The 90's are coming! (Phoenix: Home Depot, income, living in)

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by asufan

Many people do not move to a location based on just the weather. For instance people may move to Alaska to work in the oil or fishing industry but prefer a warmer climate. Likewise people may move here for employment however prefer a more mild climate.

Exactly! Moving to a large city strictly for the weather/climate is pretty silly when you think about it because other things should take priority, such as jobs, money, cost of living, etc. If some people desire a desert climate but don't care about better jobs, better medical care, better food choices, or other things found in a larger metro area, I'd suggest they consider somewhere like Yuma, El Centro, Blythe, Parker, Lake Havasu City, Needles, or even Death Valley if they really love those scorching summers.

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Meh. Jobs can be found anywhere.

Really? Try to find a high tech job or corporate management position in a small town that pays competitive wages.

Originally Posted by ElleTea

If people are miserable enough about the weather to complain constantly, then I think that is a valid reason to move.

Right, and many of the ones who vacated their frigid lands and relocated here seem to gripe incessantly whenever they feel it's too cloudy, too rainy, too humid, too cold, too windy, etc., etc.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Really? Try to find a high tech job or corporate management position in a small town that pays competitive wages.

"Anywhere" as in...in any climate in the US.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Exactly! Moving to a large city strictly for the weather/climate is pretty silly when you think about it because other things should take priority, such as jobs, money, cost of living, etc. If some people desire a desert climate but don't care about better jobs, better medical care, better food choices, or other things found in a larger metro area, I'd suggest they consider somewhere like Yuma, El Centro, Blythe, Parker, Lake Havasu City, Needles, or even Death Valley if they really love those scorching summers.
.

I can't speak for everyone, but to assume that people move here (or anyplace really) with weather as the top of their list DIDN'T take into consideration any of those other things is RIDICULOUS. Sure, I would guess there are those who just say "It hot there. I go there. I live there. I like sun. Sun make everything good." but I doubt that is anywhere near the majority. In my situation, the weather was #1 for me, but I spent over TWO YEARS researching all of those other things (and more) with a list of several places to choose from. All of them had warm weather in common. Anyplace that was what I felt would be too cold at all was not even considered. I compared them all and narrowed the list down the more I learned. I didn't consider it "silly" at all. It was a big decision that I took very seriously.

A lot of people don't move because of fear. Fear of change, fear of failure, fear of the unknown. And those same people claim to be "stuck" someplace because they are miserable rather than admit they are afraid. Or maybe they moved here and learned they DON'T really like the heat. That happens all the time, I am sure. So move again. It can be done if one wants it badly enough.

[asufan]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Meh. Jobs can be found anywhere. If people are miserable enough about the weather to complain constantly, then I think that is a valid reason to move. I had a great job, great house, and really LOVED where I was living before moving here...for about 7 months of the year. I was sick of the cold and snow and sick of complaining about it and wishing my life away so the weather would be more to my liking. Life is too short and moving is easy if you really want to do it. Why be miserable when you can change something to make things at least a little LESS miserable?

Not necessarily. I strongly prefer the climate back in So Cal, but I moved here for college and established a great network here, so I need to be here to run my business. I probably make 3X more here than I would if I had established myself in So Cal. My wife on the other hand who is an IT director could probably do as well in So Cal, but we're staying because of my business. There are plenty of others here that are here for other reasons than weather. I have a neighbor from Oregon that can't wait to return, but they work for Intel and are stuck here for now. Others are here for lower cost of living, etc. Not everyone is as easy to transplant as you are or here merely for the sun.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

I ask myself this pretty much daily. Why live in the hottest major city in the US if you don't like the heat? That would be like me moving to Alaska and complaining about the cold and snow. The cool thing about this country is that you can get pretty much any climate you want from tropical, to desert, to rainy, to forest, mountains, etc. Pick what you like and move there!

My problem is that I love the Sonoran Desert, and PHX is the only place in the SW worth living in, IMO. I actually far prefer New Mexico's scenery and climate to AZ's, but there are quite literally no jobs there, and I know absolutely no one who lives there, so we settled on AZ, despite my hatred for extreme temps.

[WSPHXPELON]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

I ask myself this pretty much daily. Why live in the hottest major city in the US if you don't like the heat? That would be like me moving to Alaska and complaining about the cold and snow. The cool thing about this country is that you can get pretty much any climate you want from tropical, to desert, to rainy, to forest, mountains, etc. Pick what you like and move there!

IMO some people just love to complain and would find something to be mad about in any place and under any conditions.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Meh. Jobs can be found anywhere. If people are miserable enough about the weather to complain constantly, then I think that is a valid reason to move. I had a great job, great house, and really LOVED where I was living before moving here...for about 7 months of the year. I was sick of the cold and snow and sick of complaining about it and wishing my life away so the weather would be more to my liking. Life is too short and moving is easy if you really want to do it. Why be miserable when you can change something to make things at least a little LESS miserable?

I agree with you. There is no way that I am going to live in an area that I am not comfortable in.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by WSPHXPELON

IMO some people just love to complain and would find something to be mad about in any place and under any conditions.

That is very true.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

My problem is that I love the Sonoran Desert, and PHX is the only place in the SW worth living in, IMO. I actually far prefer New Mexico's scenery and climate to AZ's, but there are quite literally no jobs there, and I know absolutely no one who lives there, so we settled on AZ, despite my hatred for extreme temps.

If you like NM scenery and climate then Salt Lake or Reno may be options for you, they're both higher elevation then Phoenix so they tend to stay cooler both winter and summer. It snows, like Albuquerque does, but it doesn't stick around long and it's not an extremely cold winter like the Midwest/Northeast.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by locolife

If you like NM scenery and climate then Salt Lake or Reno may be options for you, they're both higher elevation then Phoenix so they tend to stay cooler both winter and summer. It snows, like Albuquerque does, but it doesn't stick around long and it's not an extremely cold winter like the Midwest/Northeast.

SLC? No way. I don't like it there. Reno is nice, but I cant imagine being much in the way of jobs. The main reason we settled on PHX was for the wife's medical issues, which her doctors said the climate here would help rid her of some pain. Plus, we had family here, so it was a no-brainer for us. When I retire, I'm planning somewhere around the Santa Fe area.