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.
Hello! My husband and I are looking to relocate, and Phoenix has been recommended to us as being a potential fit. To be honest, I know next to nothing about Arizona, but I am approaching it with an open mind. We currently live in Upstate NY, and are looking to escape the harsh winters. I have some questions, if you don't mind!
1) Do you have roaches or very large insects? I keep reading horror stories from people in the southeast about the palmetto bugs in that region of the country, and it leaves me with no desire to ever experience something like that. I am getting the general sense that these kinds of bugs do not thrive in dry climates. Is that true? Assuming a person lives in a relatively clean house, do you have roaches that crawl in from outside on a regular basis?
2) Are there any major defense contractors or tech companies in your area? My husband is an electrical/software engineer and would need to line up a job before we go anywhere.
3) How are the special needs services for young children? We have a toddler with autism and verbal apraxia and a 5 year old with autism. My toddler is very high functioning, my 5 year old is moderate. We homeschool, so I would primarily be looking for community based services (aide support, respite care, summer camps, social skills classes, etc.) I would consider some form of a hybrid school/part time school, or a special needs preschool for my younger son. Some form of in home therapy or ABA therapy would also be ideal. We currently receive aide support through the YMCA for classes and activities, and this has been of great benefit to our family, so if you have any programs at the YMCA (or something like it) please let me know!
4) Do you have any homeschool groups/classes that you know of? Is there a large homeschooling community in your area? Also, how are the library systems/museums/etc.
5) What is the cost of living like? We would not want to spend more than around $250k on a house and no more than 5k taxes per year. Anything less than that would be wonderful. We would be coming from a region where the cost of housing is actually one of the lowest in the country (probably because of the horrible weather) but the taxes are still somewhat high.
6) Obviously your weather is quite different than what we are used to. Can you describe that a bit? We are used to being stuck in the house for 6 months straight due to the harsh winters, but while we are stuck in the house it is cloudy and we are responsible for quite a lot of snow removal. Is it reasonable to assume that being stuck in the house due to heat would be marginally better because at least the sun would be shining? In all honesty I think the sun might only come out for a few hours a week here in the winter, and after 6+ years of this, it's getting really depressing!
7) What is it like to live in a desert? I assume you do not have a lawn? We currently own an acre of mostly grass and have to spend hours mowing it each week in the nice weather. While I feel like I might miss it to an extent, the thought of owning property and not having to mow it is somewhat appealing.
Anyway, if anyone can give me any information, I would greatly appreciate it! We have been searching high and low for an area that meets our needs, and we have found some that are a better fit than others, but nothing that we're particularly excited about, and nothing that really seems worth the difficulty of relocating for.
My first bit of advice is to take a weekend visit to the area during the heat of summer, just so you know what you are in for. Anytime from the end of May thru August would do. We love it here but it is not for everyone. Sometimes we get tired of the sunshine and hope for a cloud or two. The summers are a special kind of oven-hot.
Definitely most people line up a job before moving, and it is especially beneficial in this metro area to do this because you'll want to pick a place to live that is within a reasonable commute to work. The greater Phoenix valley metro area is HUGE.
You'll find property taxes a lot lower than what you're used to. I'm talking probably half or less. At least that's what we experienced coming from Ohio, and I assume NY is as bad or worse.
Some people have lawns- most do not. It's a desert and lawns are not native. We have beautiful desert landscaping. You won't find as many roaches in the desert because they have all been eaten by meaner, nastier bugs...
(ymmv)
1) Do you have roaches or very large insects? I keep reading horror stories from people in the southeast about the palmetto bugs in that region of the country, and it leaves me with no desire to ever experience something like that. I am getting the general sense that these kinds of bugs do not thrive in dry climates. Is that true? Assuming a person lives in a relatively clean house, do you have roaches that crawl in from outside on a regular basis?
Yes, we have lots of cockroaches in the Valley, and also the Palo Verde beetle which arrives in summer (Google images if you want to see em). Scorpions are a problem in many areas of the Valley, as are black widow spiders. Are they to be worried about? Not really, unless youre a huge arachnophobe.
2) Are there any major defense contractors or tech companies in your area? My husband is an electrical/software engineer and would need to line up a job before we go anywhere.
Boeing has a smallish facility here in the Valley, as does Honeywell. Give em a shot!
3) How are the special needs services for young children? We have a toddler with autism and verbal apraxia and a 5 year old with autism. My toddler is very high functioning, my 5 year old is moderate. We homeschool, so I would primarily be looking for community based services (aide support, respite care, summer camps, social skills classes, etc.) I would consider some form of a hybrid school/part time school, or a special needs preschool for my younger son. Some form of in home therapy or ABA therapy would also be ideal. We currently receive aide support through the YMCA for classes and activities, and this has been of great benefit to our family, so if you have any programs at the YMCA (or something like it) please let me know!
You'd have to research this on your own, I don't know myself. Sorry!
4) Do you have any homeschool groups/classes that you know of? Is there a large homeschooling community in your area? Also, how are the library systems/museums/etc.
We tried AZ Connections Academy (online), didn't really like it.
5) What is the cost of living like? We would not want to spend more than around $250k on a house and no more than 5k taxes per year. Anything less than that would be wonderful. We would be coming from a region where the cost of housing is actually one of the lowest in the country (probably because of the horrible weather) but the taxes are still somewhat high.
Housing here is probably more expensive than where you're at, but property taxes are low. Towns like Scottsdale, Chandler, etc, will be pricier. You'd have to see where your job is located first, then let us know so we can direct you in the proper direction.
6) Obviously your weather is quite different than what we are used to. Can you describe that a bit? We are used to being stuck in the house for 6 months straight due to the harsh winters, but while we are stuck in the house it is cloudy and we are responsible for quite a lot of snow removal. Is it reasonable to assume that being stuck in the house due to heat would be marginally better because at least the sun would be shining? In all honesty I think the sun might only come out for a few hours a week here in the winter, and after 6+ years of this, it's getting really depressing!
There are a million threads about our weather, right here on this very site. Ill make it quick as I can: winters are mild in the day, chilly at night (no snow hardly ever) Expect daytime highs from 50-70 and lows from 30-50. Winter can bring decent rain, too. But its still overall sunny. Spring is generally nice. Right now temps can range from 75-100 degrees (but its dry air). Lows 45 to 60. Summer? Well, I'm sure you know its hot. It can get up to 120, but not often. Expect 100-115 all summer long from May til October. It also can get quite humid starting in July. OCtober the air dries out again. Fall is my fave. Nice, warm afternoons from 75-95, cool nights, dry air. Be warned that many areas flood during monsoon season, so check into the area before you buy.
7) What is it like to live in a desert? I assume you do not have a lawn? We currently own an acre of mostly grass and have to spend hours mowing it each week in the nice weather. While I feel like I might miss it to an extent, the thought of owning property and not having to mow it is somewhat appealing.
Not much lawn mowing here in the Valley. Some people have small patches of grass, some areas outlaw it altogether. Instead of grass you will have hot, sharp rocks for a lawn that do require TLC. Lots of weeds here, lots of landscaping. If you have grass, you will need to change it out for the seasons, as winter grass gets burned off by the heat necessitating the need to replace it with a grass better suited for hot temps. I really suggest you come here in mid June to get a feel for the heat. The sun shines almost constantly year round. SOme love it, some hate it. Some long for cool grass and lush forests. If youre that type, I would recommend someplace in Florida. AZ is sooo far from lush that its not even funny. Its a beautiful state, and the reason I moved here is because I love the desert. But faaaaaaaaaaaaaar too many people move here because they visited in the winter and loved it, but years later grew tired of the heat and its longevity. AZ is for hardy people.
1) Do you have roaches or very large insects? I keep reading horror stories from people in the southeast about the palmetto bugs in that region of the country, and it leaves me with no desire to ever experience something like that. I am getting the general sense that these kinds of bugs do not thrive in dry climates. Is that true? Assuming a person lives in a relatively clean house, do you have roaches that crawl in from outside on a regular basis?
Yes, we have lots of cockroaches in the Valley, and also the Palo Verde beetle which arrives in summer (Google images if you want to see em). Scorpions are a problem in many areas of the Valley, as are black widow spiders. Are they to be worried about? Not really, unless youre a huge arachnophobe.
I lived in Scottsdale, Chandler and far East Mesa for over 25 years. I rarely saw a roach - probably less than a dozen in all those years. We had a few scorpions in East Mesa, but that house was on desert land and fairly new construction. Frankly, the biggest bug problem we had were the fruit fly's that lived in the rubber flooring behind the pool hall bars we frequented. They enjoyed swimming in our red wine.
Expect 100-115 all summer long from May til October.
Cats covered your questions pretty well but I have to point out that our heat gets exaggerated a lot. May & October is rarely 100 degree weather, it can happen on a day or two, sure. But it's not frequent or sustained.
June-September is hot, expect 100 most days during this time and as Cats mentioned it can be humid but that humidity is the result of our Monsoon season, which if you have any love for nature and super powerful thunderstorms, haboobs and other amazing scenery this season brings you'll be pretty excited about. I'm frequently outside on evenings in July-Sept taking in the rainfall/thunderstorm activity. Obviously be safe about it, but as a person who loves nature this is a season I always look forward to.
For example May of 2016 had a total of 3 days above 100, every other day was below 100. And October had 1 day above 100. You can see the data below.
Hello! My husband and I are looking to relocate, and Phoenix has been recommended to us as being a potential fit. To be honest, I know next to nothing about Arizona, but I am approaching it with an open mind. We currently live in Upstate NY, and are looking to escape the harsh winters. I have some questions, if you don't mind!
1) Do you have roaches or very large insects? I keep reading horror stories from people in the southeast about the palmetto bugs in that region of the country, and it leaves me with no desire to ever experience something like that. I am getting the general sense that these kinds of bugs do not thrive in dry climates. Is that true? Assuming a person lives in a relatively clean house, do you have roaches that crawl in from outside on a regular basis?
My own take on this, we rarely have bug problems. I live in a pretty mature/older area of town with virtually no raw desert close by, we've seen 1 scorpion over the 4 years we've lived here and it was dead when we found it. But do keep in mind that living next a preserve or open space will lead to more critters showing up in your yard, I hear way more talk of javelinas then I do roaches here. Now if you get into a bad apartment roaches can be a problem but we've never seen one in our home and based on our friends examples who live in FL it sounds like our bug problem is virtually nothing.
2) Are there any major defense contractors or tech companies in your area? My husband is an electrical/software engineer and would need to line up a job before we go anywhere.
As far as defense companies go check here
Among the companies taking advantage of Arizona's favorable aerospace & defense climate are:
Raytheon
Honeywell International
General Dynamics C4 Systems
The Boeing Company
Northrop Grumman
Orbital Sciences Corporation
United Technologies
L3 Communications
Standard Aero (MRO)
Bombardier Inc.
Nammo Talleyhttp://www.azcommerce.com/industries/aerospace-defense
3) How are the special needs services for young children? We have a toddler with autism and verbal apraxia and a 5 year old with autism. My toddler is very high functioning, my 5 year old is moderate. We homeschool, so I would primarily be looking for community based services (aide support, respite care, summer camps, social skills classes, etc.) I would consider some form of a hybrid school/part time school, or a special needs preschool for my younger son. Some form of in home therapy or ABA therapy would also be ideal. We currently receive aide support through the YMCA for classes and activities, and this has been of great benefit to our family, so if you have any programs at the YMCA (or something like it) please let me know!
I don't know a lot about this but check these resources out.
4) Do you have any homeschool groups/classes that you know of? Is there a large homeschooling community in your area? Also, how are the library systems/museums/etc.
5) What is the cost of living like? We would not want to spend more than around $250k on a house and no more than 5k taxes per year. Anything less than that would be wonderful. We would be coming from a region where the cost of housing is actually one of the lowest in the country (probably because of the horrible weather) but the taxes are still somewhat high.
House prices here have been rising but 250K should get you into a house and 5K is a lot for taxes here, our home price was similar to your budget and the taxes are about $1200 a year.
6) Obviously your weather is quite different than what we are used to. Can you describe that a bit? We are used to being stuck in the house for 6 months straight due to the harsh winters, but while we are stuck in the house it is cloudy and we are responsible for quite a lot of snow removal. Is it reasonable to assume that being stuck in the house due to heat would be marginally better because at least the sun would be shining? In all honesty I think the sun might only come out for a few hours a week here in the winter, and after 6+ years of this, it's getting really depressing!
Responded previously to this, I love our weather. Wouldn't trade it for anywhere else.
7) What is it like to live in a desert? I assume you do not have a lawn? We currently own an acre of mostly grass and have to spend hours mowing it each week in the nice weather. While I feel like I might miss it to an extent, the thought of owning property and not having to mow it is somewhat appealing.
No need for a front lawn, it's pretty much a total waste. It seems a lot of people with families and/or pets opt for a backyard lawn, usually a patch. In the front most people go with xeriscaping these days, which probably is a foreign concept to you. If you do come out you should checkout one or more of the city xeriscape demonstration gardens that show you how colorful and low maintenance/low water use these can be. I was truly impressed and actually quite prefer the amount of color and cool lighting techniques that you can add to a nicely xeriscaped front yard, over a boring lawn that doesn't even fit in here. Just my opinion. City of Scottsdale - Scottsdale Xeriscape Garden
Anyway, if anyone can give me any information, I would greatly appreciate it! We have been searching high and low for an area that meets our needs, and we have found some that are a better fit than others, but nothing that we're particularly excited about, and nothing that really seems worth the difficulty of relocating for.
Thank you in advance!!
Added in my comments above, hopefully that helps.
One thing you didn't mention but should be is the sheer amount of environmental variations you can explore within a short drive of Phoenix. Within 2 hours you can be anywhere from desert landscape to alpine forests. If you like to ski or want to see snow during the holidays, Flagstaff/Williams offer a great quick escape, we go up every year. You're also very close to Sedona, Prescott and other high country destinations that include parts of Arizona's wine country and are completely geographic marvels that you should explore if you decide to live out here.
Arizona is pretty connected with nature, probably a different scene then what you're used to in NY, our local tv stations have shows such as Arizona Highways programming that highlights great outdoorsy destinations that suit the season or different tastes. There's a little bit of everything here so I always tell potential newcomers to get out and explore the state. You live in Phoenix, which has amazing marvels in and of itself but Arizona as a whole never ceases to amaze me.
I know you posted the same query in the Raleigh/Durham forum, and I was the one who suggested that you consider Phoenix. Having lived in both locations, I'll make a few comments - that are MY opinion (versus facts).
The education system will be far better in the Phoenix area. From what I read, public education through NC is **** poor, and The Triangle is pretty bad (with the possible exception of Chapel Hill). Your question about getting services for your kids should be posed as a separate question so it pops out to those who can REALLY answer it. (I'd bet that no parent is ever satisfied with the available services for their challenged kids, so keep that in mind.)
Our RE taxes for similarly valued homes in far east Mesa were roughly $2K per year. In Raleigh, $4600/yr. Food costs, restaurants, alcohol - all more expensive here, sometimes considerably. Gasoline is lower, auto and HO insurance roughly the same. Water bill is higher (shockingly so). Health insurance is cheaper than I could buy in Phoenix, and the health care is considerably better. Dental costs higher.
Weather: Well, it's very personalized, isn't it. DH preferred Phoenix as he hates humidity (and there's a lot of it in The Triangle). I prefer The Triangle because I dislike snow and cold. We both have fallen in love with the green and flowers, and find Phoenix to be plain and brown during our annual visits (with the exception of blooming cactus). That said, we didn't find it plain and brown until we moved away. Our first year here, we had extensive clothing expenses for rain coats, winter coats and closed toe shoes.
The Triangle is filled with transplants from the NE (especially NY and NJ). You won't be alone. Phoenix has some from those areas, but more from Chicago and the midwest.
If you have specific questions, feel free to PM me.
Cats covered your questions pretty well but I have to point out that our heat gets exaggerated a lot. May & October is rarely 100 degree weather, it can happen on a day or two, sure. But it's not frequent or sustained.
Weather records state otherwise. Most months of May average anywhere from 5-15 days of temps at 100 or above, and an equal amount within a degree or two. Some years worse than others!
Cats covered your questions pretty well but I have to point out that our heat gets exaggerated a lot. May & October is rarely 100 degree weather, it can happen on a day or two, sure. But it's not frequent or sustained.
June-September is hot, expect 100 most days during this time and as Cats mentioned it can be humid but that humidity is the result of our Monsoon season, which if you have any love for nature and super powerful thunderstorms, haboobs and other amazing scenery this season brings you'll be pretty excited about. I'm frequently outside on evenings in July-Sept taking in the rainfall/thunderstorm activity. Obviously be safe about it, but as a person who loves nature this is a season I always look forward to.
For example May of 2016 had a total of 3 days above 100, every other day was below 100. And October had 1 day above 100. You can see the data below.
I think last May was cooler than normal, wasn't it? It seemed to be a pretty chilly May by Phoenix standards.
While the humidity does rise a bit during monsoon season, it's not nearly what a good deal of the rest of the country experiences. The higher humidity levels that come right before a "storm" don't linger (quotes on storm because a good deal of the time you might see some faint lightening but it never actually rains, nothing like the storms in the midwest, east, and southeast). Depending on where you are from, you may barley notice or not even notice the humidity at all.
__________________
My posts as moderator will be in red.
I think last May was cooler than normal, wasn't it? It seemed to be a pretty chilly May by Phoenix standards.
While the humidity does rise a bit during monsoon season, it's not nearly what a good deal of the rest of the country experiences. The higher humidity levels that come right before a "storm" don't linger (quotes on storm because a good deal of the time you might see some faint lightening but it never actually rains, nothing like the storms in the midwest, east, and southeast). Depending on where you are from, you may barley notice or not even notice the humidity at all.
It doesn't seem to be historically off by much but relative to how warm the rest of 2016 was it was an anomaly since the rest of summer was well above historical averages.
Historical numbers show May average temperature of 90/65 and May 30th 99/70.
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.
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.
We love it here but it is not for everyone. Sometimes we get tired of the sunshine and hope for a cloud or two. The summers are a special kind of oven-hot.
