If you had to think of a city that was the most like Phoenix, but with milder weather, what city would that be? (Tucson: transplants, houses)

[Renegade007]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

I would suggest Albuquerque as well. There is always Vegas too, but it gets pretty hot there as well. Hood luck.

"Hood luck"... I like that. Was that intentional?
Not that Las Vegas is considered the 'hood... well maybe once you get off the Strip it is. It's surprising how quickly the neighborhoods decline just 4 or 5 blocks away from the Strip.

[Nn2036]

Prescott or El Paso.

[elcahiz]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Do you need to work? If not, or if you are lucky enough to find an opening, then Prescott Valley, Cottonwood, and Sierra Vista (AZ) have everything you want. All of them are close enough to Phoenix or Tucson to get your city fix when you want it.

I run a business from my home, or rather I do my part of my business (33% owner with my brother owning the other 2/3) from home. I do need to be in an area with great cell coverage and within half an hour of an international airport.


Thank you.

[adventuregurl]

Phoenix and Albuquerque have a very similar cost of living, but Albuquerque has a considerably higher crime rate, especially in violent crimes. You can get all that from a site called Best Places.

I think Phoenix is pretty hard to beat and after enduring the 4-5 months of hell you are rewarded with amazing weather for the rest of the year.

I have lived in BC, and while it was WAY yo dark and damp for me, I understand how Phoenix would seem too hot for you as many there just love that weather.

Are you self employed? If so, why not consider Prescott or Cottonwood? I don't know if they are too small for you but they are certainly cooler to some extent.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by locolife

What similarities have you found to Phoenix in Raleigh? It seems about as polar opposite as I can possibly imagine in everything I can think of culture, food, music, history, sports, etc... Maybe the pace of life and politics have some similarities? That's about all I can think of.

Im comparing the valley of the sun to the Triangle. (Not simply raleigh vs phoenix)

Both are Mostly suburban with no REAL downtown area. Both very spread out, and a car is very nearly a requirement. Multiple towns/cities that make up the entire area, each with its own atmosphere.

Ethnically diverse like phoenix, maybe more diverse in Raleigh.

Food - except for the lack of good Mexican, the triangle has what the valley has, with wider choices of Asian cuisines, vegetarian, vegan and a huge Korean grocery (plus the usual assortment of Asian and mexican, polish, etc grocers). The Triangle suffers from the illegality of happy hour and a state store system that keeps alcohol prices high.

History - yeah, Raleigh has more history. WAY more. But I never associated history with phoenix in the first place.

Sports teams? The college sports craze in the Triangle exceeds anything I ever saw for pro or college sports in the Valley. Golf - phoenix has the Triangle solidly beat on that, but I've been shocked at how many tennis players there are here.

Seriously - we see many similarities, and advantages to both areas.

[dvxhd]

Originally Posted by locolife

All you're really saying is that ABQ is older then most of Phoenix. What else about Albuquerque isn't bland and mundane over Phoenix? I don't mind visiting but it's a town that starts to feel really small, really fast. I'm sure plenty of people love that but I'd run out of things to do really quickly living there. The job market is brutal, no pro sports to speak of, there are very limited events and major concert stops, you're very isolated for road trips to any other bigger cities.

Like I said, I don't mind visiting but can't see ever living there.

That was not all I was writing about. You're trying to discredit an opposing point of view because you can't separate your location from your identity and whenever someone makes an unflattering comment about Phoenix, you take it as a personal attack. Clearly you missed just about everything I wrote, as Albuquerque being older is just one thing I mentioned. The OP has already expressed concerns about Phoenix, and if you'd go back and actually read what I wrote in its entirety, you'll also see that I suggested that she visit Albuquerque twice. If you paid better attention you'd notice I pointed out some of Albuquerque's disadvantages in comparison to Phoenix too.

I'm not going to get into this with you, because frankly I don't feel like it right now. You're overly sensitive about where you live for whatever reason, you can't take criticism (see above opening point), and you just can't seem to fathom that Phoenix isn't for everyone, and there are people who genuinely hate it here and those who shouldn't move here because it's not in their best interests. Aside from heat, crime, cost of living, admiration for the Southwest region and religious tolerance, the OP didn't really express much else about her needs and concerns. The OP has been here, but insinuated she hasn't visited Albuquerque. I'm not going to just tell her all the good points about Phoenix and pretend there's nothing wrong with this town when she has other options.

[ABQSunseeker]

Originally Posted by dvxhd

Santa Fe I believe is a bit more expensive. It's not outrageous, but higher than other places. I will echo Albuquerque, but I emboldened the part that makes me curious if there are some other issues on your mind besides Southwestern feel and cost of living. Albuquerque does have some pretty rough parts, so do some digging before you commit. Also bear in mind that while Albuquerque doesn't get nearly as hot in the summer (nor do they last nearly as long as in Phoenix), the winters are significantly colder.

To me, Albuquerque embraces its heritage more than Phoenix does. Though unlike Albuquerque, Phoenix was never a Spanish or Mexican town (Phoenix was founded well after American annexation), in general the area seems to brush off the unique history of this part of the country even though this used to be part of Spain and Mexico, whereas Albuquerque is proud of it. As a city, Albuquerque has more personality and is much quirkier and more eccentric, whereas Phoenix is pretty bland and mundane, however Phoenix does have more amenities. From what I've gathered, Albuquerque may be more to your liking and you should probably take a couple trips there (summer and winter). It's a pretty compact city and you could cover a lot of ground pretty easily.

Having lived in both Albuquerque and Phoenix, I think this is very nicely said. It is quirkier and more eccentric here, but also Southwestern authentic. And it does have a less brutal summer. We can eat outside on our patio nearly every day from April thru October. Endless blue skies. It does, though, get some very cold snaps in winter with a little snow but winter is a piece of cake.

But you need to keep in mind, that New Mexico is in a slump for years now, and the job market and unemployment are bad. There seems to be a lack of leadership that will guide us out of the downswing.
And Phoenix being so much bigger does offer more things to do.

[ABQSunseeker]

Originally Posted by sexxxcblac

To the OP,
It's always the people who don't live here who gives the worst summertime prognosis.
When you here words like ....hell , unbearable , 4 months of this and that , I want you to ask yourself if summer is as bad as some people claim, why do 5 million people and counting live there?
Summer is hot anywhere you live in the hemisphere.
I've lived in NYC, Chicago IL, Washington DC. Atlanta GA, LA California, San Diego, California, Columbus, Ohio and now for 20 years Phoenix, AZ.
Summer was hot in ALL of those cities.
When the sun went down was when the fun began.
It was 93 degrees a couple of days ago on the east coast.
As a matter of fact the old cliche " The old dog days of summer" apply to everyone in these United Sates of America!
If I had a nickel for the times I heard newcomers say on there first summer here..." is this it ?????

I lived in Phoenix (and NYC) and liked it overall, but believe me, despite all the apologizers on these boards, the summers are brutal and unrelenting. I came to dread them and I am a sun worshipper.

[Elna Rae]

Originally Posted by sexxxcblac

To the OP,
It's always the people who don't live here who gives the worst summertime prognosis.
When you here words like ....hell , unbearable , 4 months of this and that , I want you to ask yourself if summer is as bad as some people claim, why do 5 million people and counting live there?

Born here and never lived anywhere else. By choice.

But it's freaking hot in the summer and when you have to work in an evap-cooled environment all day (80-85 degrees) it gets very old by August.


"Almost collapsed and I couldn't breathe."

OP, If the summer literally took your breath away it sounds like you're looking for a place that doesn't exist.

Best of luck.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by dvxhd

That was not all I was writing about. You're trying to discredit an opposing point of view because you can't separate your location from your identity and whenever someone makes an unflattering comment about Phoenix, you take it as a personal attack. Clearly you missed just about everything I wrote, as Albuquerque being older is just one thing I mentioned. The OP has already expressed concerns about Phoenix, and if you'd go back and actually read what I wrote in its entirety, you'll also see that I suggested that she visit Albuquerque twice. If you paid better attention you'd notice I pointed out some of Albuquerque's disadvantages in comparison to Phoenix too.

I'm not going to get into this with you, because frankly I don't feel like it right now. You're overly sensitive about where you live for whatever reason, you can't take criticism (see above opening point), and you just can't seem to fathom that Phoenix isn't for everyone, and there are people who genuinely hate it here and those who shouldn't move here because it's not in their best interests. Aside from heat, crime, cost of living, admiration for the Southwest region and religious tolerance, the OP didn't really express much else about her needs and concerns. The OP has been here, but insinuated she hasn't visited Albuquerque. I'm not going to just tell her all the good points about Phoenix and pretend there's nothing wrong with this town when she has other options.

I just don't see the upside in ABQ on any level, sorry you took that so personally. I don't mind visiting but see nothing else that would give me interest in living there.