Thinking about moving to Philly vs Phoenix (cost, state, better)

[samuraipanda]

So basically I have an opportunity to either move to Philadelphia or Phoenix. As a bachelor in my mid-20s going into a very stable job (with horrendously long hours) I don't really know much about either place to make a great decision. I'm born n' raised in Michigan so I'm acclimated to the cold weather, and while hot weather bothers me a bit, I don't think weather plays a big role for me. Can anyone share a bit of insight to help me make my decision?

[DetroitN8V]

I'm from MI too and couldn't be happier in the PHX area. I love it here. I do like the heat though. AZ is WAY different than MI. If you want a big change in everything from scenery, weather, architecture, time zone, attitude, etc. come here. If you want a less drastic change, head to Philly. Philly can be a fun town but I would never want to live there. Too cold, too gritty, too urban for my taste.

[El_Waiboi]

If you want to shovel snow and use public transportation choose Philly, if you want to sweat and drive everywhere choose Phoenix.

LOL - Pretty general statement huh? In a more serious response I would say to read about and research the two cities a little more and give it some good pondering and then come back if you have specific questions.

[samuraipanda]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

I'm from MI too and couldn't be happier in the PHX area. I love it here. I do like the heat though. AZ is WAY different than MI. If you want a big change in everything from scenery, weather, architecture, time zone, attitude, etc. come here. If you want a less drastic change, head to Philly. Philly can be a fun town but I would never want to live there. Too cold, too gritty, too urban for my taste.

Cool, thanks for the insight.

Originally Posted by El_Waiboi

If you want to shovel snow and use public transportation choose Philly, if you want to sweat and drive everywhere choose Phoenix.

LOL - Pretty general statement huh? In a more serious response I would say to read about and research the two cities a little more and give it some good pondering and then come back if you have specific questions.

I know the question is pretty general but I'm not exactly looking for specifics. For example, you just told me that the Phoenix area is spread out and requires a car to get to places. That actually helps

[cm529]

People that move to Phx from the mid-west tend to LOVE it here. (Personally I disagree but probably just because I'm sick of it here, and don't like the heat or the desert : ) There isn't much of an urban feel anywhere in the greater phx area, kinda limited on history and even culture to an extent. Not to say there aren't museums and such, but it's not exactly a hotbed for music/art/culture. Downtown phx has improved significantly in these areas over the last few years. I suppose it's all relative to what you're used to, though. Great hiking, climbing and mountain biking if any of those things float your boat...and you can get to the beach, vegas or mountains in anywhere from 2-6 hrs driving, which is a great bonus. I have been disagreed with on this one many times, but i do not find the people here to be particularly nice or genuine. Maybe it's just me, but I've traveled plenty and have always found it easier to chit chat or even befriend strangers pretty easily almost anywhere else I've ever been. If you like big city/urban feel, Philly may be a better option. But, like I said, mid-west transplants (and there are a TON of you out here) tend to love the AZ. Good luck!

[Bondurant]

Phoenix and Philly are both amazing. Philly is a more "proper" city with a bustling downtown, more sites and, in general, more to do. It's also struggling with violent crime and it's quite expensive to live there. It was a potential destination for myself once but ruled it out after weighing the cost of living. I could not get into Philly proper without living in a bad area or far away from downtown.

Research your options. Factor in how much you are willing to pay to live and what your interests are. Both places have upside and downside, but that all depends on you.

Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with either place.

[Finger Laker]

It really depends on what you are looking for. I lived in philly for a while in my younger years and decided it's not where I'd want to live with a family.

Love the city. It's urban and not nearly as expensive as the other cities in the NE/Mid-Atlantic. I honestly wouldn't worry too much about crime/grit - it's a bit overblown for the average persons everyday living.

There are some really good neighborhoods near center city that are great to live in.

People there tend to be direct and have an opinion - if you asked for it or not. I never had a problem with that and never found the people to be rude/mean on a day to day basis ..... but I would have frequent quick conversations with random stangers due to the way people are and the proximity to your neighbors being in an urban environment, walking, public transport, etc.

It's a lot more compact and dense than Phoenix as well.

Phoenix is a lot more spread out. Car oriented. IMO a better quality of life value for raising a family than the Philly area where it costs a ton to buy into the nicer suburbs or pay for the better schools. It's quieter here, cleaner here and a lot more transient with people generally just keeping to themselves.

Overall I like the style/pace of life out here. However, there are definitely times I do miss the city. Grabbing the bus to work, walking to a happy hour after work and not worrying about driving anywhere that night, just grabbing the subway to go to a sporting event, etc.

[johnp292]

We recently (June 2012) moved to Arizona from PA. I lived in the Lehigh Valley but worked in Philly. I personally think Philly is a dump. I still occasionally have to return there on business and do not enjoy visiting the city at all. If the crime, the grime, the attitude, the lousy weather, the high cost of everything in Philly aren't enough for you, consider this...if you work in Philly, you will have to pay PA state income tax (3.07%) as well as the Philadelphia Wage Tax (approx 3.5% if you live outside Philly, slightly over 3.9% if you live and work in Philly), as well as PA unemployment tax and disability tax, and an annual PA "opportunity tax" of $52 per year. If you want to live outside Philly, any decent area within a reasonable commuting distance, or anywhere you can reasonably get a train, will be very expensive. Commuting by car is a nightmare. Traffic is legendary and you may have to pay for parking unless your employer covers it. I could go on and on.

In Arizona, on the other hand, the weather is great (IMHO), there is only state income tax, no local income taxes (the rate varies based on income but even the highest level is lower than the PA+Philly double whammy), no unemployment or disability taxes, there is traffic but nothing like Philly, housing costs are much more reasonable, property taxes are much much lower (should you ever decide to buy a home). On the negative side, sales tax is higher, especially in Phoenix, and the cost to register a car here is based on the car's value and is outrageous (as in hundreds per year for a new car, but a large part of that can be taken as a federal tax deduction).

I believe there are a lot of cultural attractions to Phoenix (and of course there are in Philly as well) and if you like:

- Snow in winter? Drive a couple of hours north to Flagstaff.
- Nightlife? Scottsdale
- Ocean? California...a little farther away than the Jersey Shore is from Philly, true.
- Championship sports teams...er, well, maybe not....
- Deserts? Check. Find that in Philly!
- Museums? Tons of them.
- Modern highways? Got it. Not so much in Philly, or PA, or the northeast in general. More like decaying infrastructure everywhere.

Again, I could go on and on but you get the idea.

Overall I am very happy we moved to the Phoenix area. That would be my recommendation.

[azriverfan.]

I wouldn't move to Philly. If you said New York versus Phoenix, that would be a tough decision but Philly is very blue collar in my opinion. Philly has arguably the rudest people(blue collar and meathead come to mind) in the country. The city doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of amenities in my opinion, I much prefer NY, Boston and D.C. to Philly. There is the crime, the run down areas, the horrible weather, the smokestacks and industrial ghetto, I can't see how anyone would choose Philly over Phoenix. I mean if you are going to go for an urban high rise city on the east coast, why in the world would you choose Philly over NY, Boston or D.C.

Most of the people that I know who live in Philly are those who tolerate it because they had no choice but to live there due to a job or school. They like it because it's close to NY by train and is less expensive. But I don't know people who choose to live in Philly based on any type of high lights. There are something like 7 medical schools there and a lot of universites (UPenn etc) but as soon as they are done with training, they can't wait "to get the heII out of Philly" in their words. It's just not a comfortable place to live which is why they don't settle there. Most of the people I know who live there try to move to NY or D.C. if they can.

[BldgNewDtown]

I'm currently in Philadelphia possibly relocating to Phoenix by the end of the year. Haven't been to Phoenix before but could act as your local expert to Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has an amazing food scene. If your a foodie, I'd recommend coming here. Plus NYC is an hour and a half train ride north!

There are tons of great suburbs around here and really has something for everybody.

One of the main impressions I get towards Phoenix is that everything is geared towards the outside and healthy living, somewhat like Denver in which I have lived before. Hopefully I'm not totally off because this intrigues me a little.

Feel free to shoot any questions my way about Philly. I'm also a 20 something so that could be a positive when sharing my viewpoint.