NJ or AZ! (Phoenix, Tempe, Peoria: apartment, car insurance, mortgage)

[twiggy]

Good burrito's. Our water makes for bad bread though. You'll love it for a couple of years. Education is a sneaky and a tough one. If you keep up on what your children learn and don't let them slip through you'll be ok. Pollution and sprawl are my biggest obstacles. And too much sun. People don't live as long in the heat, I am not making this up. Northlanders live the longest.(go steve-o) But, NJ, depending on where you are there, is not my pick either. I heard the Nations favorite town is there though. I don't know, it's a toss up for me, so different. Big move for a family of 5. What does your wife want to do? She will probably be right! lol

[Bill-]

Originally Posted by twiggy

People don't live as long in the heat, I am not making this up.

You are making this up.

Find out your state's longevity and ranking - Aging - MSNBC.com

There are many northern states on that list including Steve-0's beloved Illinois that have shorter average lifespans than Arizona.

[jlj2007]

What is the question? Phoenix wins hands down. Sunshine, good jobs, decent cost of living, low taxes. Couldn't ask for more.

[SugarCookie]

I am a native new yorker, and live in NJ now for more than half my life..My family and I moved out to the Phoenix area in 1998, and moved back to NJ in 2001. Like a previous poster said, it is just different. I am a East Coast gal, and I just couldn't get use to AZ..Not that it was bad in any way, I just had a hard time adjusting.

True taxes, and housing are cheaper, but so are the salaries..So everything is relavent. But if you can make the same salary as you do on the east coast out in AZ, you will do more than fine..

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by SugarCookie

I am a native new yorker, and live in NJ now for more than half my life..My family and I moved out to the Phoenix area in 1998, and moved back to NJ in 2001. Like a previous poster said, it is just different. I am a East Coast gal, and I just couldn't get use to AZ..Not that it was bad in any way, I just had a hard time adjusting.

True taxes, and housing are cheaper, but so are the salaries..So everything is relavent. But if you can make the same salary as you do on the east coast out in AZ, you will do more than fine..

I know exactly what you mean about feeling at 'home'; but from the opposite perspective---------I am a Wash DC native born/raised there yet that place never felt like 'home' so here I am in the West which is home to me.

[tigerclaws]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

Yeah, I know I should go there at least once in my life, after all it is one of the seven wonders of the world and it's in my own backyard. What time of the year is the best time to visit?

Since when did the Grand Canyons become one of the seven wonders of the world LOL???

[SugarCookie]

Originally Posted by ArizonaBear

I know exactly what you mean about feeling at 'home'; but from the opposite perspective---------I am a Wash DC native born/raised there yet that place never felt like 'home' so here I am in the West which is home to me.

You are very lucky! I feel bad that it didn't work out for our family.I wish that it felt like home. It was a lot to move cross country, and then uproot again..

[MotleyCrew]

I understand not feeling at home. As beautiful as it was, we felt that way about N.CA for 15 years. We simply could not get comfortable. We love the desert and felt like this was our home the minute we crossed the state line. When we traveled back up north to finish business, we actually got homesick for Peoria. You have to go where the heart is.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by MotleyCrew

I understand not feeling at home. As beautiful as it was, we felt that way about N.CA for 15 years. We simply could not get comfortable. We love the desert and felt like this was our home the minute we crossed the state line. When we traveled back up north to finish business, we actually got homesick for Peoria. You have to go where the heart is.

Thinking back on it: I have spent most of my life in 'desert' locales despite the first 20 odd years of my life in the DC area (I will be 50 in a few days).

Read that either SoCal or Arizona below 3,500'

In other words; I know of what you speak of:

Home is where the heart is

[progrowth]

Originally Posted by 30apples

have you thought of las cruces, NM? You'll get the heat you want, possibly better schools than in Phx, and it does cool off at night enough to open the windows, more often than not. Don't know what industry you and your wife are in, so you'd have to check out the employment. Very little to no traffic, better air quality, a lot less crime, very low taxes. good luck.

You are right on with las cruces. Las cruces has the most temperate climate
(relative to all deserts in the s.w. U.S. ) . In other wards the climate there is awesome. It doesnt get too hot or too cold. But the winters there are significantly colder. As a matter of fact the all time lowest is -10 degrees below zero. That is extremely cold for a desert. but the good news is that it gets that cold about once every hundred years. So just buy a huge parka and save it for that day (that is of course if you are around by then).

Any way I wish Las cruces was like Phoenix in terms of economic growth and the ability to create jobs. But L.C. is just less than 200,000 in population, so not much (from an economic standpoint) will locate there soon, unless Phoenix and Tucson starts to go "under".