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About five months ago I moved from Long Island to Arizona. I noticed many posters here have been discussing the topics of whether they'd stay on Long Island or not. Let me tell you that Arizona is amazing compared to Long Island. The weather is perfect 8 months of the year. Constant sunshine, comfortable dry heat. No more hot and sticky humid summers with mosquitoes, no more freezing, snowy winters. Everything in Phoenix is new and modern, you can get a newer, bigger, more stylish house for half the price of the average home on Long Island. Gorgeous palm trees, easy access to mountains which is great for hiking and mountain biking. No more NYC congestion and the state speed limit is 85mph. Taxes are lower and the schools are good. The authentic Mexican food is delicious and is much better and healthier than pizza and bagels. Arizona provides a healthy, active lifestyle Long Island is lacking. Sedona is a beautiful resort city to visit. Also Phoenix is within a few hours driving distance to SoCal for the beach, Las Vegas, and the Grand Canyon. I can easily go to Los Angeles if I want big, cosmopolitan city life or San Diego which is America's finest city. There are many microclimates if one wants to get away from the heat. You can even go skiing in the mountains in Arizona or California. It seems that everyone who leaves Long Island moves to Florida, North Carolina, or South Carolina and many people aren't pleased. Forget the southeast and move to the wild wild west if you need a break from Long Island. The western United States is where it's at in terms of QOL.
its so great to hear this lavender. my fiance and i are thinking of moving off long island january 2014 after we get married. we are just so sick of the negativity, pollution and in my opinion overrated and over taxed island that doesnt offer as much as other places to live with lower taxes. yes we have the city but i have lived here for 25 hears and ive been there and done that. yes we have beaches but the beach i live near is smithpoint and in my opinion is trashy and dirty. the businesses are outdated and many are closed down on long island. the streets are full of potholes and the grass is never cut on the side of highways. no one says hey to you and when you try to find help in stores its like your bothering an employee. my fiances mom moved to scottsdale a year ago and loves it. she cannot get over how friendly people are, how clean it is, and the taxes are around 1000 to 2000 a year!! its a healthier environment with tons of healthy foods and people are active. she hikes the mountains twice a week. she says the air quality is so much cleaner compared to when she lands hear in new york. she can tell the difference right away. and she says her hair has never looked better related to no humidity!!! haha! i hear the schools are not the best in az and most send there kids to private. i can live with that with way lower cost of living!!!. how is the nightlife there? i hear happy hour is booming!!! can you recommend any areas with younger adults in 20's to 30's and a good area to raise kids? thanks!!
It's ranked as among the worst state for business by right-wing, anti-tax organizations.
They always rank rich, prosperous, job-healthy, high-wage states like NY, CT, NJ, CA, MD, MA as "worst states for business" and poor, uneducated, low wage states like MS, AL, AR, SC, AZ as "best states for business".
The fact is that the richest states are all these supposedly "bad for business" states.
Ignore the obvious bashers. Misery loves company, hence the pleas to move back. You did what was right for you. Congratulations. It takes more courage than they will ever know.
i agree. so many people on long island NEVER leave and therefore NEVER experience living in another place. I guess they will have to deal with the pollution, high taxes and rude people
OK, I don't even live on Long Island...I actually live Upstate (FWIW, I did move to the south for 13 years, and then moved back). But how can you not expect a backlash when somebody comes onto a forum and dedicates a whole thread to saying what can basically be summed up as "hey, I moved away from this place where you all live, and the place I moved to is much nicer and I'm better off than all of you stuck there and blah blah blah....you should all be as smart and adventurous as me and move out west"... That is extremely condescending and small-minded. If this person is enjoying their new location that is great; but coming onto the forum of their hometown only to bash it makes them look very insecure and really opens them up to the criticism they've received here.
shes not bashing long island she's giving her opinion and to be honest its the truth
I disagree a lot with your post. Public transportation can be better in Phoenix but not public assistance. Too much public assistance is one of the reasons NYS is having serious financial problems. As for politics Phoenix isn't as conservative as you think now because many ex Californians have transplanted to the area.
As for weather, I prefer the dry heat in Arizona over the humid heat on Long Island any day. Winters aren't that mild on Long Island, and if I want winter I'll take Colorado or Utah winters that have even more moderate temperatures and drier snow that doesn't pile up for weeks and becomes dirty.
As for shopping, I can find all the same upscale and specialty stores I like in Phoenix. No need to go to NYC for that. Also where is the hiking and mountain biking in NYC and Long Island? My husband and I are outdoor enthusiasts, we would rather go hiking on the weekend than see a Broadway play. NYC may be the greatest city in the world, that doesn't mean it's for everyone.
Restaurants aren't that great on Long Island BTW. I can't find any Asian food that's as good as places in NYC. And certainly the Mexican food on Long Island isn't as good as Arizona. I had better pub food when I was living in Buffalo. Of course NYC has good restaurants but Long Island is a different story. Most of the restaurants on Long Island fall into these categories: really high end and expensive, pizza parlor/Italian, diner, or chain restaurant. Also, who the heck can afford to eat out in restaurants in NYC all the time?
Green forests of Long Island? Most of Long Island is extremely build up now, they're hardly any forests left. Rolling hills on Long Island, well Arizona has actual mountains. Beaches, I can drive to SoCal in a few hours which have better surfing and topography than any beach on Long Island or New Jersey. Yeah salaries in Phoenix pay less, but the average Long Island private sector salaries are probably on par if not less than Phoenix yet the COL is much higher.
love it!!!!!
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It is rather transparent isn't it?
