Why do Southern Californians move to Vegas/Phoenix for affordability? Why not just the IE? (Riverside: quality of life, living in)

[1200RT]

I've researched property (and moving my business) to AZ many times, so I can answer your question. I also travel to Phx/Scottsdale 10+ times a year.....

Phoenix is a nice place to be, once you get over the weather. Low traffic (compared to my experience in LA, Phoenix people complain, but there is really little comparison). Nice highways, nice surface streets. Lower sales taxes than CA, although getting higher in parts of Phoenix suburbs. Nice property values in Phoenix. Seemingly good healthcare. Great public and private air travel options both national and international. Easy access to the rest of the country by road and air. Decent restaurants, although that is a point of some debate, but not compared with the IE.

Sorry for the laundry list, busy morning, no time for a more throughout reply

[Leonard64]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

I've researched property (and moving my business) to AZ many times, so I can answer your question. I also travel to Phx/Scottsdale 10+ times a year.....

Phoenix is a nice place to be, once you get over the weather. Low traffic (compared to my experience in LA, Phoenix people complain, but there is really little comparison). Nice highways, nice surface streets. Lower sales taxes than CA, although getting higher in parts of Phoenix suburbs. Nice property values in Phoenix. Seemingly good healthcare. Great public and private air travel options both national and international. Easy access to the rest of the country by road and air. Decent restaurants, although that is a point of some debate, but not compared with the IE.

Sorry for the laundry list, busy morning, no time for a more throughout reply

Yep, grew up in OC, lived the last few years in IE and moved in 2009 to TN. Smartest thing I ever did as to where to live.

Yes no beach, but living in the IE I still rarely went due to traffic, limited parking, etc. Once a great place to be is now not hardly worth the effort. I have mountains, rivers, lakes, green year round and I can drive to a warm ocean in 8 hours if I want beach time; or the gulf if I want no surf. Oh no parking problems either.

[bophisto]

I think perhaps a better question might be , if you are going to live in the IE, why not just move out of state?

Once you are out in the I.E it's a lot different than living in L.A , and once people move to I.E how many actually hang out in L.A very often?

I'd rather move out of state honestly. I live in the valley and commute to the westside and that drive is bad enough.

Also I would argue that you could probably find nicer places in nicer areas in Phoenix and Vegas for less than you could in the I.E

[Dunbar42]

Originally Posted by bophisto

I think perhaps a better question might be , if you are going to live in the IE, why not just move out of state?

The weather. The PHX/LAS heat is absolutely dreadful for about 7 months out of the year. The summer heat in the IE feels downright balmy in comparison and it always cools off at night. Phoenix has some pretty nice areas (Scottsdale, Tempe, Biltmore etc.), LAS not so much. All the rich people who own second homes in PHX leave by April and don't return until October/November for a reason.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Dunbar42

The weather. The PHX/LAS heat is absolutely dreadful for about 7 months out of the year. The summer heat in the IE feels downright balmy in comparison and it always cools off at night. Phoenix has some pretty nice areas (Scottsdale, Tempe, Biltmore etc.), LAS not so much. All the rich people who own second homes in PHX leave by April and don't return until October/November for a reason.

7 months? C'mon. Its so dry in Phoenix that when its in the 90s and even low 100s, its quite comfortable. I'd say its dreadful for 3-4 months of the year. However, winters are much nicer in Phoenix (much drier) and I'll take the heat over the terrible air quality and poor quality of life in general. I just don't think that the IE has the amount of nice areas that you get in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

Having grown up in the IE, I can state that if God decided Earth needed an enema, He would surely choose San Bernardino for the point of application. I would rather extinguish hot cigarettes on my tongue hourly rather than return to live in that place.

Pretty much this. I grew up in what became a fancy part of Westside LA - offshore breeze, constant access to bodysurfing, great schools, etc. When it became clear (after 1985ish) that these things would only be available to people willing to (a) forego a normal family life or (b) overpay for their house by a multiple of 5-8X (or, more likely, both), I started thinking "...OK if not here, then where?" This thought process began when I was in roughly 10th grade. The indand empire was never a candidate. Nor was Vegas. Nor Phoenix. Nor was anything east of Denver International Airport. It was really only the Pacific Northwest or the Rocky Mountain West. I settled on Colorado because that is where my family was from before moving the Cali in the 1950's. Four seasons. Amazing access to outdoor adventure, literally a few minutes walk from my front door. Nice house in a GREAT older neighborhood that is so affordable it sometimes makes me actually laugh out loud to myself. Public school district beats anything in Coastal California, and its not even close. Twelve-fifteen minute daily commute from house in the foothills to office downtown. People are at least 20X nicer, more chill than what my hometown turned into. It's like a little slice of heaven. I've never had any information that the IE is a like a slice of heaven. Or Vegas for that matter. As the poster notes above, quite the contrary. Some people like the whole Phoenix thing. Me, not so much. But hey, to each his/her own.

[Dunbar42]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

7 months? C'mon. Its so dry in Phoenix that when its in the 90s and even low 100s, its quite comfortable.

Upper 80's to 90's in the spring/early fall is not my idea of nice weather. I don't want to start sweating walking from the parking lot to the store or while waiting for my car A/C starts working. I do frequent day trips from the IE to PHX for work and I've never thought that PHX weather was better. It's a nice place to vist in Nov-Feb or so but that's about all the good I can say about that desert climate.

Plus, I ride my bike year round in the IE. In Vegas or Phoenix I'd have to shelve my bike for 4-5 months out of the year due to the unrelenting 24hr. sauna-like heat.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by Dunbar42

Upper 80's to 90's in the spring/early fall is not my idea of nice weather. I don't want to start sweating walking from the parking lot to the store or while waiting for my car A/C starts working. I do frequent day trips from the IE to PHX for work and I've never thought that PHX weather was better.

Plus, I ride my bike year round in the IE. In Vegas or Phoenix I'd have to shelve my bike for 4-5 months out of the year due to the unrelenting 24hr. heat.

Lots of opinions here .....

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

With all the talk about people not being able to afford California, wanting to move out of state, get more for your money, etc.

When I talk to people there are people that are attracted to Vegas or Phoenix for example. But why? The economy is not stellar in those places, and the Inland Empire (which certainly has nice areas, in addition to not so nice areas) is n't that much more expensive. I know people disagree with California politics, and have every reason under the sun to leave, whatever,

but would the attraction of Vegas or Phoenix be? Moving to Phoenix from greater LA, is like someone from the Chicago area moving to Indianapolis.

I know some people love Vegas, but it really holds no appeal to me. That is a REAL fake/superficial city to the nth degree. LA has just as much soul and heritage as eastern cities do, just in a west coast way.

I know San Bernadino and Riverside counties don't have a lot going on, but there are nice areas that have there own job centers such as Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario airport area.

Anyways, not to knock Phoenix or Vegas, but if you have roots and connections to LA, but are looking for affordable housing in good areas, why not those areas of SB and Riverside counties?

God, this n00b hasn't even been in California a year yet... and he is knocking Vegas and Phx. Here's a newsflash: people who move to Phoenix and Vegas are not commuting to LA for work.

What kind of silly rhetorical question is "what would the attraction to Vegas of Phoenix be"? If you have to ask, you'll never know.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Dunbar42

Upper 80's to 90's in the spring/early fall is not my idea of nice weather. I don't want to start sweating walking from the parking lot to the store or while waiting for my car A/C starts working.

It is so dry in Phoenix, you rarely sweat much, even when it is 110 degrees outside! I personally love the heat (in moderation). Since I moved to the Bay Area, I find myself taking more tropical vacations.

I'm sure that the IE was once a beautiful place, before it was developed. I've seen pictures of Riverside in the 40s-50s, with all the orange orchards and I would've liked living there back then. However, the area was turned into an absolute dump, in my opinion. I happen to think that Phoenix is a lot nicer than that part of the LA metro area, despite the brutally hot summers.