HELP! Another thread from a transplant. Input, advice, recommendations, well intentioned criticisms welcomed!

[vibesandstuff]

Originally Posted by observer53

Phoenix isn't as walkable as other cities. Neither are its suburbs. You'll need a car, although depending on exactly where you end up you'll be able to walk to some things.

There are singles and families that are perfectly happy in Scottsdale and in other areas all over the Valley. But, if you don't like suburbs, then central Phoenix, is probably your best bet. Downtown, midtown, between 7th St and 7th Ave. Going slightly more to the east, you might like the area around 24th and Camelback.

As always, where you will end up working will have a lot to do with where you live.

thank you! is midtown and biltmore the same area? the addresses seem pretty close, but the price differences between them are pretty great in some cases. one of the apartments that i'm really interested in is in the midtown area, but i found one that seems more ideal as far as being near entertainment and it was about the same size/same amenities for nearly twice the rent in biltmore.

[vibesandstuff]

Originally Posted by Golden_Monkey

Bike friendly + liberal atmosphere + walkability = Tempe. If you live away from the campus, it can be pretty quiet too. Central Phoenix is great, but I don't think it's particularly bike friendly. This is a great resource for bike commuters:

The Bicycle Cellar – New/Used Sales, Full Service Repair, Rentals and Parking/Showers

It's at the Transportation Center, so you can park your bike there, then take the light rail or the bus.

this is awesome. thank you so much.

[vibesandstuff]

Would anyone recommend the downtown historic neighborhood? i like a lot of the styles of the apartments and homes in that area. i did notice that its pretty cheap, in most cities thats a pretty good indicator that its not a safe area lol.

[observer53]

I don't know exactly what places you are referring to, but downtown is actually pretty safe, and there's more going on down there than there used to be. If I were younger and didn't already have a house in the suburbs, that's where I'd be. Like everywhere else, common sense has to prevail. If you are looking at places that don't have all the amenities of larger newer shinier apartment complexes, that's part of the explanation for the price.

[Golden_Monkey]

I guess downtown is an area I like to visit, but I definitely wouldn't want to live there, even if it's perfectly safe. It isn't bike-friendly at all, a bit too urban for me. I like to be where it's a bit quieter, like Tempe or south Scottsdale, for instance. Fortunately, with the light rail, you don't have to live there to have access to it.

Depends on your preferences.

[urbex]

When I first moved here from Detroit, I didn't have a car. I was living in Tempe, at the apartments on the west side of Mill, south side of the 60. I was blown away by how great the bus system was here, despite everyone telling me how much the bus system sucks here. Compared to the Detroit bus system, Valley Metro is awesome. Maybe not so compared to whatever is in New York, Seatlle, Chicago, or other large cities, I don't know..never been to those places. Busses arrive/depart many stations every 10 minutes. I remember waiting over 2 hours for a bus in Detroit, then watched as it slowed down, then sped past me. This was a heck of a lot of fun in the winter in sub zero temps, lol.

When I first moved here, I was working for Taser up in Scottdale. Took the bus from the apartment complex up to Frank Lloyd Wright & Greenway-Hayden Loop, then walked the 2 miles to the Taser building. Yep, that was also great fun in the summer! People would always ask me why I was sweating when I showed up for work.....funny characters, they were.

The entire trip would take me 3 to 3.5 hours each way, once you factored in bus changes and the walk. Yes, it sucked to lose 6-7 hours of my day to commuting, but I made it just fine. Even in the summer, it really wasn't bad. I eventually left Taser, and started working at a bicycle shop in Downtown Tempe, right by ASU. I started biking my way to/from work every day, 3 miles each way. Same thing, the heat wasn't bad. Yes, it took some getting used to, but once I did, I found it FAR easier to deal with than the humid heat of the Detroit area.

This past weekend, when it was 106* high, I was wandering around the junk yards trying to dig up parts for one of my trucks. I was wearing leather boots, blue jeans, a t-shirt, and a Dickies work shirt over that. Sure, I got a bit sweaty, but it really wasn't bad. With the exception of sweat dripping into my eyes, I was almost comfortable....the boy from Detroit was comfortable in 100+ weather.

[sws9]

Friend - I do not believe you will find ultimate happiness here. I have many of the same checked boxes of you and we are trying to get out. This is *not* a liberal haven, that's one biggie right there. I came from Chicago area and was relatively calm and relaxed when it came to politics prior to moving here. I came here and I'm shocked by the bigotry and nastiness out here. Absolutely shocked. I moved here in my 20s and I'll say - it's a fun place to be when young and dating. However now we're married and have a 2 yr old and we will not be raising her here. The safe areas are not as fun. Scottsdale is really like a mini-LA...so some family areas but def a young party type paradise. The weather is amazing for the first couple yrs then you'll miss seasons and rain (and no, monsoon season doesn't cut it) and the summers will make you crazy.

What I would do is make several trips here during the worst possible times to be sure you're not in over your head. Come during the horribly hot summer. Come when you compete w/ snowbirds in traffic. Hopefully you'll experience the dust storms. Come during political seasons. If these times do nothing to sway you, then maybe you'll love it.