here and there is a good chance that you will start to like Phoenix. You will become immune to all of the crime and corruption.
Violence in random in Phoenix so you always have to be on the lookout but I don't mind. I would much rather live in this environment than around a bunch or religious zealots (east or west Texas).
The winter weather in Phoenix is awesome. The summers do get real hot but it is worth staying because the winters are so great.
As for the housing market both Dwayne Pipe and Goin to AZ both made good points in regards to the housing market, I know they don't agree with each other but both of there points have merit. One of you guys points has more merit than the other but I am not going to take sides.
Dude, first of all, are you for real? Ive already seen a post saying you have lived here in AZ for 7 years-- then there are 3 or 4 other posts from you about this... WTF?? [moderator CUT]
"Phoenix has a lower crime rate per capita then most major cities."
-You're wrong on that one. Metro Phoenix has a terrible crime problem, statistically 4th-worst in the nation among the most populous 100 cities.
There was just an article in the paper today about the illegal immigrant smuggling trade, the rampant crime that's ensued as a result, and the fact that authorities believe that a jaw-dropping 90% of it runs through Phoenix, with spillover of criminal behavior into businesses and government as a result of it. Here's that link.
I see it firsthand every day- trust me, you can't possibly have any idea how bad it is, and I grew up near Detroit.
"If you are picky and pick every little bad thing you see out, of course, the bad will outway the good. It boils down to your attitude in general. You may hate Arizona now, and the way I see it, where ever you move you will hate that eventually too. No offense, just my opinion."
First of all, as I said, I don't hate Arizona as a state, just Phoenix as a city. Northern Arizona is beautiful, and has a great climate with spectacular scenery. Secondly, I don't believe that my opinion has anything to do with a poor attitude, as you insinuate. You're way off if you think I'm just some unhappy person who would find the negatives anywhere I was and dislike it. I've lived lots of places, and visited lots more, and Phoenix is the first place I've lived, to be honest, that I HAVEN'T liked. Denver: awesome city. Ann Arbor: great city. St.Louis: loved it. Boston: fantastic. Chicago: AMAZING city. San Francisco: incredible city. I visited San Diego not long ago, thought it was fabulous. The gaslamp district, old town, mission, university heights.... great downtown neighborhoods & districts, bustling streets full of people and life. Wow, a REAL city!! Who would have imagined? Not to mention, the ocean and great weather. Phoenix? Sorry, can't say any of that about this city, cause it DOESN'T EXIST HERE. Scottsdale's pretentious and annoying, and Tempe's a college town, I would say not one of the nicer ones I've spent time in. It doesn't compare at all to Ann Arbor or Boulder, in my opinion. It isn't all bad, I actually do like Tempe in small doses. But if you're over the age of 25, the constant frat-party atmosphere gets old quickly.
I've actually noticed a trend. People who say they think it's so great here are normally from podunk places like rural Iowa, or Ohio, who've never really lived anywhere else besides armpits to compare it to. Trust me, if you lived in or spent any time in any of the aforementioned cities, you'd be singing a different tune. I guarantee you that you'll never talk to anyone who moved here from any of those places who will tell you the quality of life is better here. I know quite a few folks who have moved here from very nice cities, and none have much good to say about Phoenix.
And if you're the type of person who would rather trade snow for 6 months of being confined to an air-conditioned cave 24 hours a day due to risk of heat stroke, well, I suppose to each their own. But trust me again when I say that's not a tradeoff that's at all necessary to enjoy milder winters than you get in the midwest. I've visited and lived in other places that had winters just as nice, without an extended period of time that's as miserable as a Phoenix summer. Pretty much any city with a southern rocky mountain climate, like Denver, Salt Lake, Flagstaff, etc., has very mild winters compared with the midwest, which I wouldn't believe if I hadn't lived in it. It's actually not much colder those places in the winter during the daytime than it is here, and just as sunny.
Anyway, keep Phoenix if you like it so much. And enjoy those overnight 100-degree lows, which is what you'll be having in about 5 years if the trends continue as expected. Myself, I'll be moving back to Colorado soon, and expect that I'll love it just as much and be just as happy there as I was the first time I lived there.
Trust me, if you lived in or spent any time in any of the aforementioned cities, you'd be singing a different tune. I guarantee you that you'll never talk to anyone who moved here from any of those places who will tell you the quality of life is better here. I know quite a few folks who have moved here from very nice cities, and none have much good to say about Phoenix.
I've known many people that moved here from San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles. They all love it here and would never go back to their hometown. Phoenix is a great city to live no matter how you cut it. The weather (9 months of the year is great), the economy, the scenery, the activities, and the overall quality of life. 6,000,000-7,000,000 people live in Maricopa county, I guess most of them life it otherwise they wouldn't be here!
I've known many people that moved here from San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles. They all love it here and would never go back to their hometown. Phoenix is a great city to live no matter how you cut it. The weather (9 months of the year is great), the economy, the scenery, the activities, and the overall quality of life. 6,000,000-7,000,000 people live in Maricopa county, I guess most of them life it otherwise they wouldn't be here!
Absolutely! If this are is so bad, why is it one of the fastest growing areas in the country. They say 300+ new people relocate here every day. Im sure not all of them love it, and sure some move away, just like anywhere.
Steve22, like I said, life is what you make it. YOU choose what you do to enjoy yourself and how you feel about your sourroundings. There is good and bad everywhere, and YOU, not Phoenix or Boston or Detroit, decide which to go with. Yes, i might be from podunk Ohio, but I had a good time when I was there. Phoenix has much more than Ohio, but I still didnt mope around all the time worried about every little thing and constantly saying and telling others "i hate this place, blah, blah, blah." If you hate Phoenix so much, why are you still here?? You mention all those other cities you loved, so why arent you in one of them?
Absolutely! If this are is so bad, why is it one of the fastest growing areas in the country. They say 300+ new people relocate here every day. Im sure not all of them love it, and sure some move away, just like anywhere.
Steve22, like I said, life is what you make it. YOU choose what you do to enjoy yourself and how you feel about your sourroundings. There is good and bad everywhere, and YOU, not Phoenix or Boston or Detroit, decide which to go with. Yes, i might be from podunk Ohio, but I had a good time when I was there. Phoenix has much more than Ohio, but I still didnt mope around all the time worried about every little thing and constantly saying and telling others "i hate this place, blah, blah, blah." If you hate Phoenix so much, why are you still here?? You mention all those other cities you loved, so why arent you in one of them?
I've liked everywhere I've been, as I said, OTHER than Phoenix. And obviously, I'm not alone in voicing my discontent in this place. Read some other threads, you'll find plenty of people who point out the same problems I have. In fact, read any major publication that ranks large cities in terms of quality of life, like Sperling's, Men's Journal, MSNBC, citysearch, etc., you won't find Phoenix anywhere near the tops of their lists for nice large cities to live in. Bestcities.com, Sperling's site, actually has Phoenix ranked at 273'd in the country- just 2 spots better than Gary, IN. A poll by the AZ Republic last year showed that a whopping 40% of Phoenix residents would move away if they could. Another AZ Republic article last year rated Phoenix the 3rd-worst city to raise kids in- no doubt the terrible schools, crime, and dangerous weather had something to do with it.
So, if enough people share my opinion, which it appears they do, am I just a bitter aberration surrounded by people who think this place is just terrific? Sure doesn't seem that way to me.
Mope around?? Hardly. Believe me, I cope. When I get the chance, I LEAVE and go to nicer places, much like I did when I went to San Diego, as I said. I came here originally for for a job opportunity, and I'll be leaving for another one, back to somewhere I really enjoyed. Not soon enough, I might add.
People move here all the time and the population keeps growing for just such reasons- not necessarily because they want to, but because it's where the jobs are moving b/c land's cheap and taxes are favorable. That won't be true forever. This environment was never meant to support so many humans, and the quality of life has declined significantly in the past decade as anyone who's lived here that long will tell you. the miserably hot nights, the air pollution, the traffic, have all gotten much worse and will continue to do so as long as the sprawl continues unchecked. There's a looming water and energy crisis, and I'd say in about another 5-10 years this city will become a dust bowl.
So to answer your question, I will be in one of those places again I loved again soon. And you can all keep your mindless, downtown-less sprawling pseudo-city, its miserable temps, gangs, meth, rednecks, polluted air, illegal alien smugglers, bad schools, etc. etc. Have a great time in your sheltered existence, never knowing anything better to compare this place to. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.
I LIVED THERE FOR 9 YEARS AND IT WAS THE WORST PLACE I EVER LIVED IN MY LIFE!!!!!
Whenever I tell people I lived in Phoenix they say - oh... but it's a "dry heat". The expression "dry heat" is the biggest myth ever. It was probably created by the Chamber of Commerce in Phoenix to attract people to their sandbox of a city. Let these people turn their oven on to 118 degrees (of dry heat) and then say it's really not that hot.
Best Regards,
NYCGIRL ((glad to be out of Phoenix and will never ever return)
I once had a guy from the Chamber of Commerce in Phoenix tell me that you could walk around outside in a suit in Phoenix when it was 100 degrees and you wouldn't even break a sweat. Your right that dry heat myth probably did come from the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. The heat is extreme in Phoenix. I once did go to city that actually felt hotter than Phoenix believe it or not and that city was Laredo, Texas. Bullhead City also feels just about as hot as PHX. Phoenix is hot and the supposed dry heat nothing but a myth.
I've liked everywhere I've been, as I said, OTHER than Phoenix. And obviously, I'm not alone in voicing my discontent in this place. Read some other threads, you'll find plenty of people who point out the same problems I have. In fact, read any major publication that ranks large cities in terms of quality of life, like Sperling's, Men's Journal, MSNBC, citysearch, etc., you won't find Phoenix anywhere near the tops of their lists for nice large cities to live in. Bestcities.com, Sperling's site, actually has Phoenix ranked at 273'd in the country- just 2 spots better than Gary, IN. A poll by the AZ Republic last year showed that a whopping 40% of Phoenix residents would move away if they could. Another AZ Republic article last year rated Phoenix the 3rd-worst city to raise kids in- no doubt the terrible schools, crime, and dangerous weather had something to do with it.
So you're telling me that 6 people who dislike Phoenix on an internet forum is considered "plently of people"? I disagree and how many did the Republic poll, 1000? 1000 people in a county of 7,000,000 is a ratio of 1:7000 AND only 40% didn't like it! Many more people like it here then don't, I've found 2 of Phoenix's suburbs on top 10 lists this month (Mesa and Scottsdale).
So you're telling me that 6 people who dislike Phoenix on an internet forum is considered "plently of people"? I disagree and how many did the Republic poll, 1000? 1000 people in a county of 7,000,000 is a ratio of 1:7000 AND only 40% didn't like it! Many more people like it here then don't, I've found 2 of Phoenix's suburbs on top 10 lists this month (Mesa and Scottsdale).
Amen to that!
Life is what you make it.
Last edited by Marka; 07-24-2006 at 12:30 AM..
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I Hate Phoenix!
