Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Arizona > Phoenix area
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-31-2013, 09:36 AM
 
Location: Chicago
6 posts, read 6,636 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hi all! I've been scouring the forums trying to get as much info as possible for my upcoming move to Phoenix, and I apologize in advance for the redundant topic. Most of the threads I came across were people relocating with families and wanting to know about schools etc (but the Phoenix photo thread was super helpful and has got me incredibly excited), so I figured I might have better luck posting my own thread. I visited Phoenix for the first time in April to visit a friend, we only hung out in Phoenix for 2 days before taking a road trip, but I fell in love with it. I was taken by how beautiful it was, and how peaceful it seemed (I'm from Chicago) and have been considering moving ever since. After returning to Chicago's frigid temps, and my overpriced tiny apartment, I started looking for apartments in Phoenix and researching the cost of living, and couldn't believe how much more affordable it seemed than where I currently live. I decided then and there that I would be moving at the end of summer. I look forward to living in a place where the ocean is easily accessible, other awesome cities are less than a 6 hour drive for weekend trips (we actually made it to LA in 5 hours) or a short/cheap flight away... The mountains, the desert, humungous palms, what's not to love?

My friend doesn't have much advice to offer as she is semi new to the area as well (she's been there nearly a year), BUT, she lives in Scottsdale. From what I saw of Scottsdale it was gorgeous and seemed like it would be an otherwise desirable area, but it wasn't for me. It seemed like a family town (am I wrong here?) I'm a single girl in my 20s, not huge into partying, but I do enjoy my nights out every once and a while, I prefer local to franchise/big business always, I bike (don't own a car), am liberal, and am hoping to find an area in Phoenix where the like minded dwell. Suburbs aren't really my thing, and commuting isn't a concern for me as I work from home remotely and AZ is one of the states where my job is offered. I'm not super picky, I just want to be in a safe area that has a good grocery store nearby, a gym, and some good local restaurants. Where should I be looking? Is there a neighborhood that could be considered walkable? Is there some place a little more reputable than craigslist for Phoenix apartments? From the forums I've gathered that I should stay away from South Phoenix and a few other neighborhoods that I have written down somewhere, lol. Any help or advice on good places to live would be greatly appreciated. I'll be back toward the end of June to look for apartments and do some exploring. I'm excited
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-31-2013, 10:12 AM
 
Location: Metro Phoenix, AZ USA
17,914 posts, read 43,435,088 times
Reputation: 10726
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.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2013, 10:24 AM
 
701 posts, read 1,097,487 times
Reputation: 897
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.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2013, 10:39 AM
 
1,016 posts, read 2,980,789 times
Reputation: 1668
Believe me you will want a car here. The majority of people here do not take public transportation by choice. The city and suburbs are much too spread out and when it's a 105 you're not going to want to ride a bike anywhere. Phoenix isn't the best place for liberal minded people (and Scottsdale definitely isn't). The city and a good portion of the suburbs leans conservative but it's a live and let live type of place. It's more fiscally conservative rather than social but it's no Seattle by a long shot. Like someone suggested I think Tempe would be the perfect place for you. The city is bike friendly, the most liberal minded, it's a young city, somewhat walkable, great public transportation, and there's a lot to do there for people in their 20's (due to the college atmosphere). Oh and no matter where you live you're never more than a couple miles from a grocery store, a gym of some sort, and plenty of restaurants (mainly chains unfortunately).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2013, 10:57 AM
 
9,196 posts, read 16,652,870 times
Reputation: 11328
Before writing off Scottsdale completely, I would check out places in south Scottsdale. North Scottsdale is definitely suburbia but south Scottsdale is sort of hip, it's walkable/bikeable and fun. They have two completely different vibes. I live in north but prefer the atmosphere in south Scottsdale. Tempe and central Phx would also be great choices.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2013, 11:02 AM
 
9,196 posts, read 16,652,870 times
Reputation: 11328
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuckeyeBoyDJ View Post
Phoenix isn't the best place for liberal minded people (and Scottsdale definitely isn't). The city and a good portion of the suburbs leans conservative but it's a live and let live type of place.
Don't let this keep you away. This is isn't the south by a long shot. Both my next door neighbors in north Scottsdale have Obama bumper stickers on their cars. Gasp!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2013, 11:10 AM
 
701 posts, read 1,097,487 times
Reputation: 897
I lived in Tempe for the first 6 months without a car. You'll probably want a car eventually, but you definitely don't have to have one in order to get by. I bike commute (an hour each way) when it's 105 out, but I'm pretty heat-tolerant. The hardest part about not owning a car is grocery shopping, but Tempe has zipcar, or you can always call a cab.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2013, 11:16 AM
 
2,747 posts, read 3,320,049 times
Reputation: 3012
I used to live in tempe near the safeway and light rail station so tempe might be your best bet (as others have mentioned) I also would consider central phoenix-if you dont have a car you are probably going to want to live near light rail station (the bus system in Phoenix is not very good and probably inferior to Chicago's bus system)-keep in mind while costs are much lower than chicago- wages will probably be lower as well for you in Phoenix as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-01-2013, 06:29 AM
 
Location: Chicago
6 posts, read 6,636 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitN8V View Post
Before writing off Scottsdale completely, I would check out places in south Scottsdale. North Scottsdale is definitely suburbia but south Scottsdale is sort of hip, it's walkable/bikeable and fun. They have two completely different vibes. I live in north but prefer the atmosphere in south Scottsdale. Tempe and central Phx would also be great choices.
makes sense. my friend lives in north scottsdale as well, and like i said i was only there for a couple days so maybe i did judge prematurely. i will be sure to check it out when i'm there later this month.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-01-2013, 06:36 AM
 
Location: Chicago
6 posts, read 6,636 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by phoenixmike11 View Post
I used to live in tempe near the safeway and light rail station so tempe might be your best bet (as others have mentioned) I also would consider central phoenix-if you dont have a car you are probably going to want to live near light rail station (the bus system in Phoenix is not very good and probably inferior to Chicago's bus system)-keep in mind while costs are much lower than chicago- wages will probably be lower as well for you in Phoenix as well.
ok thanks! luckily, i will have my same job, and same wage which is one of the things that prompted me to move, i get by pretty well in chicago, so i figure i should be able to live pretty comfortably in phoenix. i just want to make sure i'm in a good area. i lived in dallas for a time, and i didn't have a car, and the buses ran anywhere from every 30 mins to every hour and it used to drive me nuts. also, the trains ran pretty scarcely after a certain hour. i'd definitely prefer to bike if possible, but if not, it's not a big deal, as i have access to cars pretty cheap since i work for a car rental company. i plan on buying one eventually, though.

Last edited by vibesandstuff; 06-01-2013 at 06:48 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2022 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Arizona > Phoenix area

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top