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Still don't know what to do... I like Phoenix, but it may too hot and Seattle too rainy... I should probably make a trip to Denver to make a decision
Gosh, are you normally a indecisive person? LOL I don't know, honestly, I wouldn't that much of a factor into weather because you can work around that... and if it doesn't work after a couple years, you can decide what to do next.
I'm just now noticing this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue1Roses
My decision should be clear cut, I would think so too. Its not easy, I love Seattle and Phoenix. I feel like both are equal on my pros and cons list, Seattle would be better in terms of culture. Phoenix sunnier, Seattle more to do, Phoenix better shopping in my opinion, Seattle near the water.....
Could I dare to say that Denver is similar to or just a notch better than Seattle if we factor in the weather?(more sun, they can handle snow)?
Weather: The snow those respective cities receive are very different. The topography is different as well... Seattle is *really* hilly which can make for a difficult situation. But usually snow days are "off" work days. Again, for a pro-claimed "Sun-lover", sounds like the edge goes to Denver.
But it really depends on the person, I've come across more "Seattle is better" than "Denver is better" IRL. Generally its because of the water factor.
So would you all rate the three as 1. Seattle, 2. Denver, 3. Phoenix?
Eh, Denver just doesn't appeal to me (and it isn't because I must think "Seattle is best!!" Just... nice city and all, but it never felt like Home or screamed potential home! to me). So between Seattle and Phoenix... I'd actually choose Phoenix.
I love the heat, but have never experienced 120 degrees (which it could get in Phoenix), it got into the lower 100s last year in Atlanta...
I've lived in Las Vegas... seriously, the heat was not at all bothersome and I actually quite enjoyed it. Incidentally DH and I did consider moving to Phoenix, but we're still thinking and leaning towards another city.
Which city is better for dating? From reading the various posts, I would say in terms of dating - 1. Seattle, 2. Denver, 3. Phoenix
This is just me, I'm sure others would disagree... Seattle sucks for dating overall. If you are the type of woman that likes to be pursued and woo'ed... then count Seattle out. Men here are... ... yeah, I can't think of the word here. Some will say "shy", "clueless", "effeminate". You're more likely to ask the man out... or its going to take forever for them to ask first. Dropping hints doesn't cut it.
My friends in Phoenix love it there and meet many different people all the time; its more social there than in Seattle (and a bit more than Denver). YMMV
Hi Inkpoe, thanks for your reply. Yes, I am very indecisive and I am worried much more than I would normally be since I will be taking this move myself instead of having a company sponsored moved. I work from home and can live anywhere, and the city I pick will be my home for the next couple of years at least or it will be a waste of my time and money. I don't want to move somewhere and regret it 6 months in having spent 3 - 5K in moving expenses. When I moved to Atlanta, my company paid for my move since it was required, but now my move is my decision, so I really don't want to waste my time, money and energy moving to a new place and regretting my decision. I would be fine keeping my current job, I just need to move to another city for a change of scenery and for other personal reasons. I really don't want to live in Atlanta for another year and my current lease will expire in September, so I am leaving the city then. I think Phoenix would be the best move for me, warm weather, cost of living, meeting new people....I still have a few months to decide. Thanks for telling me about the men. I think I would prefer a more aggressive man to date
Another thing the OP might do is to go onto Phoenix, Denver and Seattles city-data papes and inquire of the locals some of which at the very least might have visited the other cities and maybe one or two might have lived there and they could probably give you a good guess as well about what exactly to expect and more clues about which city you should ultimately live in.
I came across this forum because I’m going to be visiting Seattle soon, and have lived in Denver and Phoenix. If I had to pick between Phoenix and Denver I'd choose Denver.
I'm big into the outdoors and you can do things all year in Denver and only 7 months of the year in Phoenix. Denver has the best weather. I’m from the Midwest and the winters in Denver are consistently 10-20 degrees warmer and almost always sunny. Sure it snows a lot, but I only remember shoveling a few times when I lived there for over a year. The snow melts quickly because the sun is so intense.
The downtown area in Denver is more lively than Phoenix. Plenty of museums, performing arts, parks, shopping (Cherry Creek). Lots of bars and restaurants in LoDo. If you like shopping in quirky boutiques instead of retail chains then Denver is your place. Most cities around Denver have their own downtowns which are fun to explore. Phoenix (actually Scottsdale) also has plenty of good restaurants and bars, and great high end shopping. Phoenix has a lot of beautiful resorts. Most resorts will let you in to use their pools year round if you buy drinks/food from the bar. This is what my friends and I would do during the summer and we loved it.
I’m married (and in my early 30s) so I didn’t date in either place, but my single girlfriends in both cities said the dating was fine. Everyone I met in Denver was really nice. But I found it hard to make friends. In Phoenix it was very easy to make friends. Most of the people living there are from somewhere else so I think people were more open to make new friends. However, there are a lot of pretentious people in Scottsdale.
I found the cost of living to be the same between both cities. I also work in IT and never had trouble finding work. Rent cost about the same for me in both cities.
I felt safe in both cities. There are definitely shady areas in both places - South and parts of central Phoenix, and Commerce City and Colfax Ave in Denver, to name a few.
There is a lot to do outside in Phoenix, if you like hiking, biking, tubing down the Salt River, rock climbing, swimming, or golf. If you like taking road trips I would say Phoenix wins as there are a lot of cool parks within 4-8 hours away. When we took road trips in CO it was always to somewhere in CO. In Phoenix you’re near places like San Diego, Vegas, southern Utah, Grand Canyon, Durango, Rocky Point (Mexico) to name a few. The cities out west are more spread out so it's going to take longer to go on road trips.
A couple other comparisons between the cities - The flights from Denver are cheaper than Phoenix. I just booked my flight to Seattle and had major sticker shock. It costs twice as much for me to fly to Seattle as Phoenix, and both are the same distance for me now. The bugs aren’t as bad as people say in Phoenix. I never once saw a snake, scorpion, or scary spider in 4 years. Oh, and the drivers are crazier in Phoenix.
The worst part of living in Phoenix is yes, the heat. I won’t lie, it is unbearable between mid May to early October. September is the worst because you keep thinking it will finally cool down below 100 but it doesn’t. You really can’t do anything outside in the summer besides swim. Yes you can drive 2 hours north to Flagstaff, but most people who say that rarely do it. It’s far enough (2+ hours) where they just get lazy and stay in Phoenix for the weekend and complain about it. The first year the heat didn’t bother me. With each passing year I would get more cranky and irritable for those 5 months. It got to the point where we absolutely dreaded May because we knew what was coming. If you absolutely hate snow then the heat may be a good tradeoff.
One other thing to mention about Phoenix is that it’s a very transient place. Most of my friends have moved away because we all got sick of the heat after awhile. It was difficult to watch each friend, one by one, move away. I know people will disagree with me, but I also don't think Phoenix would be a good place to raise kids because of the heat. When I was a kid I remember playing in snow in the winter and playing outside all summer. I always wondered what kids did during the summer there.
On a side note, why not just put your stuff in storage and drive out to all 3 places with a couple of suitcases of clothes, and just rent furnished apartments/houses? That way you don't have to spend money moving your stuff until you're sure what fits you. I'd love to be able to work from home anywhere I want!
Anyway, hope some of this helps. Good luck in your decision!
Thanks for your feedback Sunnygal03, I was just thinking Denver over Phoenix and Seattle since it is sunnier and the weather is mild, not too cold, not too hot, most importantly, sunny. I noticed the exact opposite regarding airfare, its always more expensive to fly to Denver than Phoenix from Atlanta for some reason, and Seattle is always more expensive than both. I need to go visit Denver again, I have only been there one time and I remember the snowstorm, but the snow melted the next day. I need to make an informed decision, thanks again!
I have lived in the Phoenix area for the past 13 years so I'll throw in my 2 cents. I would say the biggest positive to Phoenix is the low cost of living. Housing and the like is very cheap for a metro of this size. On the downside, summer lasts about 6-7 months and it is almost unbearable to go outside in the months where the highs are in the 100s. And yes, I usually do go up to Flagstaff once in the summer to get away from it.
As far as dating goes, I think it is probably a good place with plenty of young people and most people are laid back.
Unfortunately, I've never been to Denver or Seattle but I have lived lots of other places. Phoenix isn't what I'd call a high culture kind of place, but the metro is big enough that you could probably find almost anything you're looking for. I think the entertainment value is getting better every year as the city grows.
I will make one guess about Denver's weather though. I lived in SLC for a while and if the weather in those cities is anything alike, the seasons felt pretty mild to me. I actually enjoyed the weather more there than anywhere else I've lived.
I took another visit to Phoenix this past weekend and it got up 100 degrees, I am not worried about the temperature, I know I can deal with it. I really need to take a trip to Denver and then I can make a final decision, but I am now leaning towards Phoenix - and after I visit Denver, I will make a final decision, moving by Aug. 1... so glad my lease expires Sept. 1, I have plenty of time to think about it and luckily I told my apartment I may be moving before Sept. 1. If I moved to Phoenix, I would be excited! So much nice shopping, good food and all the people I have met and talked to have been really nice.
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