Considering moving to PHX in the fall (Phoenix, Scottsdale: employment, place to live)

[jdahunt]

As a person who currently lives in Illinois, spends a lot of time in Chicago and just bought a house in Surprise Marley Park community here are my two cents.

When our kids were little we went to Chicago a lot....Today with crime so rampant I have to be very careful when I'm there by myself...would never take my family there.

Winters can be brutal....big win for Phoenix there if you are like me prefering hot over cold.

Taxes....you will pay about 7-9K in property taxes in Chicago compared to about 2k in Phoenix.

Arizona will continue to draw new people, many of them escaping from Illinois/Chicago.

On our visit this week to Phoenix staying with my cousin we were out with him and his grandkids in a park near his neighborhood, near arrowhead mall shooting basketball till about 10pm....never once a concern about being safe....oh and no bugs either....lol

[observer53]

Originally Posted by normcrok8

Please do extensive research on Phoenix before moving there, or U could regret it! It takes living in AZ for a while B4 reality sets in an people discover they dont like it here. Too often that is the case. Its best to spend a few weeks there in the summer to get used to the heat. Some people only THINK they want our heat, until reality sets in and they go back home. Its not just hot, but hotter than hell from May to October. In all honesty, Phoenix may look nice in magazines and relocation guides, but thats because the photos have removed the brown air.

1. The Phoenix area in general is not very safe. Safety is really spotty throughout the Valley. A safe neighborhood can quickly change just a few blocks away. Violence is rampant in the entire metro area. There is at least one murder in the news everyday in the city of Phoenix alone. Kidnappings, home invasions, and car theft are rising.

3. Most of Phoenix's affordable apartments are in LOUSY areas of town, and you will have to pay a premium to get a good neighborhood. Just make sure you have a car, or living in the Valley will be very difficult.

4. Cost of living is low because wages are VERY low, as well as having a LOUSY job market. Phoenix is very hard place to find a good job. Thats just the way it is. A bulk of Arizona's economy is service industries that pay barely minimum wage. If you want to flip burgers or bag groceries, Phoenix may work for you. If you want to grow your career and have an income, look somewhere else. I am just being honest. In fact, Arizona is starting to lose people leaving for better economic opportunities elsewhere.

5. The claims of good weather are grossly exagerrated. Its hotter than hell from May to October, forcing you to be a prisoner in your own home. Its too hot to do anything! And the lack of rainfall is not good and produces a dangerous brown cloud over the Valley for weeks at a time. Ozone days are very common too, making Phoenix a bad place for people with allergies and breathing ailments.

I think you can do a whole lot better than Phoenix and think you should consider maybe Austin. Chicago is good if you can afford it. Phoenix is usually not at the top of anybody's places to live. Needless to say, I dont like Phoenix. Have been here since 2006 and will be leaving soon!!!!!!!

The hyperbole artists are out painting with their broad brushes again. It would be obvious to anyone reading here much that on a daily basis, people post about how they can't wait to move here, or, even, move BACK here. And not everyone who wants to move here has found C-D (yet!)

People who are unhappy with a place are often still unhappy when they move. Don't rely on a place or other external factors to make you happy. That comes from INSIDE.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by observer53

People who are unhappy with a place are often still unhappy when they move. Don't rely on a place or other external factors to make you happy. That comes from INSIDE.

Happiness doesn't come from INSIDE. It comes from the Coyotes beating the Blackhawks in the first round.

[stasi_crystals]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

This forum just attracts negative people because people in Phoenix are laid back and don't feel the need to defend their city like people of other cities. There are a lot of members here yet so many are silent because they simply don't care what people think of our city, they love it. I'm one of the few outspoken people who defend Phoenix like you would see from residents of say Dallas or Boston or NYC. There aren't many people like me in Phoenix because it's just a very chill and relaxed city.

Exactly. Every thread I see about Phoenix, people have nothing but negative things to say about it. Most of those people who bash Phoenix are not from here to begin with anyway. Im a Phoenician and I love it here!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

Happiness doesn't come from INSIDE. It comes from the Coyotes beating the Blackhawks in the first round.

That would be nice, too!

[maverick974]

Originally Posted by stasi_crystals

Exactly. Every thread I see about Phoenix, people have nothing but negative things to say about it. Most of those people who bash Phoenix are not from here to begin with anyway. Im a Phoenician and I love it here!

Yeah, lots of negativity on this forum for some reason but that doesn't hold true out in the real world around here.
I've been here almost a year now and I'm happier now than I was when I first got here. Best thing I've ever done was move here but that's just me.

[Arcadia Camelback]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

Most people love Phoenix. This forum just attracts negative people because people in Phoenix are laid back and don't feel the need to defend their city like people of other cities. There are a lot of members here yet so many are silent because they simply don't care what people think of our city, they love it.

I sort of hope that too many people don't move here.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Arcadia Camelback

I sort of hope that too many people don't move here.

It's a little late for that. If 2/3 of them moved back, there would still be way too many people in Phoenix. I'd like to see it under a million again.

[normcrok8]

No. Most people do NOT like Phoenix. In fact, a lot of Phoenicians themselves dont even like it very much .I think its fair to say the only people who like Phoenix are those who have been there their whole lives and dont know any better. I have a very hard time believing people like Phoenix when the state of Arizona has a VERY bad reputation known around the country. Thats the truth.

Isnt perfect? Dude, I cant think of one single redeeming quality about Phoenix, except the warm winters. Nothing else. Have U every lived anywhere else? The Places Rated Almanac of last year ranked Phoenix as the 5th WORST metro are in the country to live based on air quality, education, economic stability, employment and safety.If you consider that a good place to live, then more's the pitty.

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by normcrok8

No. Most people do NOT like Phoenix. In fact, a lot of Phoenicians themselves dont even like it very much .I think its fair to say the only people who like Phoenix are those who have been there their whole lives and dont know any better. I have a very hard time believing people like Phoenix when the state of Arizona has a VERY bad reputation known around the country. Thats the truth.

You are entitled to your opinion, However, there are thousands of people here who are very happy, and most of them are not AZ natives. Tone down the purple prose, please.