Considering Chicago to Phoenix (Scottsdale, Chandler: 2014, high crime, how much)

[Maroon197]

Originally Posted by Burkmere

I don't think Scottsdale is at all an isolate suburban city. True, 3.5 months are hot in the summer. 6 months are cold and dreary in the Midwest (where I moved from). Plus, if one can get away during the summer it's a good deal. There is absolutely not a lack of stuff to do in Scottsdale and environs. You must be one of those curmudgeons who is never happy.

I lived in the Midwest and then in sunny, socialist, expensive, etc etc CA for a few decades and the move to Scottsdale was absolutely great!!

Really bad take. It’s not just Scottsdale that is suburban - it’s the entire Phoenix metro. And it’s not hot for 3.5 months - it stays hot from April to November most years. And yes, this city is geographically isolated. Within a couple hours of nyc you have countless other major and mid-sized cities, small towns, lakes, oceans, mountains, major rivers etc. Phoenix is 6-7 hours from LA, and is surrounded by hours and hours of ugly, empty desert. Welcome to real life.

[pathrunner]

Phoenix is surrounded on TWO-1/2 sides by ugly, empty desert. To the North, Northeast and East are beautiful mountains with streams, lakes, gorgeous trees and geology.

No way I'd ever live in NYC or New York in general. HATE cold and snow. For 6 months a year, just like Phoenix has 5-6 months a year of extreme heat.

[Maroon197]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

Phoenix is surrounded on TWO-1/2 sides by ugly, empty desert. To the North, Northeast and East are beautiful mountains with streams, lakes, gorgeous trees and geology.

No way I'd ever live in NYC or New York in general. HATE cold and snow. For 6 months a year, just like Phoenix has 5-6 months a year of extreme heat.

It’s not about whether you would personally enjoy living in nyc or wherever. The OP mentioned that they didn’t think there was enough to do in chicago, which is a world class city in terms of amenities. Phx isn’t remotely on that level, so moving to a suburban metro in the middle of the desert made no sense based on that criteria.

[pathrunner]

When I lived there I knew scores of Chicagoans who are happy in Scottsdale - part-time or fulltime. Most of the Chicagoans I knew were escaping the snow and never mentioned missing out on amenities or access to "culture."

[JPrzybylski07]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

Phoenix is surrounded on TWO-1/2 sides by ugly, empty desert. To the North, Northeast and East are beautiful mountains with streams, lakes, gorgeous trees and geology.

No way I'd ever live in NYC or New York in general. HATE cold and snow. For 6 months a year, just like Phoenix has 5-6 months a year of extreme heat.

Not to mention you need a vaccine passport apparently just to exist in NYC. Yea no thanks I’d take most places in AZ any day or NYC. Basically you have no freedom left in NYC. I hope the numbers keep going up there because it just makes their leadership look more and more dumb, sorry but not sorry. Some governments are so arrogant to actually think some cheap 2 cent masks and plexiglass are going to stop or even substantially slow down the spread.

OP, I spent 27 years living and growing up in Chicago. The past 7 years in Florida. I know Arizona well though as I spent 6 months in 2021 temporarily living and working in Sedona. The only thing I miss about Chicago is a few relatives and Lou Malnati’s pizza, and the Phoenix area is one of the rare places outside Chicagoland that has Lou’s!

I’m back in Florida again but if I didn’t love it here so much AZ would have to be right up there for places to live. Pretty sure Phoenix would not be my first choice, more like the Flagstaff/Sedona/Cottonwood area. Even though Flagstaff is a pretty liberal area I really liked the vibe and scenery, and Sedona, well enough said, most beautiful city in AZ by far, and Cottonwood, it’s laid back surrounded by beautiful big mountains and all your big city amenities for the most part.

Chandler and Gilbert was nice too when I drove though those areas but yea the whole Phoenix metro area is stressful imo, people driving like maniacs which unfortunately is typical for a bigger populated area. The air quality seemed to be pretty low as well in the Phoenix valley, but overall the metro area obviously has a ton of things going for it and not the worst place to live by any means.

Yes Florida gets heat and humidity but I never felt my car get so hot until I touched my tinted window on the outside one day in Sedona when it was 109 degrees, and that’s being in the higher elevations which means Phoenix easily had to be 120+ that day. That sun literally wants to kill you in that summer desert.

Also humidity is actually good for our skin, I felt living in AZ I would have to be much more proactive about using moisturizer.

All in all AZ is amazing and I miss it, but most metros areas are too stressful to live in. Still if I had to choose Chicago and Phoenix it would be Phoenix. Even if you’re trapped inside on a 125 degree Phoenix day it’s still nice to have bright sunshine, and you’re only a 2 hour drive or less to higher elevations if you want to escape the worst of the heat during those prime summer months.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

Phoenix is surrounded on TWO-1/2 sides by ugly, empty desert. To the North, Northeast and East are beautiful mountains with streams, lakes, gorgeous trees and geology.

No way I'd ever live in NYC or New York in general. HATE cold and snow. For 6 months a year, just like Phoenix has 5-6 months a year of extreme heat.

Nope, just an ugly desert, as far as you can go in any direction. Nothing to see here.
Such an silly statement to make but I'm okay with it, we do have plenty of people in Phoenix already.

[pathrunner]

Obviously you've never been to Payson 80 mins. away. (and all the places beyond it.) Or the Superstition Mountains via The Apache Trail. The Four Peaks. Next you'll say you don't care to go to Payson. So what? A lot of people do.

Whatever. You don't want to be convinced, so don't be.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by timothyaw

One area can't have it all (outside of NYC, CA and perhaps FL). Phoenix is doing very well on diversifying its economy. It's strong and only growing. So we're not going to have the entertainment factor big here, it's just how it is.

So basically, you're another naysayer. Our economy is diversifying slowly, and it has improved compared to a decade ago, but we're still lagging behind other metros in our size range. Have you noticed all the businesses which relocated to the Texas cities in recent years? I'd love for Phoenix to have the economic growth that Houston, Dallas, and Austin have experienced.

Originally Posted by timothyaw

I'm sure Las Vegas would love to have a strong, vibrant and diversifying economy but they don't. They play to their strengths. Yes they are trying to diversify economically, but it'll never be their main thing. So likewise, Phoenix will never be an entertainment powerhouse. You just need to accept that.

You'll just have to accept that Vegas is not only a tourist/gambling destination, but a huge draw for business conventions. Being an entertainment center has helped them draw more business. Let's face it: 15 of the world’s 25 largest hotels are on the Vegas Strip, and they have on site convention centers. The one thing Vegas is lacking is corporate HQs, but they certainly make up for this in other areas.

You make it sound like Phoenix should be fine with just diversifying the business economy, and have nothing else in addition. I say that we need to think & act bigger than this. There's no reason why we can't be both a large national business center as well as more of an entertainment destination. Phoenix doesn't have to be the next Hollywood, but there can & should be more offerings for themed attractions.

Originally Posted by locolife

Nope, just an ugly desert, as far as you can go in any direction. Nothing to see here.

By any chance, are you and Locolobo related? I'm almost expecting to see you post photos of canals, bicycles, airplanes, birds, graffiti, and shopping carts in the water.
()

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by long101

So, similar to everybody else, I’m seriously considering a move from Chicago to the Phoenix area. Both my SO can move within are current companies, albeit with a pay downgrade. I LOVE the city of Chicago, however the lack of suns light 6 months out of the year, cold winters, and the lack of ‘stuff’ to do within driving distance are fueling the move.

I’ve been to AZ several times (including the summer) and have always enjoyed myself. It’s been a few years since I’ve been out, and I know the area continues to boom.

My SO will be working in Scottsdale, and I will be working in chandler (although I will only go into the office 1-2days a week). Are there any specific areas we should be looking at or avoiding? No kids, so schools aren’t an issue. Ideally we will be looking for a ‘simple’ house with a pool for around $2k per month. I’ve seen listings for this range, but areas might not be ideal, so figured I’d ask.

On the same topic of real estate... we will likely rent at first, but are open to buying. Due to the very low property taxes (at least compared to IL) it seems ‘buying’ is a better deal, even with the recent soaring prices.

We only have one car, and I hope to able to bike a few places (mostly the gym). Not sure if the greater Phoenix area is bikeable or not...

Anything else I need to seriously consider (other then the heat of the summer)?

Appreciate any feedback!

I was a Chicagoan for 30+ yrs of my life. Ive lived in the Valley a decade and visited here yearly (2 times annually) for the last 25 yrs. Ive watched the Valley turn from a livable place to a laughable place in a remarkably short 5 yrs. The homeless and drug problem has gotten out of control. Rents are skyrocketing and you'll pay up the wazoo for a stucco pos where you can hear every time your neighbor takes a whiz. Traffic and air quality is in the toilet. Summers have gotten so bad that I almost threw in the towel 2 yrs ago where we had 55 days of temps 110 degrees and up. Mosquitos have gotten worse, as have the fires. We FINALLY had a good monsoon season last year, but most summers are scorching hot in June, then hot n sticky until mid-September.

If you cant find "stuff to do" in Chicago, you're gonna hate it here. Chicago is infinitely more walkable, and has a vastly superior public transportation system in place. Houses in Chicago give you more for less. Why someone would willingly leave an Alpha city to come to a dying city is beyond me. Outsiders may see a growing city like PHX and say "how is it dying"? Put it this way: its like CA. Everyone is coming here and making it a giant butthole. Thats how its dying. And Im seeing so many people leave here and relocating elsewhere because it has th e QOL here has become a joke. Who is gonna pay $2000K for a studio in a lackluster downtown thats overflowing with bums? PHX is literally LA part 2. If I could convince my wife to leave I would be in ABQ in a heartbeat.

Visit here for a few weeks in late June. See if you can bike anywhere. LOL You certainly wont walk! See if you enjoy the lack of cold water in your place. Or the tweekers wandering in the streets. Or the bums yelling for change on every corner.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

Phoenix is surrounded on TWO-1/2 sides by ugly, empty desert. To the North, Northeast and East are beautiful mountains with streams, lakes, gorgeous trees and geology.

Agreed. Driving on the 10 to LA is the most boring drive in the US, I swear. I love deserts, but that is just hideously ugly scenery.