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I moved to Phoenix six years ago from the East Coast (have lived in Charlotte, Philadelphia and Orlando) and I love it here. Yeah it's hot in the summer. We don't have seasons which takes getting used to. We don't have bad weather besides a few rain showers during monsoon season and some dust storms which really are no big deal. It's nothing like the crazy East Coast weather. The winters are great here! All in all aside from the summer heat I love it here. The people are friendly, the food is great especially if you like Mexican food, and the desert landscape and homes are beautiful. There are lots of places to shop and dine and lots of festivals and activities. The hiking is great, and you are close to Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, California, and anywhere else you would want to go on the West Coast. I did develop some asthma after I got here but it's under control now but on the bright side my nasty migraines and sinus infections have gone away. I had chronic migraines and sinus pain when I lived in North Carolina. The worst things about Phoenix are the heat and the traffic. There are more pros than cons though. It's so different from the East Coast and I've always considered myself an East Coast girl but I do love it here in Phoenix.
Acrylic you don't sound negative at all. I agree with everything you said. Your points are valid and anyone considering a move here should definitely take these things into consideration. I miss the seasons and trees too. I do love it here for six months out of the year but am thinking about moving in a few years. I started a family after I moved here and want my son to be able to experience all four seasons and to be able to enjoy his summers playing outside, swimming, going to the lake, catching fireflies, all the things I did when I was a kid.
I've lived here for 7 years, originally from Minnesota.
Everyone has different preferences on what suits them, so maybe Phoenix will be the perfect fit for you.
I've grown bored of everything this metro has to offer. I escaped northern Minnesota when I was 21 simply based on weather and wanting something different. Well, I've had 7 years of different, and I can say that while there's many things I'll look back on fondly here, I can't say this is a place I'd want to live in for the rest of my life, or a place I'd want to start a family. Some reasons: the weather in the summer, lack of real trees, lack of natural water, lack of four seasons (hey, I miss some of that stuff!), and it doesn't have all too much of a defined culture, as I've learned over the years.
My main point, and one that people really need to understand: the summer weather is just not fun. You should also be advised that the hot weather starts in May and goes until mid-October. Granted in May and the tail ends of the hot weather, there are a couple days here and there where temperatures aren't that bad. But be prepared for June, July, August, and September to be a straight 4 months of HOT with no respite in the forms of overnight lows where you could crack a window open. Air conditioning will be your best friend.
So, with that: If you like the sprawling metro and extreme summer heat? Yeah, I'm sure you'll love it here. Every metro area has something for everyone, maybe Phoenix will have something for you.
Please don't think that I'm entirely negative about the Phoenix area. I'm not - I've just given it a fair shot for the last 7 years, and it's just not for me
Hey, at least you gave it seven years! Lots of people don't make it that long.
We moved here for a job (my job) several years ago. There are certainly plenty of positives, including reasonable cost of housing, and lots of sunshine. While it's largely a lot of suburban sprawl, there are plenty of events and activities to keep one busy. There are pubs and restaurants tucked into all sorts of places. There's quite a bit of hiking and mountain biking within the city and right on the outskirts. Several professional sports teams are in town. MLB spring training in March. You can have something in the garden nearly all year long. Airport is conveniently located in the center of the city.
With that said, I doubt we will stay permanently. Outside of the weather, which you said not to mention(haha!!), here are some of the negatives for us. (1) We've taken far, far fewer trips "up north" than I had expected. The weekend traffic is just horrible IMO. The last time we left town on a Friday after my work it took two hours just to get to the north edge of town, from Gilbert. (2) Valley Fever in dogs is fairly common and is expensive to treat. People contract this fungus too, but most healthy people will resolve it with their own immune system and not even know they had it. Dogs usually do not "kick it" by themselves, and it's typically fatal if not treated.(3) The nice weather here happens when the days are short, while more northerly days have the nicest weather when the days are long. (4) Metro area is geographically huge, and we drive long distances just to go to events "in town".
With all of that said, if you do choose to move here plan to live relatively close to your work, and certainly do not expect to commute to both Tucson and Phoenix.
Last edited by hikernut; 07-06-2017 at 01:39 PM..
Reason: adding information
I would not recommend living in between Phoenix and Tucson, as you say, to take advantage of both markets. Pick one or the other because Casa Grande, Florence, or Eloy are not as close as you think and there is not much there for younger people. You would get bored quickly. I'd stick to Phoenix proper which is 4-5 times bigger than Tucson anyway and has a better job market. Not sure what your budget is but if looking at apartments for now then anywhere aside from the nicest parts of Phoenix or Scottsdale and Paradise Valley will have something that will work. Most of the action and jobs are going to be in one of these places: downtown Phoenix, north Phoenix/I-17/101 corridor, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Chandler. At least those are where the highest paying jobs will be. Choose a place to live accordingly if you do come hear. Realize that the further you get from those places, the longer your commute will be but the cheaper the housing.
Excellent advice. We don't live in an apartment, but the ones I see in Chandler seem to start at around 800-900/mo. I would imagine it gets cheaper farther out, but then one is just spending a lot more on commuting plus wasting a bunch of time too.
Lived in Phoenix for 6 years then couldn't get out fast enough. So we left And moved around the country a few times virtually from coast to coast. As life has it we will be relocating back to Phoenix for reasons somewhat out of our control. I.e. My husbands job requires we live in the western region.
There's things I love about Phoenix and things I hate. Pretty much everything acrylic said.
I love our large amount of friends down there. More friends than anywhere else! I dislike the heat and lack of seasons. Overall it's like anywhere there are positives and negatives.
Will I live in Phoenix forever? Never say never as can be learned by the fact we are returning in the first place.
We moved here for a job (my job) several years ago. There are certainly plenty of positives, including reasonable cost of housing, and lots of sunshine. While it's largely a lot of suburban sprawl, there are plenty of events and activities to keep one busy. There are pubs and restaurants tucked into all sorts of places. There's quite a bit of hiking and mountain biking within the city and right on the outskirts. Several professional sports teams are in town. MLB spring training in March. You can have something in the garden nearly all year long. Airport is conveniently located in the center of the city.
With that said, I doubt we will stay permanently. Outside of the weather, which you said not to mention(haha!!), here are some of the negatives for us. (1) We've taken far, far fewer trips "up north" than I had expected. The weekend traffic is just horrible IMO. The last time we left town on a Friday after my work it took two hours just to get to the north edge of town, from Gilbert. (2) Valley Fever in dogs is fairly common and is expensive to treat. People contract this fungus too, but most healthy people will resolve it with their own immune system and not even know they had it. Dogs usually do not "kick it" by themselves, and it's typically fatal if not treated.(3) The nice weather here happens when the days are short, while more northerly days have the nicest weather when the days are long. (4) Metro area is geographically huge, and we drive long distances just to go to events "in town".
With all of that said, if you do choose to move here plan to live relatively close to your work, and certainly do not expect to commute to both Tucson and Phoenix.
My dog got valley fever. Poor thing, it was terrible. Also my husband. Also not pretty.
I've lived here for 7 years, originally from Minnesota.
Everyone has different preferences on what suits them, so maybe Phoenix will be the perfect fit for you.
I've grown bored of everything this metro has to offer. I escaped northern Minnesota when I was 21 simply based on weather and wanting something different. Well, I've had 7 years of different, and I can say that while there's many things I'll look back on fondly here, I can't say this is a place I'd want to live in for the rest of my life, or a place I'd want to start a family. Some reasons: the weather in the summer, lack of real trees, lack of natural water, lack of four seasons (hey, I miss some of that stuff!), and it doesn't have all too much of a defined culture, as I've learned over the years.
My main point, and one that people really need to understand: the summer weather is just not fun. You should also be advised that the hot weather starts in May and goes until mid-October. Granted in May and the tail ends of the hot weather, there are a couple days here and there where temperatures aren't that bad. But be prepared for June, July, August, and September to be a straight 4 months of HOT with no respite in the forms of overnight lows where you could crack a window open. Air conditioning will be your best friend.
So, with that: If you like the sprawling metro and extreme summer heat? Yeah, I'm sure you'll love it here. Every metro area has something for everyone, maybe Phoenix will have something for you.
Please don't think that I'm entirely negative about the Phoenix area. I'm not - I've just given it a fair shot for the last 7 years, and it's just not for me
Yeah, that seems pretty fair, trying it for 7 years and finding it doesn't work is a fair shake at it! Clearly some of the things you miss about MN just don't occur in the West to the same degree, most cities out here aren't covered in lush vegetation, it's dry on this side of the country and that means hardwood trees only exist in certain pockets and "natural water" by which I think you mean natural lakes, are also minimal. But there are certainly plenty of lakes they just happen to have a dam. I'm not sure how big of a difference that makes but I'm also from the West originally so having a lake or river in my backyard was nothing I ever cared for or desired much. But it makes sense folks who grew up with that would miss it, I get that.
The summer heat is kind of relative, I hear a lot of transplants complain about the summer and yes it's absolutely hot, but I find it much more bearable than an extreme winter. We were out last night walking around Tempe Marketplace after dinner, there were kids playing in the splashpads, people dining on patios and I couldn't help but think how much easier summer is here than winter was up North. It's all relative, you certainly won't be playing outdoors from 7am-10pm here in the summer but I know a lot of kids go to summer camps in Prescott, Flag, etc... where they still do those same things. May/Oct can be hot but the lows are always comfortable a 90-degree day here means beautiful mornings and evenings, when most of us can be outside.
Sprawling... sure, but now more than ever how much sprawl you deal with is in ones own control. If you choose a job on the outskirts but want to live in the middle of the city you'll certainly be driving. But job opportunities around our urban cores are plentiful. For me, I don't drive more than 5 miles most days and when it's cooler I pedal to work a lot or even take the train. I rarely need to go more than 10 miles from home/work for just about anything be it the dentist, grocery store, farmers markets, indie movies, concert venues, college/pro sports, museums, art galleries/walks, and so on... I actually find Phoenix to be very convenient. But if you buy a home in East Gilbert and work Downtown Phoenix I can see why it's a royal pain. I don't understand why people choose to do that.
I'm not trying to be critical of your opinions, any one city is not for everyone but my perspective changed a lot after I moved away for a few years and found I really missed Phoenix. Even the culture, I'll be at First Friday tonight. The amount of live music is awesome, be it Phoenix or Tempe. And watching many of our local chefs, artists, and other talent grow and thrive has been pretty cool. The scenery out East just couldn't compare in my view, sure fall was pretty but the landscape just didn't cut it to me.
Yeah, that seems pretty fair, trying it for 7 years and finding it doesn't work is a fair shake at it! Clearly some of the things you miss about MN just don't occur in the West to the same degree, most cities out here aren't covered in lush vegetation, it's dry on this side of the country and that means hardwood trees only exist in certain pockets and "natural water" by which I think you mean natural lakes, are also minimal. But there are certainly plenty of lakes they just happen to have a dam. I'm not sure how big of a difference that makes but I'm also from the West originally so having a lake or river in my backyard was nothing I ever cared for or desired much. But it makes sense folks who grew up with that would miss it, I get that.
The summer heat is kind of relative, I hear a lot of transplants complain about the summer and yes it's absolutely hot, but I find it much more bearable than an extreme winter. We were out last night walking around Tempe Marketplace after dinner, there were kids playing in the splashpads, people dining on patios and I couldn't help but think how much easier summer is here than winter was up North. It's all relative, you certainly won't be playing outdoors from 7am-10pm here in the summer but I know a lot of kids go to summer camps in Prescott, Flag, etc... where they still do those same things. May/Oct can be hot but the lows are always comfortable a 90-degree day here means beautiful mornings and evenings, when most of us can be outside.
Sprawling... sure, but now more than ever how much sprawl you deal with is in ones own control. If you choose a job on the outskirts but want to live in the middle of the city you'll certainly be driving. But job opportunities around our urban cores are plentiful. For me, I don't drive more than 5 miles most days and when it's cooler I pedal to work a lot or even take the train. I rarely need to go more than 10 miles from home/work for just about anything be it the dentist, grocery store, farmers markets, indie movies, concert venues, college/pro sports, museums, art galleries/walks, and so on... I actually find Phoenix to be very convenient. But if you buy a home in East Gilbert and work Downtown Phoenix I can see why it's a royal pain. I don't understand why people choose to do that.
I'm not trying to be critical of your opinions, any one city is not for everyone but my perspective changed a lot after I moved away for a few years and found I really missed Phoenix. Even the culture, I'll be at First Friday tonight. The amount of live music is awesome, be it Phoenix or Tempe. And watching many of our local chefs, artists, and other talent grow and thrive has been pretty cool. The scenery out East just couldn't compare in my view, sure fall was pretty but the landscape just didn't cut it to me.
Good perspective loco!
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