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(Short Version)Thinking of moving from Chicago to Phoenix/Scottsdale. Looking at pro’s and con’s. Would I really regret leaving the Chicago area?
(Long Version)
I wanted to get some opinions on potentially moving out to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area of AZ to live and work. A little background….. I currently live in a condo I own in the West Loop of Chicago and also work downtown. I’m 36, an unmarried, no kids, but have a serious girlfriend of five years and she’d be going with me. I work in the commercial insurance industry as a broker. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and have lived here all my life. My immediate family lives in the suburbs of Chicago.
A few months back I applied for a broker job out in Scottsdale, interviewed with them and it sounds like I’m going to get an offer. The thing is I have really been looking to get out of Chicago mainly due to the horrid winters and constant grey skies. I basically feel like in Chicago you get stuck in your house for 6-7 months a year due to the crappy weather all the time. I like to get outdoors and exercise or just relax. The thing with Chicago is I always feel like you’re fighting the weather. Then when it does warm up everyone and their brother has the same idea to get out and hit the lake path, beer garden, weddings, ect…everywhere is packed. While that does bring a certain high energy cool vibe to the city, I’m really just getting tired of it. I feel like everything in Chicago revolves around drinking or going to a restaurant. While I like to drink a few times a month, it’s not my top priority like a lot of people in Chicago.
My main question is for people that are familiar with both areas, would I regret moving out west and really miss Chicago? I know it gets hot in the summer out west and for the most part the times I’ve been out there it doesn’t bother me all that much. I can assume though when you live there it does wear on you after a while. I’ve done some general web searches on people’s opinion on living out there and there seems to be a love hate affair. Some say it’s the arm pit of the west and the people are low life degenerates/douches, the schools suck, too many illegals, too hot, too dry, ect… Then for the people who love it they talk of great weather 7-8 months of the year, access to many hiking trails, golf, spring training, pools, driving into the mountains, ect..
My cousins live out there and I have a few friends out that way as well, but nowhere the friend/family base that I do in Chicago. I also spend some weekends in the summer up in Michigan at my family lake cabin which is really relaxing and I would definitely miss that. But the big X factor is if I stay in the Chicago area I’d most likely have to move to the burbs in the coming years if I want to get married/have kids. Chicago is just too expensive for a big family home and not as safe. I sometimes feel like if I have to live in a burb, it might as well be somewhere warm, since I won’t really be able to utilize downtown Chicago like I currently do now. So is the grass not really greener on ther other side? Any opinions are welcome. Thanks
Sounds like you're a pretty reasonable person and have thought it through fairly well. Just a few additional thoughts:
Growing up in NWI, I can relate to the cold winters. Phoenix summers are often likened to Chicago winters in terms of being harsh, so what it comes down to is whether you tolerate heat or cold better. One can go to Chicago for a weekend and maybe not mind the cold, but as you know it's different living in it for months on end. The same is true for Phoenix. It may seem to be tolerable for a weekend, but make sure it's something you're willing to deal with for a good part of the year.
I don't blame you for wanting a lower cost environment. Property taxes in Chicago suburbs are absolutely insane. I've tried to figure out why they are so high and it still eludes me. So that will be a nod to Phoenix. That being said, Chicago suburbs overall have better schools than Phoenix, so if you're wanting to do the family thing, be diligent in picking a good district.
Outdoor opportunities are great in AZ so that might be an upgrade coming from Chicago. There's no Lake Michigan though. I've never lived in AZ but did live in SoCal for several years and I missed seeing trees and greenery in the temperate months. But many who move to drier climates don't miss that at all so it's very subjective.
Overall, couldn't hurt to try Phoenix out. Seems like you have your heart set on it and it fits the bill for a lot of what you're looking for. And if you end up not liking it, Chicago will still be there if you want to go back. Or you could move somewhere else.
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