Pros and cons to live in Phoenix (Mesa, Flagstaff: lawyers, compensation)

[techaz]

I know it's not just Phoenix, but the drivers out here are pretty bad and reckless. Lately 15mph over the speed limit seems to be going to slow for the left/car pool lanes. Every single day on my way to work on the I-10 (off peak times) the right 2 lanes are moving exactly at, or below the speed limit, and the left 2 lanes are going 15-20 over. Not just a car or 2, but the flow of traffic. So frustrating to drive and be cutting back and forth between lanes to avoid the slow drivers and move over for the retards who think 20 over is ok.

[mysticfire0213]

Originally Posted by normcrok8

Phoenix is NOT the place to live if your health (breathing problems?) is a concern. Phoenix used to be a good place to live for people who had asthma, etc. but that was THEN. Its changed now for the worst. PHX now has the 5th worst air quality in the country. The dry, hot air doesnt help winter. I think New Mexico and Utah and Western Colorado are far better alternatives.

No breathing problems here (and hey, I live in Knoxville right now-worst for breathing issues I've ever been)

My health issues are diabetes/arthritis related so cold weather is a no-go.

[lisa627]

I was just telling my hubby about this! The intersections here scare me to death and I'm used to driving the Garden State Parkway in NJ and the Capitol Beltway in Maryland- both of which have some seriously scary drivers. But this red light issue- where are those cops everyone always says are around giving tickets? Does AZ have a different driving handbook? We know NJ does- it's called the Jersey merge- don't look, don't speed up just drift onto the highway in front of cars going 70 miles an hour. So I'm guessing AZ's doesn't bother to mention that you need to stop at red lights? They're only a suggestion?

Pro for me that I just noticed is that everything looks new and clean. I come back to the east coast and everything looks old and shabby. That just happened this last trip back up to MD!

Oh and it's a celiac's delight. Every restaurant seems to have a pretty good grip on gluten free and try really hard. At least the nice ones! And they don't even blink an eye when I ask! I miss that when I'm back on the East Coast except in NYC.

Con: I have never seen more drivers in my life blow through red lights than here. A word to the wise: Your light turns green, pause, then look left, right, left, right, left and go.[/quote]

[TransatPhD]

mysticfire0213 - I lived in Knoxville for years and years, and now I'm heading to PHX. I'm interested to see if I perceive PHX as having better air quality!

(Just remember to blame it on Virginia factories and the Smoky Mtns. acting as a barrier for the smoke to blow back over to VA again.)

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I lived in Tucson for a while (GO CATS!) and would not consider it a small town/laid back/etc place like some do. I guess it depends on where you are moving from. It's smaller than Phoenix, of course, but Tucson area has a million people and that is way too big for anyone seeking small town or even small city IMO. The crime rate in Tucson metro is higher than in Phoenix metro and the traffic, depending on where you live, is HORRIBLE because there are no crosstown freeways. It's a breeze getting around in Phoenix outside rush hour. Water is expensive in the extreme and so the landscaping or lack there of makes the place look rather dingy in comparison to Phoenix. Not a bad place to live by any means and maybe it is more appropriate for retirees than Phoenix. Just don't go there expecting a quaint little city.

When I lived in Tucson I always HATED the lack of vegetation in people's yards. I'm talking, not even some cactus in the frong, just bare dirt or ugly gray gravel. I could never understand that!

Tucson does have a lot of traffic. No room to build freeways and it never seems to do anything on the mass transit front, either. In some ways it's the "worst of both worlds" in that it has big city problems but a small town mentality among its citizens and leaders.

Not that it's a bad place. I do think its scenery and weather is better than Phoenix's.

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

When I lived in Tucson I always HATED the lack of vegetation in people's yards. I'm talking, not even some cactus in the frong, just bare dirt or ugly gray gravel. I could never understand that!

My wife feels exactly the same way. We went "relocation" hunting a few years ago, and stayed in Tucson. With the exception of the area around Skyline, she hated it.

And agreed - the traffic is a nightmare.

[brucerby]

I have to say, every trip to Phoenix, I experience a rise in blood pressure over the drivers here. BOSTON drivers are better than Phoenix! (and they were once labeled by Time magazine the worst drivers in the country!)

IN PHX, the moment you pull onto the highway, automatically a kid in a tricked out little truck slides in behind you and hugs your bumper...so when you look in your rear view mirror you can see the kids teeth fillings!

...and agree with others, everything looks new and clean compared to older northern cities.

[jennebediah]

Pros:
- Dry air means few bugs, less frizzy hair
- Very reasonable cost of living (although most jobs pay according to the local economy which negates the benefit for some)
- Traffic isn't terrible (yes, there IS traffic, but it is light compared to many other major cities)
- since Phoenix is a car-centric city, everywhere you go has parking (almost always free), wide streets, easy to get around. The city was designed for cars and the driving is very easy.
- Neighborhoods offer what you want - if you want peace and quiet and awesome views, East Mesa or Surprise. If you want nightlife, central/midtown Phoenix, Old Town Scottsdale, or the Mill Ave area of Tempe. If you want suburbia and good schools, Gilbert or (I think) Ahwautukee.
- Sun, sun, sun. You start to welcome gray drizzly days because they are a nice change from all that sunshine.
- Pretty and well-manicured surroundings. Phoenix is the most well-kept town I've lived in. Maybe because things are new, maybe because landscaping labor is cheap? nonetheless, enjoy it.
- High speed limits on the roads!
- Short easy drives to Vegas, LA, San Diego
- Good amount of IT jobs because companies like their data centers in Phoenix. No natural disasters and cheap cost of living means low risk and relatively cheap labor.

Cons:
- Dry air means ouchie contact lenses and requirement for more hand/body lotion!
- Hard to get around without a car unless you are in downtown phoenix or by ASU. While there are always exceptions, I think most people consider a car a must-have in Phoenix. And the DUI laws are STRICT so that can stifle your nightlife fun if that's your bag.
- People hibernate in the summer. They leave town if/when they can and go grocery shopping after the sun sets. Consider it our winter.
- Accusations of "no culture" and "everything is a strip mall". There IS culture, it's just underground and hard to find. Some of Phoenix's best restaurants are in strip malls so you can't hate, just have to get used to it. It comes from being a relatively newly developed city. But yeah, we don't really have a "chinatown" or a "greektown". People have to go out and find that culture for themselves.
- When it rains, since it so rarely rains, streets are super slippery the first hour or so till the oil washes off the roads and there tend to be crashes during that first hour or so.

[joe moving]

Originally Posted by french paris

Just curious!
All opinions..

cheap living
good paying jobs

suburban sprawl, traffic, pollution, freaks and weirdos

[wsamon]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

[color=darkslategray][b]Pros:
7 - Phoenix is not too far from other large cities, the Los Angeles and San Diego areas are a 6-hour drive away, and Las Vegas is a 5-hour drive.

OK, I've seen this posted a couple times in this thread as well as others, and I have to ask: where are you people coming from that a 6-hour drive to another major metro area is considered "not too far" and a plus for the city? (to me, a plus = better than the average for a comparable alternative (major metro area in this case) - maybe our definitions are different?)

I've been to many (admittedly not all) major metro areas in the continental US and while I really enjoyed my times in Phoenix and am considering moving there (hence my lurking), I'm hard-pressed to think of other significant metro areas that are more isolated. The only ones that come to mind are Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, and a handful in the mid-west. Even they usually have at least one other major metro area within 4 hours (and I don't know if I'd call SLC or ABQ a major metro area anyway...).

I guess the one argument I can understand is that LV, LA, and SD are exciting world-class tourist-destinations. But honestly, if you're talking 6 hours, now you've got to start comparing it to where you can go with a short flight. Plus, every city on either coast has more options within the same distance, thus rendering the "better than average" portion of the statement incorrect.