Top 10 reasons not to move to PHX (Phoenix: home sales, unemployment)

[Sean1833]

Originally Posted by MRS215

[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]I am new to the Phoenix area and having moved from back east (Philadelphia) I can say that the mentality of the people here is different. I'm not passing judgment (as I have only been here a short 8 weeks as well (I see this was a big sticking point for a few of the earlier post in this discussion... lol). From the way I see it, the thinking here is just different, I transferred positions and was told before I stepped off the plane that I would have to change my way of thinking if I was going to make it here successfully. At the time I thought this sounded crazy. But learned that this is fact, even the hiring criteria is different here... most jobs back home require a four year degree for consideration for employment this is vastly different, here a high school diploma is good enough. I do not understand this at all... it completely bewilders me.

I am an AA female, when I told my father that I planned to move here his first response was in concern of the perception of racism that exist in AZ. I found this odd as my father was a southern man who had NEVER set foot in AZ, but when we sat down and talked about it, he had two main points.

1-The state for years did not recognize the civil rights movement, will not respect the sacrifice MLK made with his life to fight for the rights of AA's. As a youth he took part in the civil right movement and wanted to make things better for his children; the fact that the state was resistant to celebrating MLK Day was something he took very personally.

2- The AZ Immigration law, his thinking (which makes sense) is once they find a way to make racial profiling legal it will not stop with the immigrants, eventually that same tool could be used against you.

I respect his thoughts, we debated about this for weeks, but ultimately other reasons are why I chose to move. For me I did so for my children, in Philadelphia, the educational opportunities are great, socially I love home is so much easier to move around, and there was always an abundance of cultural events that my family could participate in on a whim, but the crime is becoming more and more vicious. While in the city crime has been overwhelming for a while now, but it has taken a more violent turn not just affecting those involved in street life but everyday working people, even in the affluent suburban areas. Home invasions, car jackings, car theft are on the rise again. And what good is a good educational system if your kid is being bullied and tormented all day because, she is a good kid with good grades; then you go to the school and they "help" by calling the deviant child to the office and hand them a slap on the wrist while your child continues to being bullied and threatened. I am angry at the turn my hometown has taken and decided to try life elsewhere.

I say all of this to say that there is good and bad in every place that you live; for me racism can exist any and everywhere; I choose to raise my children to be strong, intelligent people, so that when you encounter a situation where ignorance is present, they will handle themselves with the upmost respect for themselves. Which is how I was raised, and is how I choose to live my life.

Having a different way of thinking here in AZ, is something I can work around... I think. A year from now I hope there will be a post similar to this one, I am excited to update my opinion after I have given this AZ a fair try.

Sorry to tell you this, but on point 2, your father is completely wrong. For one racial profiling is completely legal, as the law SP 1070 states that someone who cannot provide proof of US citizenship is subject to being deported. This proof is nothing more then an Arizona drivers license. All they have to do if citizens show a drivers license when asked, which is during traffic stops, or whatever else. Then they get arrested for it, and if they cannot provide citizenship by then, then they serve there time and get deported just so they can come back and repeat the process. Racial profiling deals with the illegal immigration problem in the state, not some white supremacist act on minorities. I dont get why everyone complains about them, but then gets all mad when they try and do something about it. You will see when you get here.

[Ritchie_az]

Originally Posted by mistygrl092

I try to avoid this stuff, but let me tell you a real story. I am a white woman who dated an Hispanic man. One day, while at lunch, a stranger looked in the window at us. He walked in the door and said to us "did you know he was here with a black woman last night?" OMG! It took me six hours to figure that out. I saw this guy as a person with black hair, olive skin and brown eyes - that is it. And I was shocked a stranger would say such an odd thing to two people he'd never met in his life.

I have brown hair, green eyes and of very Northern European descent. Why some stranger would walk in off the street and make this comment, I will NEVER get. Oh, this was either on 7th Street or 7th Ave in Phoenix.

Yeah, racism exists, even if I am color blind.

Stuff like that was a several-times-a-day occurrence when I lived in Houston (My family is half-hispanic). I experienced it quite a bit in Mississippi, too. I've yet to experience it in Phoenix.

Sorry that happened to you. It should not ever, anywhere. Unfortunately, racism does exist everywhere. Some places are worse than others. I wish it didn't exist at all.

[EnicAZ]

sc_college_kid,

With the difficult job market in Phoenix, it has been hard on everyone in this regard. This is the one of the biggest economic problems the area continues to face.

[PhoenixAirConcerns]

Originally Posted by phxgreenfire

Yeah... and Detroit does have at least one advantage over Phoenix: its people care about the city. More people have deep roots in the city and communities up there, and feel a degree of loyalty, responsibility and dedication to do something to get Detroit out of the doldrums. I'm not so sure the majority of people in Phoenix would do the same, because the most popular answer seems to be "I'll just leave." I know I'm guilty of that, but unless Phoenix attains a more sustainable economy I don't think it will have a great future.

I can understand where you are coming from. One of the things is that many people do not feel an attachment here. Therefore people do not take care of things like the environment or air quality like they need to. We all pay the price in the end.

[EnicAZ]

AirConcerns,

"I can understand where you are coming from. One of the things is that many people do not feel an attachment here. Therefore people do not take care of things like the environment or air quality like they need to. We all pay the price in the end."

And many find it difficult with no family or friends to help. It is a big reason why so many leave unfortunately.

[PhoenixAirConcerns]

Originally Posted by Astron1000

Just to be clear...

Phoenix does not have 11 Fortune 500 Headquarters.

It has 5. (Avnet; Freeport-McMoRan; US Air; Republic Services; PetSmart).

Omaha also has 5. In a metro area that is less than 1/5th the size of Phoenix. ( ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific Corporation, Mutual of Omaha, Peter Kiewit and Sons, Inc., Berkshire Hathaway). That's pretty damn impressive for Omaha.

And Omaha - while impressive - is not unique. Minneapolis/St. Paul has 20 Fortune 500 headquarters. In a metro that has 1 million fewer people than Phoenix.

That alone really says something about the business acumen of a city like Phoenix. But to be fair, Phoenix's expansion is a relatively recent phenomenon. Phoenix was not founded as a business center like Chicago or Omaha. It only surpassed the population of a metro like Minneapolis in the year 2000. So it really does not have the industrial history and power of those cities.

It is really sad, but there were another 700 layoffs at the University here just today. It feels like the corporate presence just keeps shrinking and shrinking. I feel bad for their families.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAirConcerns

It is really sad, but there were another 700 layoffs at the University here just today. It feels like the corporate presence just keeps shrinking and shrinking. I feel bad for their families.

Apollo Group (University of Phoenix, etc) did not lay off 700 people here as you put it. The layoffs are nationwide. They will still employ over 20,000 administrative staff and 35,000 faculty.

[EnicAZ]

AirConcerns,

"It is really sad, but there were another 700 layoffs at the University here just today. It feels like the corporate presence just keeps shrinking and shrinking. I feel bad for their families."

It is a major struggle which continues to hurt families and friends related. The job market is one of the biggest problems affecting the Phoenix area, and it cascades throughout and causes many of the other problems that we have.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by EnicAZ

AirConcerns,

"It is really sad, but there were another 700 layoffs at the University here just today. It feels like the corporate presence just keeps shrinking and shrinking. I feel bad for their families."

It is a major struggle which continues to hurt families and friends related. The job market is one of the biggest problems affecting the Phoenix area, and it cascades throughout and causes many of the other problems that we have.

We are truly fortunate that Arizona is enjoying one of the strongest job growth surges in the country and that your concerns are fading in importance. We rank third in the nation for new jobs created - almost one in five new jobs this year have been created right here in our state.

[EnicAZ]

Ponderosa,

I want to believe this as well. Unfortunately it was almost entirely service sector jobs, which is the usual seasonal hiring for cleaners, etc. Phoenix lost the most jobs of any US city this past recession, which is something where I don't how we are going to get long-term, decent paying jobs to even come back.