Friendly in Phoenix? (Surprise, Miami: neighborhood, college, restaurants) - Arizona (AZ) - Page 5 - City-Data Forum

regalsea03 · 03-09-2009, 07:46 PM

be weary of arizona!!! it has a very high crime (violent crime) rate. the people of phoenix suck big time, are very rude and violent. I understand how you feel about the bay area, but over all the people of california are much friendlier than here. my wife and i moved to phoenix three years ago and hate it here!!!!!!
arizona drivers suck big time, compared to california drivers, arizona drivers are far more dangerous. when we registered our car here our insurance went up and was told by several deferent insurance companies that arizona has a much higher accident ratio compared to california and that rates will be higher here, atleast compared to Southern California.

Arizona Mike · 03-09-2009, 07:57 PM

I'm a Phoenix native but have lived in a lot of places around the U.S. and overseas. I think people in Phoenix are generally quite friendly, moreso than the norm - people will usually smile and say hi if they pass you on the street, people tend to strike up friendly conversations while waiting in line in stores or at the bank. I haven't always seen this in other cities. Drivers can be crazy, but I see a lot of people on the freeways allowing you to merge if you signal, or stopping to let you exit onto a street in front of them from a parking lot. That's definitely unusual behavior in a lot of places.

azriverfan. · 03-09-2009, 08:04 PM

I have traveled a lot and lived in many cities. Without question, Phoenix is the easiest place to meet people and make new friends. The reason is that it just seems like out-of-town people outnumber native Arizonans. Of course, that isn't true but that's what it feels like. Even the term "native" is used to describe people in Arizona because in social circles, it's rare to find someone who grew up here. Even among native Arizonans, you will find they take a certain amount of pride informing you they are a native. What other city in the United States are you going to find someone in which the local is treated like the minority or a "native" LOL

Most people were in your situation so when you move here, people are pretty friendly and try to help you out. I found that it's really easy to meet people. When a city has a lot of natives, they tend to form cliques and are not really interested in meeting new people. In Phoenix, everyone was a newcomer at one point and it's a regular occurrenct to indoctrine newbies to your friendship circle. I meet new people all the time and before you know it, I find myself hanging out with them at happy hour or having dinner with them. If you can't make friends in Phoenix, you can't make friends anywhere.

azriverfan. · 03-09-2009, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by regalsea03

be weary of arizona!!! it has a very high crime (violent crime) rate. the people of phoenix suck big time, are very rude and violent. I understand how you feel about the bay area, but over all the people of california are much friendlier than here. my wife and i moved to phoenix three years ago and hate it here!!!!!!
arizona drivers suck big time, compared to california drivers, arizona drivers are far more dangerous. when we registered our car here our insurance went up and was told by several deferent insurance companies that arizona has a much higher accident ratio compared to california and that rates will be higher here, atleast compared to Southern California.

That's not true. Auto insurance rates are higher in Southern California than Phoenix. I'm sure pockets of Phoenix are higher than areas of LA but on average rates are higher there. I'm from that area. I understand we have bad drivers but at least I won't be shot here. I have actually seen people brandishing semi automatic weapons on the freeways in LA on more than one occasion. They didn't point or fire them but they displayed them to send a message or to harrass or tease another innocent driver. I have never seen that occur in Phoenix. The drivers in LA are extremely rude and aggressive. In Phoenix, we have a mix of drivers so it cause trouble because you will different driving styles on one freeway wheras in LA, everyone just drives like an A-hole so it's easier to adapt. People in LA don't even signal because there is no point since they won't let you in their lane anyway.

las vegas drunk · 03-10-2009, 01:33 AM

The people in Phoenix are generally ok. However, most, if not all the people the people in the Scottsdale and Tempe area are uptight snobs.

TiJa · 03-10-2009, 05:30 AM

I grew up in southern Cali and have lived all over the world, and let me tell you---the people in Phoenix are generally quite friendly! I was at a shopping center in Arrowhead one day with my husband and our two children. We saw this "Gymboree" type of place and went in to inquire about it. Mind you, we were willing to pay for an hour of playtime...Well the owner (who was in the store at the time) started asking us where we were from, etc. We told her we were a military family visiting relatives in the area, etc. This nice woman told us we could play for free for as long as we wanted!!! She then gave me her business card, wrote something on the back of it and told me we could come back (FOR FREE) anytime and to just show the card to whomever was working...I thought that was awesome! And out of all the places we have lived, no one has ever gone out of their way to do something kind for us...

BTW--my parents (who live in Arrowhead) have said that for the first time, they can run next door to a neighbors to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg (something that they would've never done in southern Cali). They have dinner parties with neighbors, go out for gelato, etc. I have never known my folks to be this sociable before...it's really great!

lola8822 · 03-10-2009, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

The people in Phoenix are generally ok. However, most, if not all the people the people in the Scottsdale and Tempe area are uptight snobs.

This can be true but not always.....I have a few friends that live in scottsdale and they are the sweetest people you'd ever meet. Every city or town has its snobs....

observer53 · 03-10-2009, 07:22 AM

You do need to put yourself out there to meet people. Just a few suggestions --you'll find some wonderful community activities-- volunteering, recreational classes through city parks and recreation depts (Tempe has a TON of those).

A lot will depend on what your interests are and where you end up living, (your friendly neighborhood sports bar IS an option, too, as someone else said) but I think you will REALLY enjoy it here.

lasvegasdrunk- Most if not all the people in Tempe are uptight snobs? I shouldn't even respond to such an overgeneralization. But, no, they are not. EVERY area has "uptight snobs", however you are defining them. I've lived in Tempe over 30 years and have not found anything like what you, who don't live here, describe.

delaa · 03-10-2009, 03:18 PM

i've been reading this thread and i wonder if age could be a factor regarding the posters' experiences with friendliness in phoenix? I do not live in arizona but am considering possibly relocating in the future.

I'm just wondering if the ones having difficulty meeting people ( and considering leaving) or of a younger crowd than the ones who have found a way to meet people.

i agree that what you put into a situation is what you get out of it but I personally don't see someone in their late 20's,early 30's (my age range) getting involved with their homeowners association or joining a yahoo group. I mean no offense or disrespect in any way, just personal opinion. I would personally want to GO OUT and meet people in a spontaneous way at an event, concert, book signing, you know?

I'm just offering up a theory and would love to hear your feedback. Do you think age is a factor?

azriverfan. · 03-10-2009, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delaa

i've been reading this thread and i wonder if age could be a factor regarding the posters' experiences with friendliness in phoenix? I do not live in arizona but am considering possibly relocating in the future.

I'm just wondering if the ones having difficulty meeting people ( and considering leaving) or of a younger crowd than the ones who have found a way to meet people.

i agree that what you put into a situation is what you get out of it but I personally don't see someone in their late 20's,early 30's (my age range) getting involved with their homeowners association or joining a yahoo group. I mean no offense or disrespect in any way, just personal opinion. I would personally want to GO OUT and meet people in a spontaneous way at an event, concert, book signing, you know?

I'm just offering up a theory and would love to hear your feedback. Do you think age is a factor?

I understand your concern. I moved here when I was fairly young and I met people through work. We would go to happy hour at bars and lounges and then I met other people there. It was pretty easy. Unless, you are absolutely shy and devoid of social skills, you won't have a difficult time meeting people. Phoenix has a lot of young single people, it's just that they don't typically post on a forum like this. I was apprehensive about moving to Phoenix when I was young because I thought of it like a retirement community not knowing anything about the place and I was soon told that Phoenix had a dichotomy in regards to it's population. There is a huge retiree population and huge young single population.