Seattle to Phoenix....should we make the move? (Scottsdale, Tempe: bank owned, appointed)

[justadad]

I moved to Gilbert, Az more than 20 years ago from Santa Clara, CA and I do find many pleasures here. Once you make it through the hot summers the other eight months have some of the best weather in the country. As far as being "hip", the people that choose cities to host the Super Bowl and college football national championships seem to think pretty highly of the Valley of the Sun. What makes me chuckle is when someone says that the people here are different than wherever they are from. Arizona is made up of people from all over the United States. We are often referred to as a melting pot of people with very few native Arizonans. If you enjoy golf, hiking, mountains or lakes they are all within a short drive from anywhere in the Valley. I feel for those of you experiencing your first summer, it is true that it can be unbearable at times but that is the time to take vacations.
Take care,
Rob
Agent4Autism.com

[Foreverking]

well since none of us can tune this in after 6 pm, here is 1480 listen live link 1480 KPHX - Online Stream (http://1480kphx.com/mod_streambox.php - broken link)

No, I have had time to thnk it over, this place is a sever change from Seattle.

I have to cover my 6 year old son in high protection sun block every day he goes to school, I also wont let him where shorts, as I feel it just isnt worth the extra skin cancer risk. He also is required to bring a water bottle to school every day.

It gets so hot, that sometimes we don't even go out to get our mail for 3 or 4 day in a row.

There does not seem to be any real shade here for a walk. Its not as bad as places like Texas or FL where the sticky hot is unbarable, but to get an idea, preheat your oven to 110 degrees, then stick your head close to the open door for 15 minutes. If you feel its nice and cozy, but all means welcome to phoenix.

[azcater]

Hi Wsugrad!

We moved from Seattle (lived there for 4 years) to Vancouver, WA (lived there for 3 years) and then to AZ about 7 years ago.

I won't lie, the summers bite. But I love the rest of the year. We settled down in Gilbert and we love this area. I love that the traffic isn't as bad as Seattle. But boy do I miss the cool weather and green, and water. We try to drive up to the mountains for a taste of that every once in a while, because they have great lakes, etc.

We have decided that our next stop will be Denver, Co whenever we can sell our house and my dh can get a job there. I really crave colder weather ( I'd rather have cold than hot, you know?).

But we just wouldn't ever move back to Seattle it was just too rainy and the housing is too expensive. I seriously think I suffered from that seasonal affective disorder with all the gray skies all the time.

We have a 2 yr old and it makes it tough during the summers here, but we just do lots of indoor activities and it makes it bearable. This summer was definitely not as bad as last year.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me! I'm a cougar too, graduated in 2000.

[wsugrad03]

Thanks everyone for your comments. We share a lot of your concerns as well. To clarify some of the comments, we have visited Phoenix several times, although we have never been there in the summer. We have family members down there right now that can confirm the unrelenting heat in the summer. I'm sure we would rarely venture outside at the peak of the heat. This is another reason why we would definitely need a pool.

It's a hard decision to make. On one end, we can wait out the Seattle housing market and hope someday in the future we can get something other than a damn townhome for 450K. On the other hand, in Phoenix we can find a beautiful 4 bedroom home with a pool for the same amount. It's just a tough decision.

The problem I have with Seattle is the weather makes it difficult for us to really appreciate the outdoors. Because of this, having a comfortable home is even more important because we'll be spending 9 months out of the year indoors. We need to be comfortable. A decent home in in the school districts we want will cost us 600-700K and up in Seattle. We're going to have a difficult time climbing up in this market. It'll take us years in a normal housing market....which doesn't exist right now.

Of course, we can make the same argument against Phoenix. The heat will keep you indoors 4 months out of the year! The difference here is we'll be trading 3 months of good Seattle weather for 8 months of fine Phoenix weather.

As for the people.....well, we're just going to have to swallow that pill. I just hope it won't be difficult meeting people who aren't bleached blond, with fake white teeth, implants and driving BMW's. I saw an awful lot of 30K millionaires in the Scottsdale and Desert Ridge areas.

We're still on the fence. It seems like a majority of you think it's a mistake to trade in Seattle for Phoenix. Would you say that Seattle to Colorado might make more sense?

3 days and counting until we need to make a decision....

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by wsugrad03

Thanks everyone for your comments. We share a lot of your concerns as well. To clarify some of the comments, we have visited Phoenix several times, although we have never been there in the summer. We have family members down there right now that can confirm the unrelenting heat in the summer. I'm sure we would rarely venture outside at the peak of the heat. This is another reason why we would definitely need a pool.

It's a hard decision to make. On one end, we can wait out the Seattle housing market and hope someday in the future we can get something other than a damn townhome for 450K. On the other hand, in Phoenix we can find a beautiful 4 bedroom home with a pool for the same amount. It's just a tough decision.

The problem I have with Seattle is the weather makes it difficult for us to really appreciate the outdoors. Because of this, having a comfortable home is even more important because we'll be spending 9 months out of the year indoors. We need to be comfortable. A decent home in in the school districts we want will cost us 600-700K and up in Seattle. We're going to have a difficult time climbing up in this market. It'll take us years in a normal housing market....which doesn't exist right now.

Of course, we can make the same argument against Phoenix. The heat will keep you indoors 4 months out of the year! The difference here is we'll be trading 3 months of good Seattle weather for 8 months of fine Phoenix weather.

As for the people.....well, we're just going to have to swallow that pill. I just hope it won't be difficult meeting people who aren't bleached blond, with fake white teeth, implants and driving BMW's. I saw an awful lot of 30K millionaires in the Scottsdale and Desert Ridge areas.

We're still on the fence. It seems like a majority of you think it's a mistake to trade in Seattle for Phoenix. Would you say that Seattle to Colorado might make more sense?

3 days and counting until we need to make a decision....

I would say Ive been hiding inside for about 4 months so far, with one more month to hide. So 7 months good, 5 months unbearable. Ok this for that. My suction cup on my GPS just melted to the windshield.

Colorado is a very nice and easy choice, not as green unless you hit the mountains, but the cold weather in Colorado is not as sever as the hot weather here. Take it from me, I have lived in all three. Colorado has very good prices on homes. Especially Northern Colorado Like place like Fort Collins. Denver is a city very similar to Seattle, not as hip, but alot more hip than Phoenix. Youll actually drive better in the snow in Colorado than you will in Seattle, as the snow is very dry, not the slick ice stuff you get in Wa State.

[mahenley]

Originally Posted by wsugrad03

My wife and I have been talking about moving to Phoenix off and on for the last 2 years. Now I have a job offer for Boeing (Mesa) and 4 days to decide if we should finally make the move.

Here's the pros and cons I can think of from my perspective. Hopefully other Seattle transplants might be able to chime in.

Pros of Phoenix:

1) Cost of living: We'll actually be able to buy a nice home for $450K. Financially, we'll be better off in Phoenix.

2) More sunshine: Perhaps too much sunshine. Overall, the weather will be more conducive to outdoor activities.

3) Okay job market: Phoenix has a lot of defense tech business, which is what I'm currently in, and several other commercial software/hardware tech companies. The "Silicon Desert" is more dried up now than it once ones, but it's not terrible.

Cons of Phoenix:

1) Extreme heat. Miserable summers, which we'll have to cope with.

2) No mountains, no skiing, no green, no Puget Sound, no lakes.

3) Not a "progressive" city. More of a conservative republican strong hold. More plastic, materialistic people.

4) Lack of urban/cosmopolitan energy and vibe. More of a sprawling, sleepy suburb.


Seattle would be a perfect city for us if it wasn't for the weather and the extremely high cost of living. Just trying to decide if we should give up the city we love for a more affordable life in the desert. That's the $65K question.

How did previous Seattle transplants rationalize their move and what do they think of their decision to move to Phoenix?

Thanks.

Hi, we moved here from the Seattle area about two years now. We absolutely hate it here! We would move back if the market didn't tank like it did so now we are stuck. There is not nearly as much to do here as there was there. The scenery is ugly compared to all the lush greenery there. The only good thing here is that if you have really bad allergies there then here you won't. There is not much culture here either. Not nearly as much diversity as you have there. It appears that when you ask people what is there to do you don't really get much of anything in return. Also, people aren't nearly as friendly as they are there. I mean they are pleasant to your face, but it's hard to meet friends here for some odd reason. I'm not only saying this either I have heard this many times from people who have lived here for over 6 years.

Sorry, this is such doom and gloom, but wanted to be honest since we moved from there. The reason we moved here is we thought it would be nicer to be closer to family. Also, keep in mind since the wages here and the living is cheaper remember what else comes along with that.

Good luck on your decision!

[Foreverking]

Colorado also has about 300 days of sunshine. Not to mention the best sunsets on Earth.

[mahenley]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

My wife was commenting on how this one tree was losing its leaves, and My comment: No its not changing to fall colors, they just couldnt stand the heat anymore and ended up committing suicide.

I love that comment about your trees! LOL!

[wsugrad03]

I've been hearing people say that there's not much to do in Phoenix and that it's boring. Can you elaborate a bit more on that.

Here's what we like to do in Seattle:

- Visit the water front and pikes market.
- Visit the Seattle center
- Take a walk in the Seattle Arboretum
- Walk around Green Lake and Gasworks park.
- Take a lake/Puget sound cruise
- Go shopping in Westlake Center or Belle square mall.
- Go to the movies
- Walk around Alki Beach in West Seattle
- Drink coffee in the numerous boutique coffee shops
- Exercise
- Eat out at all the excellent restaurants
- Enjoy excellent Jazz music
- Take ski trips to Crystal Mountain or Whistler/Blackcomb

I'm aware that all of these things is what makes Seattle so great and we won't be able to enjoy the same things in other towns.

Now, can someone contrast this with Phoenix. What do you mean when there's nothing to do and it's boring? Is it because there really isn't anything to do, or is it because the city doesn't inspire you to go out and do anything?

[NiceJohn]

No place is perfect. I use grading system. I score each city with my priority list. I give my job, pay and house high scores. I also consider weather and kids education. I am an Ansian, and I love Asian super markets here. Convenience for Asian food shopping is important for me. Phoenix scores high for me on my best city list even weather is hot for 4 month. Anywhere you go, you will find something you hate. You just need know your priority, and develop your own grading system.