Tampa Bay vs Phoenix Metro

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Shakeesha

Ok you are diggin real deep... real petty.

How’s that digging real deep? I spent time living ou East and absolutely missed the ability we have in AZ to drive 2 hours and be in weather that is 30 degrees cooler, skiing within a short drive? Yep. Go visit fall foliage on a weekend in beautiful west fork canyon or flagstaff, check. Summer heat in Phoenix got you down? Head to payson or Prescott where it’s 20 or more degrees cooler. The closest beaches are 3.5 hours but lakes are everywhere.

Not sure why that’s petty, it’s a very beneficial perk to living in a state with some real elevation variation.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

It is lively, and is booming compared to when I moved to this metro back in 2001. Tons of restaurants, cool places at CityScape, an Eos Gym, a bowling alley, and the rail can also take you to midtown, and to downtown Tempe, with all the stuff to do there as well. I love it 😊

It’s night and day from 2001 and the current round of development will likely double or more the downtown population yet again, nice to see the boom finally happening.

In addition to cityscape the sheer other amenities and quality of food is awesome, as an area downtown has now surpassed all other neighborhoods for rent prices and I expect that to continue here’s why-

- Multiple pro sports teams in your backyard and all the other events those venues host year round.
- Performing arts, comedy, theater and more every single night at least a dozen venues for these in and around downtown.
- Home to one of the largest art walks in the country and now 2 art focused neighborhoods with Roosevelt and emerging Grand Ave.
- Amazing selection of food that’s ever expanding including what’s ranked as the best pizza in the nation multiple times, the majority of businesses are independently owned and not chains. Places like Pomo, Vig, Angels Trumpet, Bianco, Gallo Blanco, Welcome Diner, Match, Fez and countless others. You just don’t get that selection elsewhere in the valley within a mostly walkable area.
- Now at least 6 small live music venues the Van Buren, Crescent, Lost Leaf, Valley Bar, The Pressroom, Copper Blues and I’m sure more I’m missing.

Add to that these developments and it’s pretty clear Phoenix has hit a tipping point.

High rises under construction or late stage planning:
Block 23- 17 story apartments under construction
Block 23- 9 story office under construction
the Link - 29 story apartment UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Central Park East- 17 stories apartments and 11 story hotel under construction
The Stewart: 21 story apartment under construction
Derby: 21 story apartment - construction on hold for litigation
Barrister: 32 story apartment proposed

Low/Midrise Infill <10 flooors:
Broadstone Roosevelt- Under Construction
Hance Park Apartments and Office- Under construction
Small project next to Broadstone - under Construction
Ally's on roosevelt (I cant remember the name) Under Construction
Grow House 2.0 - Under Construction
Central and Willeta- under Construction
Arizona Center Remodel - Under construction

[C24L]

I prefer Phoenix

[markeg]

Fast forward 1 year. I am living in Midtown Phoenix, along the light rail, and I love it!

There is culture...Museums, Theatre, Restaurants, the Talking Stick Arena, etc. In fact, I saw Josh Groban at the Talking Stick a few weeks ago, and when the concert was over, I felt like I was back in NYC. People walking around, bars and restaurants bustling, it was wonderful!

I did get a job along the Light Rail so I am saving money on a 2nd vehicle. The summer is hot, but the weather is fantastic now! I love everything about this city including some of the nice people I have met.
Living in Midtown is great. We are minutes away from everything!

[march2]

Both are nice metros, but I personally like Tampa/St. Petersburg better. Greener. I prefer tropical over desert. A little more affordable. Incredible beaches. A little more to do recreationally overall, especially being only a little over an hour away from Orlando. I lived in Orlando for about a year and really liked the whole Orlando/Tampa corridor. Have only visited Phoenix. It probably would come down to personal preference. Just make sure it's not the "grass-is-greener" syndrome, as one poster stated. It's easy to fall into that trap. In terms of crime, it can be a bit subjective. In nearly all cities, most crimes (especially violent ones) occur in specific pockets of town and the victims and perpetrators usually know one another. So pretty much in any city, if one uses common sense, they will be safe (statistically speaking). Good luck wherever you end up.

[ghdana]

Housing prices in Phoenix seem to be getting crazy again, I'm considering selling now and going to someplace where the grass is literally greener and closer to our parents in Pennsylvania. Tampa seems like a good Phoenix alternative because it has the heat I want and the sunsets over the ocean, and looking at Redfin I could get the equivalent of my house for ~15-20% less while looking at jobs on LinkedIn that pay about the same.

The biggest advantage of Arizona is truly the mountains and the ability to drive to snow in only 1 or 2 hours in Payson or Flagstaff.