My experience after I moved off of LI (house, job market)
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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.
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.
Doesn't AZ have one of the worst job markets in the country..?
Doesn't AZ have one of the worst job markets in the country..?
My husband and I just got our doctorate's in physical therapy. We had much better luck finding a job in Phoenix than Long Island because their is too much competition on Long Island. But with the current recession the trick is to chose a major of study in the right field. Healthcare is booming these days so any degree in that area is a guaranteed job. But we also decided to move to Arizona because my friend was able to find a teaching job in Phoenix but not Long Island which gave us the idea to look here.
The weather in the entire Western half of the country is better than anywhere on the East Coast. Colorado, California, desert South West, even the Pacific Northwest all of have superior climates than we have, for the simple fact that humidity and bad air ruins half of the summer here and snowy winters suck.
As someone else mentioned, the job market is a major concern.
My husband and I just got our doctorate's in physical therapy. We had much better luck finding a job in Phoenix than Long Island because their is too much competition on Long Island. But with the current recession the trick is to chose a major of study in the right field. Healthcare is booming these days so any degree in that area is a guaranteed job. But we also decided to move to Arizona because my friend was able to find a teaching job in Phoenix but not Long Island which gave us the idea to look here.
So, aside from going back to school for 10 years for my doctorate or 2-4 years to get my masters for teaching, what other job markets are available there? For instance, I work in IT as a data analyst, would there be opportunities for someone like me?
You mean the "right field" for Arizona of course. Career wise, some people would not consider physical therapy to be the right field as opposed to, say, banking or media.
I'm curious as to how the climate for small and mid sized businesses is in AZ compared with mid Atlantic or Northeast.
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