Phoenix Negatives (Tucson, Scottsdale, Tempe: waterparks, crime, theater)

[RickyR9]

Hey all,

I am a recent college grad and I am looking to move to the Phoenix area in the very near future (job depending). I am just wondering what some of the negatives of Phoenix are, other than weather related because those seem somewhat obvious.

I have seen many of the Phoenix vs. (fill in the blank) comparisons and people will list negatives but those people are generally looking to bash Phoenix in an attempt to make their city look better. I am looking for negatives from people that really enjoy and embrace the city. I am certain that even those of you that love the city still have small complaints that bother you. I am in all hopes to move and to love the city but I also understand that it is only realistic to think there will be some things I dislike also. I'm not looking for bashers here, just a realistic outlook of what to expect.

Thanks in advance.

[imartin26]

Like you mentioned the heat can get tiring after a while but finding things to do indoors helps that. The dust storms aren't fun although pretty neat to see for the first couple of times I guess. The city is very spread out which makes finding a cental location rather hard. If you live in Suprise and have a job in Queen Creek that would be a nightmare IMO. Other then those things I can't really think of to many other negatives at the moment.

[liz451]

Hm.

-Sheriff Joe
- it's very spread out
- the pools can get like bath water in the summertime because it's so hot
- mediocre public transportation
- how far Cardinals and Coyotes games are from the East Valley
- lack of good BBQ food
- over abundance of trendy sushi
- 30k millionaire's in Scottsdale (and I live in Scottsdale and love it here but they get annoying if you wander over to a club on accident)
- 20k millionaires at Westgate.
- less of an identity since most people are from somewhere else - when I lived in Chicago the people there were ALL bears fans for instance
- missing the rain (I grew up here so yes, I think real inclement weather is fun!)

- ummm....trying to think of what else. Obviously I'm being really nitpicky here because honestly the summer is the biggest negative.

[DetroitN8V]

Phoenix is a great place and I couldn't be happier that I moved here. There's one common theme here that irritates me more than anything; drivers not accelerating when getting on the highway. Everyday I'm behind someone who thinks it's safe to merge onto the highway going 50mph. There are bad drivers everywhere, but I've never seen this behavior so prevalent as I have here in the valley. Since that's the one thing I can think of to complain about, this place must not be so bad!

[PhxSuns333]

I just moved from Phoenix back in the fall, but that was because I really wanted a change of lifestyle for my future family, so I settled back east. However, that does not mean I hated life in Phoenix. Phoenix has many pros/cons, and only you can decide which outweighs the other.

Some negatives to Phoenix are:

*Rush hour traffic can be a pain, if you have to drive in it, but its not as bad as places like LA or NY.
*There are many really bad drivers in Phoenix (but it seems like there are lots of bad ones everywhere now a days).
*If you don't spray for bugs in the spring and summer, you'll probably have a problem with spiders, other weird bugs, and possibly some roaches (at least if I didn't spray I would encounter serious bug issues).
*Snakes, scorpians, and coyotes can be a problem depending on where in the Valley you settle (but I never really had issues with any of those three).
*The air in Phoenix is really not that good (for a good chunk of the year), and I had all kinds of issues with the dust, pollution/smog, and my allergies would act up.
*The heat in the summer can be brutal, and your car can really feel like an oven on throughout a good few months of the year. Usually once weather breaks 100, thats what would really feel bad. Trust me, after having days of 110+ degree weather, 87 or 90 will feel welcoming.
*It doesn't rain that often (this can be good/bad, depending on how you feel).
*Some areas do have crime issues (South Phoenix, Maryvale, & scatterd parts in the valley)
*Education is not the greatest in Arizona, however it does seem as the Arizona Department of Education has been working to strengthen the standards by upping them, and changing a lot to try and improve Arizona as a state in education.
*Illegal immigration issue.
*Phoenix is very spread out.
*Public transportation is not all that good, but it has (slowly) been improving.

Some positives to Phoenix are:

*If you love sunshine, that's what 95% of the year is like.
*You won't have to shovel mounds of snow in the winter (I am now in a place where we do have to shovel snow)
*There is a lot to do in Phoenix, and Arizona in general. There are theaters in dowtown, lots of shopping all over the valley, many great restaurants, lots of pools, good nightlife in Scottsdale & Tempe, a 4 main sport teams, concerts at some of the arenas, etc.
*You are close drives to LA, Vegas, and San Diego.
*Great if you are an outdoors person (hiking on the mountains, heading up to the lake such as Lake Pleasant, tubing on the Salt River).
*Many of the suburbs are a great place to raise a family in the future
*Many activities for singles and familes. For families: Phoenix Zoo, Wildlife World Zoo, tons of festivals/events, a few great waterparks. For singles/couples: great nightlife in Scottsdale & Tempe, great festivals/events, great resorts across the East Valley.
*Great musuems (Heard Musuem, Musical Instrument Musuem, Hall of Flame, Phoenix Art Musuem, Arizona Science Center, Arizona State Capitol Musuem, Children's Musuem of Phoenix, etc.)
*A lot of the people are laid back and pretty friendly.

I think you'll love Phoenix for now, and the future if you decide to raise a family here. It is a nice place to live, and in my personal opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives.

[RickyR9]

Thanks for the replies everyone. This really gives me a better sense of realistic negatives rather than people bashing the city. Based on these, everything sounds pretty enjoyable. I can't wait for the sunny days. These grey skies up north start to get depressing. Just one thing I am looking forward to on top of many others.

Thanks again!!

[cjs123]

This may have already been mentioned by someone, but one of my favorite things here are the spring wildflowers--if you like stuff like this, be sure to check out Boyce Thompson Arboretum in the far east valley near the town of Superior, and the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. Late March and early April are gorgeous--there are also some neat places in Tucson, too.

I've been in the Phoenix metro area 23 years this April and while considering a relocation in the future, it has nothing to do with wanting to get away from here--wouldn't have stayed if I didn't like it.

Good luck--and though a bit premature, welcome to the Valley of the Sun.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by RickyR9

Hey all,

I am a recent college grad and I am looking to move to the Phoenix area in the very near future (job depending). I am just wondering what some of the negatives of Phoenix are, other than weather related because those seem somewhat obvious.

I have seen many of the Phoenix vs. (fill in the blank) comparisons and people will list negatives but those people are generally looking to bash Phoenix in an attempt to make their city look better. I am looking for negatives from people that really enjoy and embrace the city. I am certain that even those of you that love the city still have small complaints that bother you. I am in all hopes to move and to love the city but I also understand that it is only realistic to think there will be some things I dislike also. I'm not looking for bashers here, just a realistic outlook of what to expect.

Thanks in advance.

I love the city and my only two complaints are we lack an urban/downtown presence; that being said the progress made in downtown in the last 5 years is impressive and is only getting better.

The only other downside is the summer heat but I have a pretty high tolerance toward the heat and prefer it over the cold.

Those are my only two complaints of the city. Otherwise, I think the city has so many pro's and I wouldn't choose to live anywhere else. I grew up in L.A. and I think this is a much nicer city than L.A.

You will read people cite things that are not really negatives like sophistication etc but they are not really negatives. Those who know the city well and have lived here a long time have a better perspective than those who moved here in the last 5 years and base their impressions on what they see from the free way. Case in point, you will read people say we only have chain restaurants which is not true and they haven't done their research, they base that opinion on what they see in the strip malls. Anyone doing a yelp search can see we have more non-chain restaurants than they can count.

[magnum0417]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Phoenix is a great place and I couldn't be happier that I moved here. There's one common theme here that irritates me more than anything; drivers not accelerating when getting on the highway. Everyday I'm behind someone who thinks it's safe to merge onto the highway going 50mph. There are bad drivers everywhere, but I've never seen this behavior so prevalent as I have here in the valley. Since that's the one thing I can think of to complain about, this place must not be so bad!

My only complaint is freeway driving for a different reason. People changing lanes at 80 plus MPH on the 101 and 202 without signalling. How fast can someone accelerate when there is a traffic light for one vehicle at a time during peak hours ? You have to burn rubber to get from 0 to 80 . Yes, it makes it difficult to merge but drivers going 80 should stay out of the far right lane if possible to allow those to merge from the ramps.

Outside of that, couldn't be happier in my 13 months as a fulltime resident here.

[magnum0417]

Originally Posted by cjs123

This may have already been mentioned by someone, but one of my favorite things here are the spring wildflowers--if you like stuff like this, be sure to check out Boyce Thompson Arboretum in the far east valley near the town of Superior, and the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. Late March and early April are gorgeous--there are also some neat places in Tucson, too.

I've been in the Phoenix metro area 23 years this April and while considering a relocation in the future, it has nothing to do with wanting to get away from here--wouldn't have stayed if I didn't like it.

Good luck--and though a bit premature, welcome to the Valley of the Sun.

Thompson Arboretum just a couple miles east of a great hiking trail at Picketpost Mt