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Larger is not necessarily better. Sure it typically translates to more amenities but in some cases also can mean more sprawl, traffic, pollution etc.
I do think Phoenix is underrated though and it is a beautiful part of the country.
Phoenix is sprawled but as long as you setup your work/hobbies/home right it's pretty easy to avoid most of the sprawl. Traffic is pretty tame by big city standards and the pollution can be a problem at times but usually it's not.
Phoenix is sprawled but as long as you setup your work/hobbies/home right it's pretty easy to avoid most of the sprawl. Traffic is pretty tame by big city standards and the pollution can be a problem at times but usually it's not.
I wasn't specifically referring to Phoenix. I just was trying to point out that just because a city is larger than others does not necessarily mean it's superior or a better fit for everyone
In terms of Phoenix I really appreciated the access to nature i.e. salt river, camelback, Sedona being less than 2 hours away.
I do think that Cincinnati has stronger core neighborhoods that are much less auto-oriented than Phoenix. Also crisp fall days and springtime are pretty nice in Ohio.
I have only lived in metro Phoenix but been to Cincinnati and Indianapolis several times.
Weather: Phoenix but that is because I don't like cold and snow. I would say overall Cincinnati has the best balance with a chilly winter and mild summer.
People: None of the cities I would say win a friendliness competition but I would say it is about even. Phoenix is more introverted and polite. Cincinnati seemed polite and introverted. Indianapolis seemed a little more brash and harsh.
Location: Cincinnati is a day's drive from so much of America. Terrain wise I also like all the emerald lush hills and topography. It is also has a relatively moderate climate compared to much of America.
Economy: Metro Cincinnati has one of the highest amount of fortune 500 companies per-capita the country with 10 companies. Indianapolis and Phoenix are not even comperable.
Phoenix has the highest job growth rate right now but there is also a huge influx of people and it is a very cyclical economy.
Phoenix is good for people who want to work in financial-services, different sorts of licenses and the construction industry. In general, I would say upward mobility is likely easier to achieve in Phoenix.
Cincinnati has nearly as the same employment growth as Phoenix and seems far able to weather an economic downturn because the employment base isn't as cyclical. It also has one of the largest amount of large companies per-capita of any metropolitan area in the country and they are solid, strong companies that have been business for a very long time.
Indianapolis seems to similar employment growth rates and seems to withstand recessions better then most other states. It doesn't seem to have a large number of companies based there but it seems to have a very diverse economy.
Cost of Living: Indianapolis and Cincinnati seem have extremely low cost of living overall and are some of the most affordable large metropolitan area's in the country.
Phoenix has had a large run-up in the cost of single-family homes and to a lesser extent apartment rents.
Quality of Life: Honestly, with all three cities they have a relatively economic depressed and socially depressed inner-city with some incredible suburban areas.
I would not personally want to reside in any of three cities but they all have some extremely strong suburbs that are rated as some of the best in the country.
I wouldn't mind living in a nicer suburb of any of the three cities, if I had reside in one of the three cities themselves it would be Phoenix.
Phoenix has some really orderly, stable neighborhoods in the city proper and has a much, much, much lower violent crime rate then Indianapolis or Cincinnati.
Last edited by lovecrowds; 04-23-2017 at 09:17 PM..
I have only lived in metro Phoenix but been to Cincinnati and Indianapolis several times.
Weather: Phoenix but that is because I don't like cold and snow. I would say overall Cincinnati has the best balance with a chilly winter and mild summer.
People: None of the cities I would say win a friendliness competition but I would say it is about even. Phoenix is more introverted and polite. Cincinnati seemed polite and introverted. Indianapolis seemed a little more brash and harsh.
Location: Cincinnati is a day's drive from so much of America. Terrain wise I also like all the emerald lush hills and topography. It is also has a relatively moderate climate compared to much of America.
Economy: Metro Cincinnati has one of the highest amount of fortune 500 companies per-capita the country with 10 companies. Indianapolis and Phoenix are not even comperable.
Phoenix has the highest job growth rate right now but there is also a huge influx of people and it is a very cyclical economy.
Phoenix is good for people who want to work in financial-services, different sorts of licenses and the construction industry. In general, I would say upward mobility is likely easier to achieve in Phoenix.
Cincinnati has nearly as the same employment growth as Phoenix and seems far able to weather an economic downturn because the employment base isn't as cyclical. It also has one of the largest amount of large companies per-capita of any metropolitan area in the country and they are solid, strong companies that have been business for a very long time.
Indianapolis seems to similar employment growth rates and seems to withstand recessions better then most other states. It doesn't seem to have a large number of companies based there but it seems to have a very diverse economy.
Cost of Living: Indianapolis and Cincinnati seem have extremely low cost of living overall and are some of the most affordable large metropolitan area's in the country.
Phoenix has had a large run-up in the cost of single-family homes and to a lesser extent apartment rents.
Quality of Life: Honestly, with all three cities they have a relatively economic depressed and socially depressed inner-city with some incredible suburban areas.
I would not personally want to reside in any of three cities but they all have some extremely strong suburbs that are rated as some of the best in the country.
I wouldn't mind living in a nicer suburb of any of the three cities, if I had reside in one of the three cities themselves it would be Phoenix.
Phoenix has some really orderly, stable neighborhoods in the city proper and has a much, much, much lower violent crime rate then Indianapolis or Cincinnati.
I'd add a few additional points to consider about Phoenix since it's the city I know most about.
While Cincinnati does have more Fortune 500 HQs, likely due to its geographic location near the middle of the US, when you expand to fortune 1000 they're about even. This list is a bit old but Phoenix has a major presence for all of these companies today, although some like petsmart are now private.
Fortune 500s are great to have but it's not always a great indicator of total economic activity in a region.
I don't know about Indy and Cincy, but downtown Phoenix is growing like never before over the last 40 years, there are of course still rough areas and I don't know of any inner city that doesn't have challenges with homeless, crime, etc... but jobs, residents, eateries and so on are moving in big time. We spend quite a bit of time down there now, when I first moved here in '02 the only thing we visited for was major league games.
Weather: PHX (if intense summers and intense hot sun is your thing)
People: Indy (always had great experiences with people there, very kind)
Location: Indy (closest to the middle of the country)
Schools: Indy
Economy: Not sure.
COL: Indy or PHX
QOL: PHX
I don't know of many people in Phoenix who love intense heat or sun, what we love is the lack of impact the weather has on day to day life here, its predicable and outdoor lovers can easily work around the few months of hot weather. The rest of the year is glorious and with mountains all around the city it's an outdoor Mecca.
Nobody I know gets excited for 100 degree weather but we know it means less traffic, crowds and great options to explore the many luxury resorts at prices that are a fraction of summer rates.
All of my friends are also ready for summer trips up north, you get to mix up the scenery and trails by visiting the northern cities/towns in the summer. That kind of variety is awesome and none of the other cities in this comparison offer it. One reason why I prefer Phoenix's location over Indy or Cincy.
I prefer Phoenix the best even thou I am originally from Cincinnati. No bias here. Phoenix has the best weather by far of the three, I do not even mind their dry heat.
How is this even a comparison? Why don't people scoff at this comparison, yet they'd scoff at comparing omaha to cincinnati. Fact is, omaha and cincinnati are much closer in size and metro amenities than phoenix and cincinnati. Yet people particularly from cincinnati or indianapolis would scoff at being compared to omaha.
If you don't understand this, you don't really get what a massive, multimodal metro phoenix is. plus for me, scottsdale and its charm, upscale shopping, and beautiful women, win this alone.
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