Within 30 minutes of Phoenix (Tucson, Mesa: high crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

I moved from Phoenix Metro to Raleigh, NC in 2012. I can say with some assurance that our cost of living increased quite a bit when we moved.

There are exceptions. Health insurance would be more in Phoenix than in Raleigh. (It's too much everywhere!) Our auto insurance decreased a little (primarily because Phoenix has so many uninsured drivers). Gasoline and pork are less expensive here.

We're retired, so it's hard to me to give details, but from what I can determine, GENERALLY salaries ARE higher in The Triangle than in Phoenix. Again, exceptions apply, particularly with teachers (NC should be embarrassed at the salaries paid to teachers!)

From looking at other threads started by the OP, she is an occupational therapist. They want to live within a 30 minute commute from work, but feeling like they are in a small town or framland. That would be very difficult in the Triangle (or Charlotte, where the OP also considered) and, IMHO, even more difficult in Phoenix Metro (unless the employers were already on the outskirts of the metro area).

I'll add this: Durham is advertising heavily for police applicants, both experienced an inexperienced. If one is working in Durham, there are areas within a 30 minute drive that would feel like the OP wants AND she will have her choice of medical facilities in Durham, or possibly Chapel Hill. The homes out in that area are less expensive - but the school systems are notorious for their poor ratings (which may or may not be fair). The OP should seriously consider this option.

Unfortunately, as far as my hubby is concerned, Charlotte is the highest paying PD in NC and he'd start at 46k (he makes mid 60k up here). Two police officers from his work actually transfered down there last year so that's how he knows. Plus, we went down and he did a ride along and was able to get more answers. From the look of it, Phoenix would start him off close to what he is now. He emailed them to double check. Still waiting to hear back. I talked to some therapists who live in the Charlotte area and they said there aren't too many jobs right now. I have student debt so my hubby is going to have to float us till I get my loans paid off (47k more to go) so wherever we go, we need to be able to afford it based off of his salary. We were looking at Fort Mill below Charlotte and with all of our bills and the prices of the apartments we liked, we wouldn't be able to do it based off of 46k.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Well...if it were a toss up between NC or AZ...I would probably head to NC. Unless you absolutely LOVE the desert. Low humidity, horrible water quality, 5 months of 100+ heat, rising cost of living...and brown EVERYTHING. I would take access to a coast as well as mountains, greenery, 4 mild seasons... Raleigh is on our short list if we ever get the opportunity to move.

Yeah, I think the Carolinas are gorgeous, but with what my hubby does for a living and with my student debt, we just wouldn't be able to financially afford it :-/ I was bummed when we came to that realization. We've been planning to do this for 2 years now.

[observer53]

There are plenty of "good towns" in the metro Phoenix area. As indicated upthread, the suburbs directly border the city of Phoenix, and were it not for a sign telling you so, you would not know you had traveled from one city to another. And, lots of neighborhoods within the city of Phoenix city limits have the same suburban feel as the neighborhoods IN the suburbs. So, don't write off the city of Phoenix.


Where your husband works will go a long way to determining where you live. Law enforcement officers here are often required to live within a certain distance of the city where they work (the city of Phoenix has police precincts all over the city). I don't know what the City of Phoenix PD rule is, but you may know, and can certainly ask them. Commute times here can be long from one side of the metro area to the other.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by KLR87

He would be coming in as a lateral transfer and from what we read on their page (he emailed them and is waiting to hear back for confirmation), it looks like he'd start in the 60's. He'll have 8 years on by then. And I am an occupational therapy assistant.

Yeah, I'm not sure where in Phoenix he would work so I know a lot depends on that, but I'm trying to get a list of a handful of good towns to reside in so that when we do find out where he'll be, we kind of have an idea of what's around.

Where he will be working will really be the key. The area is MASSIVE, ad extremely sprawled out.

As for towns to reside in, Phoenix is kind of one endless, run-on suburb for a lot of it. You can't immediately tell if you are in one "town" or another. Most everything is connected to each other.

[KLR87]

That's very interesting! I read that Phoenix is the 5th or 6th largest city in the US.

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by KLR87

That's very interesting! I read that Phoenix is the 5th or 6th largest city in the US.

The latest figures still have Phoenix as the sixth largest city behind Philly, which it will probably surpass soon. Have you ever been out here? Phoenix just hired a new police chief and they are hiring officers.
https://www.phoenix.gov/police/joinphxpd

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

The latest figures still have Phoenix as the sixth largest city behind Philly, which it will probably surpass soon. Have you ever been out here? Phoenix just hired a new police chief and they are hiring officers.
https://www.phoenix.gov/police/joinphxpd

We are planning on coming out this March or April. We are gonna drive from PA! We just did a cross country trip last April and came from Yellowstone down to Utah and clipped the corner of up state Nevada so with those two states, that's the closest I came to being in a desert. I've looked at lots of pics of Arizona though. I know from another person who commented that around 5 months out of the year is pretty hot, but here in PA, about 5 months out of this year is cold/snow. So, we'll trade one for the other lol. I am going to continue to do more research on the Phoenix area until we hear back from the PD. We aren't looking to move until Summer 2018 though. Hopefully the PD will still be hiring. Hubby will do a ride along when we come out though.

[sh9730]

SO - First thing is do not limit yourself to PHX PD - EVERY agency around is hiring - and while some of the suburbs may pay a bit less than PHX PD - if that allows you to live in a place you desire without a long drive - make his choice based on the PD he likes.

MESA, MCSO, Scottsdale are all progressive LE agencies (Mesa as an example starts their out of state laterals in the 50s but tops out at about 80K). As someone mentioned - the issue with PPD or MCSO is that their coverage area is so large you can be transferred to an area far from home. Now, ALL agencies do try to work with you to get a station you wish to work in, but there are more popular ones than others and never a guarantee.

Whereas if you go to a smaller city - you KNOW where you will be working and can make decisions accordingly. Of course there are differences in promotional opportunities etc. between large and small departments So, my suggestion is that you make sure and get a list of cities in the area to help decide.

ALSO, if you move out to an even more rural area - like SanTan Valley or Casa Grande etc. Many of the agencies in those areas offer take home cars - which offers A LOT of advantages - nothing like going in service from your driveway and then also saving gas and commute time. AND housing in the more rural areas is MUCH MUCH less expensive.

Both of you have occupations that are needed just about everywhere - so you have a lot of options. Don't limit yourself to JUST the city of Phoenix.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by sh9730

SO - First thing is do not limit yourself to PHX PD - EVERY agency around is hiring - and while some of the suburbs may pay a bit less than PHX PD - if that allows you to live in a place you desire without a long drive - make his choice based on the PD he likes.

MESA, MCSO, Scottsdale are all progressive LE agencies (Mesa as an example starts their out of state laterals in the 50s but tops out at about 80K). As someone mentioned - the issue with PPD or MCSO is that their coverage area is so large you can be transferred to an area far from home. Now, ALL agencies do try to work with you to get a station you wish to work in, but there are more popular ones than others and never a guarantee.

Whereas if you go to a smaller city - you KNOW where you will be working and can make decisions accordingly. Of course there are differences in promotional opportunities etc. between large and small departments So, my suggestion is that you make sure and get a list of cities in the area to help decide.

ALSO, if you move out to an even more rural area - like SanTan Valley or Casa Grande etc. Many of the agencies in those areas offer take home cars - which offers A LOT of advantages - nothing like going in service from your driveway and then also saving gas and commute time. AND housing in the more rural areas is MUCH MUCH less expensive.

Both of you have occupations that are needed just about everywhere - so you have a lot of options. Don't limit yourself to JUST the city of Phoenix.

Thank you! I'll make sure to show him this!

[azmemories]

Originally Posted by KLR87

Hello,

My husband and I are from Pennsylvania and considering moving to the Phoenix area in 2018. We were set on the Carolinas for the past two years, but due to the fact that he'd take a 30K pay cut and I still have student loan debt, we are thinking it may not be wise. The cost of living in the Carolinas is not cheaper than what we have going on in PA either and we don't want to be scraping pennies.

We are checking out Arizona and my husband would like to work in Phoenix. He is in law enforcement and I am in health care. We don't want to live in the city though. We'd like to live in suburbia within a half hour of Phoenix. We are looking for the usual: low crime rate, low or fair cost of living (we are going to rent an apartment), and close to basic amenities such as shopping malls, restaurants, etc. We like the idea that we are under 5 1/2 hours to Vegas, the Grand Canyon, White Mountain, the beach, and San Diego. It just seems like there's a lot to do and we are so sick of snow and cold weather. We have no kids and nothing tying us down and just want an adventure.

I very much agree with the sentiment of the other posters that a large part of Phoenix and surrounding municipalities are predominately suburban. Being from PA, you may have overlooked a side effect of areas with mass migration such as Phoenix. Areas can change very rapidly in as short 5 years or sooner, especially in terms of population and congestion. The pros and cons of an area growing around you can run the gamut depending on your preferences, but if you decided on an area because you were attracted to the quaintness/low activity, that is almost guaranteed to be a con. Be aware of this trend if you buy a house upon your relocation.