Moving to Phoenix from Miami? (Tempe: for rent, hotels, find a job)

[eddy.cm3]

I’ve been living in Miami for almost 2 months now after moving to America from Europe. I really love the city, specially the Miami Beach and Downtown area. For me the weather is fantastic. I like the Latin feel of the city. Public transportation is decent. But I can’t find a job here so I started thinking about moving to Phoenix because it also has nice warm winters (I hate the cold and snow). I’m 26, male. I have a degree in HR from Britain but I’m willing to work anywhere in the beginning. Restaurants, hotels, fast food or something like that.Has anybody here lived in Miami and relocated to Phoenix? How would you compare the two places? Also I have some questions that will be the most useful for me to make final decision.

• Is it possible to live without a car using public transportation at least for 1-2 months until I find a job? Or is the city too big and stretched to move around this way? It doesn’t have to be perfect but is it at least doable?
• Can I find a single room for rent for 400 - 500 $ in a good neighborhood near the city center?
• Is it very touristic like Florida or mostly locals?
• Will the fact that I speak pretty decent Spanish help me with the job hunt? And is it a big problem if you speak with an accent? My English is really good I think but I don’t sound American.
• Is it a good place to meet other people, go out to clubs? Any other interesting tourist destinations besides Grand Canyon?
• Do people work out and run in parks, is this popular? Any cheap public swimming pools?
• Will I need warmer clothes at night?

The thing is I have just enough money to stay here till the end of the year. After that it’s goodbye America if I don’t find a job. And I would really like to stay here. So if I decide to leave Florida and invest in a ticket it really has to be a wise choice because I can’t afford to make a mistake. Maybe you can recommend another place which has no winter and fairly easy to find a job if in your opinion Phoenix isn’t good for me? Anyway thanks for anybody who will answer, I really need some help with this.

[phoenixmike11]

I lived in South Florida before moving to Phoenix-- I like Phoenix better since its cheaper and I think the people are nicer. It is not easy to get by only using public transport-the bus system does not seem to be good-the light rail is good but does not go to enough places. if you have a job near the light rail or a bus line and you live by the light rail or bus line then you can get by. The economy here is struggling (like most places)-you might want to try austin texas-it has a much lower unemployment rate, better job quality and a much better downtown than phoenix. Speaking spanish should help some in phoenix and the people here are in general- open and friendly-overall i think its a good place to live but like any place it has its downsides

[Uhuh]

I warn you not to live in Phoenix with out a car, unless you have visited, and attempted it. Not only is the city extremely spread out, it has a very unreliable bus system, and the heat can be deadly too. Spanish speaking fluently is a huge plus, that will put you above much of your job competition. Not much tourism, there is very few dense pedestrian occupied areas. Most the foot traffic is the malls, or Mill ave. in Tempe. With your price range, I do not see a problem, you should be able to find a nice studio or small 1 br, of course you can get bigger, but you would sacrifice the area, in most cases. No new clothes at night, it does not drop too much.