Would Phoenix be a good city for me to move to? (Tempe: appointed, rentals)

[Blue1Roses]

Hi all, I have read through the Phoenix postings and I don't see a thread that answers my questions. I need help!!! I currently live in Atlanta. I work from home, so I can move anywhere in the US. I am looking to make a move by Feb 2012. I am a 32 year old African American woman, single, and ready for a change.

I have been looking at different cities to move to. I was thinking Seattle would be best for me, but I really love year around warm weather and I love the sun... I don't think I would be happy with gray and rainy weather. I think Phoenix would be a good city for me to move to.

I am looking for:
- Warm, mild weather year around, sun more than rain
- Lots of culture (plays, theater, museums, opera, love performances)
- Close to a body of water - river, lake, ocean - is there a lake near/in Phoenix?
- Laid back people
- I date interracially – city open/accepting
- Places to go for weekend trips (within train, bus or driving distance)
- Good Organic Food
- Walkable, parks, hiking trails, etc.
- Low crime/average crime rate
- Near a major airport (I love to travel)
- Nice places to rent - not ready to buy a house

Optional:
- Diversity of people (not a deal breaker as I can live around anyone as long as they are respectable, clean and not loud)
- Public transportation - I do have a car so this is no big deal
- Low/average cost of living (can be negotiable for the right place)

Based on the background and factors above, would Phoenix be a good city to move to?

Thanks so much!

[MotleyCrew]

I don't think anyone in AZ, or on this forum has pinned down what kind, if any, culture there is in Phoenix, lol. We are pretty much a "stew" of humanity and as far as laid back people go, Bisbee comes to mind, but it is so small and after a day, boring little town. We are more like Los Angeles, spread from one end of the valley to the other with many little pockets of houses and strip centers. It is not a mild climate here during the summer but worth the suffering for the delicious winters we have. There is a lake up by Vistancia called Lake Pleasant, very nice.
We live in Vistancia, which is in north Peoria. We have many different types of people of all shapes, colors and loudness. The people from New Jersey seem to me to be the loudest so far (just kidding). We have very little theater on the west side, or art for that matter and I miss that very much. The usuall advice here on the forum will be that you come and stay for a bit, or rent first then find your spot. Took us 7 months of exploring the different areas before we found ours. The cost of living is cheaper in comparison to CA and we are soon moving to Sun City which is even easier on the pocket. Surprise is another nice little city and the taxes there are less than Peoria's. If you love opera then the east side of the valley is best and closer to airports. Best of luck in your house hunt.

[TootsieWootsie]

I moved here exactly a year ago after living in innercities all my adult life (DC, Chicago, Houston), and Phoenix is by far the friendliest city I have ever lived in because everyone is looking for friends. Many of us like you would be are not from here, so you have people coming in from all over the country.
Lots of things to do here. Surprisingly so. And, yes, you can take interesting day or short trips to other areas like Sedona and Prescott or Las Vegas or L.A., etc.
Like you, I was looking for a low cost of living BUT wanted things to do. I am happy with my decision to move to Phoenix, and think you might be also.

[Jkgourmet]

This area has everything on your list to an average or excellent level EXCEPT:

No viable public transport (with the minor exception of the light rail system - but the vast majority of residents do not use it on any regular basis.)
You will not find buses or trains to take you on weekend trips (but the airport is great and you can drive 2 hours to many interesting places.)
The weather is most certainly NOT mild year round. Summer daytime heat sticks at 105 - 115 degrees for 3-4 months. You shift to before or after daylight or discontinue your outdoor activities to accommodate this. (but the rest of the year IS wonderful.)
Yes, we have reservoir lakes, but IMHO if that's a BIG priority for you, the lakes will quickly become boring. It's the desert, so you can't expect great water sports. (in fact, this is the thing I have been the most disappointed about during my 20+ years here. And, now that I'm retired, will be one of the main reasons we will Probably be relocating.)


I am not AA, but have worked and socialized with many during my 20+ years of residency in this area. I'm sad to say that most expressed some disappointment or frustration with the area. Several felt there was some discrimination in the business community. I've known several AA professionals who sincerely believed that they had a much harder time marketing or selling thenselves (or their products). Virtually all did not feelthat there was an organized community within the AA population itself - which some found to be a good thing, others missed. I've heard very little experiences of racism on any social level, and don't feel that the area has any issues with bi-racial couples.

[Voebe]

I have to tell you that, in my opinion, besides the absence of trains and the low-level of culture, I find metro-Phoenix very racist. Sorry. And I'm white, by the way. I guess people are laid back, but not laid back in terms of being accepting, but rather laid back in terms of being apathetic.

[rgscpat]

My impression is that people are genuinely friendly, but there is the bit of political conservatism.

I can speak more to the lakes; there's also the very small "Tempe Town Lake" on the edge of Arizona State U., which does not allow motorboats (electric motor, paddlecraft, small sailboats), with some rentals. Saguaro and Lake Roosevelt are in the mountains about an hour to the east of the city. Some people drive less than a day to San Carlos in Mexico in San Diego for the ocean, with San Diego only six hours away.

Phoenix's job market is probably what you'd call weak, and especially its housing market.

The area around ASU seems pretty lively compared to much of the valley.

[aztony]

Originally Posted by Blue1Roses

Hi all, I have read through the Phoenix postings and I don't see a thread that answers my questions. I need help!!! I currently live in Atlanta. I work from home, so I can move anywhere in the US. I am looking to make a move by Feb 2012. I am a 32 year old African American woman, single, and ready for a change.

I have been looking at different cities to move to. I was thinking Seattle would be best for me, but I really love year around warm weather and I love the sun... I don't think I would be happy with gray and rainy weather. I think Phoenix would be a good city for me to move to.

I am looking for:
- Warm, mild weather year around, sun more than rain
- Lots of culture (plays, theater, museums, opera, love performances)
- Close to a body of water - river, lake, ocean - is there a lake near/in Phoenix?
- Laid back people
- I date interracially – city open/accepting
- Places to go for weekend trips (within train, bus or driving distance)
- Good Organic Food
- Walkable, parks, hiking trails, etc.
- Low crime/average crime rate
- Near a major airport (I love to travel)
- Nice places to rent - not ready to buy a house

Optional:
- Diversity of people (not a deal breaker as I can live around anyone as long as they are respectable, clean and not loud)
- Public transportation - I do have a car so this is no big deal
- Low/average cost of living (can be negotiable for the right place)

Based on the background and factors above, would Phoenix be a good city to move to?

Thanks so much!

I think AZ offers just about everything you're looking to get. The only things that aren't, are public transportation and train service, and the mild weather. Public transportation exists but it's nothing like east coast big cities. Yes the weather is mild most of the year but you can expect 100F+ temps from mid-May to probably Oct. Since you're from Atlanta, I think you've had it worse with heat plus humidity. As for places to drive, you're within a 5 hour drive to LA, Las Vegas, San Diego, etc...
There are lakes in and around the PHX area. Lake Pleasant, Superior Lake, Apache, Canyon, & Saguaro Lakes to name a few. There's plenty of hiking trails in the Valley.

I don't know personally about inter-racial dating or relationships but I have seen a lot of inter-racial couples and it seems to be very open from what I see.

You say you're not ready to buy a house but the PHX housing market is at or near rock bottom and it's a good time to buy if you can. You wouldn't believe what you can get for under 100k.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by aztony

You say you're not ready to buy a house but the PHX housing market is at or near rock bottom and it's a good time to buy if you can. You wouldn't believe what you can get for under 100k.

True that it's a good time to buy. But to buy a house before someone is reasonably SURE they like living in an area is just plain foolish.

Not even considering the headache and heartache of that mess, let's look at the math. Let's pretend that RE prices increase by 10% in the next 12 months (which is incredibly unlikely). That $100K house would cost her $10K more to purchase next year. That's a helluva lot less than the combined closing costs for buying the house, then selling it next year (cause she hates Phoenix) and paying the realtor 7% to get the house sold.

Renting is the financially smarter thing to do until you believe you are sticking around for 5-10 years.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by Voebe

I have to tell you that, in my opinion, besides the absence of trains and the low-level of culture, I find metro-Phoenix very racist. Sorry. And I'm white, by the way. I guess people are laid back, but not laid back in terms of being accepting, but rather laid back in terms of being apathetic.

How closed-minded and shallow.

Sadly enough, racism and intolerance still exist everywhere but I have been to other places in this nation that are much more racist than here.

Try going to the deep south or even parts of Michigan or Ohio, you will find more bigots per capita than you could ever hope to find in Arizona.

[Jkgourmet]

Java Jolt, thank you for saying that.

I suspect that Voebe is referring to the perceived racism as it relates to our immigration issues rather than as it relates to the black (or Asian) community in Arizona.