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We will be moving to Phoenix (northern) and have both lived in Minnesota our whole lives. This will be a big change, leaving the Tundra and entering the desert! We are both excited and nervous for the new opportunity. We are wondering what you think about the gay community in Phoenix and surrounding areas? And also, the general acceptance of lesbian couples. It's not like we walk down the street making out, but every so often of course I will hold my wife's hand when we are out and about!
I have a few friends, a lesbian couple, that own a home here. They love it, nobody cares so far. Welcome! You will love the weather. People from what I've experienced here stay out of your business so IMO, don't worry about the personal stuff. Things are really looking up for Phoenix, it's a good time to move here.
My brother has a home on the north side, and there are two lesbian couples right on his block. I think the acceptance is pretty wide spread, and open or mostly welcoming. Have never even heard of an incident of ugliness or hatred so I am sure you will be fine.
He has also told me that the LGBT community there is quite high profile and has been recognized for their leadership in community issues, including the revitalization of the Roosevelt neighborhood, an outstanding example of of urban revitalization and renewal.
All that being said, try to live CLOSE to work. The commutes in Phoenix are horrible especially in the winter when there are so many winter visitors in town for the winter. (Winter adds from 500K to 750K full-timers and three to four million weekers or monthers into the mix.) Only city in America with that kind of population swing on an annual basis.
And last, if you are an outdoorsy couple, no matter what time of year, you will love Phoenix. No more brutal winters. The summers are very hot, but usually not that bad until after 10 or 1030 in the morning, and pretty nice when the sun goes down, especially if you have a pool.
Do not expect the openess and friendliness of the midwest. Everyone is from somewhere else. The houses, for instance, are oriented toward the back yards, which is where the pools are located. Very rare to see a front porch on a house like in the midwest. People pull in at night, especially in the summer, close the garage door and head to the pools and the grills in the back yards. People are not intentionally being rude, they are simply with their families or trying to get comfortable in the pool.
I'm a lesbian and have lived in Phoenix 10+ years, originally from Ft.Lauderdale. There are plenty of lesbian couples in Phoenix, with many of them here in Central Phoenix. You would get few if any disapproving looks here. (and if they do, then that's their problem- time to join the rest of us in 21st Century! lol). But even though you probably wouldn't get any flack while living in say, Mesa, Scottsdale, Gilbert, or Chandler, there are just fewer lesbians out there, and in places like Mesa and Gilbert, the politics are much more conservative(as well as the people who live there, obviously). I happen to live in Coronado Historic District- I've lost count of how many gay and lesbian couples there are. And, it's a great neighborhood beyond that- lots of friendly people, young families with kids, old retirees, everywhere-in-between. Very mixed...and if you're an animal lover- a LOT of dogs!
Having said that, the conservative politicians in AZ are maddening- you may have heard of the recent proposed bill regarding trying to enforce transgendered persons using their birth-certificate assigned gender to determine which bathroom to use. It would be one thing if there were truly a 'live-and-let-live attitude' everywhere here, but sometimes it does cross the line of being antagonistic towards LGBT. But I'm sure even Minnesota has a few of these extremist politicians, no? Anyhow, the gay community here is strong and vast- but quite mellow, because SW culture is quite mellow. It's not like the East Coast where everyone is in a hurry! But...on the bright side, everyone is quite friendly and polite- similar to areas of the midwest in that regard. If you can, you should come visit for a while before moving.
There's a gay community center that has things like Friday night movies and other activities. There's also a local publication called Echo Magazine (online, too) that gives lots of info regarding local happenings. Overall I think you'll like it here- probably if anything gets to you, being from Minnesota, it will be the summer heat!
But you mention moving to northern(?) Phoenix? Do you mean off of Northern Ave. or something else?
My brother has a home on the north side, and there are two lesbian couples right on his block. I think the acceptance is pretty wide spread, and open or mostly welcoming. Have never even heard of an incident of ugliness or hatred so I am sure you will be fine.
He has also told me that the LGBT community there is quite high profile and has been recognized for their leadership in community issues, including the revitalization of the Roosevelt neighborhood, an outstanding example of of urban revitalization and renewal.
All that being said, try to live CLOSE to work. The commutes in Phoenix are horrible especially in the winter when there are so many winter visitors in town for the winter. (Winter adds from 500K to 750K full-timers and three to four million weekers or monthers into the mix.) Only city in America with that kind of population swing on an annual basis.
And last, if you are an outdoorsy couple, no matter what time of year, you will love Phoenix. No more brutal winters. The summers are very hot, but usually not that bad until after 10 or 1030 in the morning, and pretty nice when the sun goes down, especially if you have a pool.
Do not expect the openess and friendliness of the midwest. Everyone is from somewhere else. The houses, for instance, are oriented toward the back yards, which is where the pools are located. Very rare to see a front porch on a house like in the midwest. People pull in at night, especially in the summer, close the garage door and head to the pools and the grills in the back yards. People are not intentionally being rude, they are simple with their families or trying to get comfortable in the pool.
Good luck in your new life.
I don't disagree that there are many areas of Phoenix that have that sort of 'drive-into-the-garage' and never meet your neighbors thing. BUT...I do want the OP to know that there are definitely some exceptions to that rule. I think we had that discussion here not too long ago and it seemed to depend a lot on the neighborhood you choose(and sometimes just luck of the draw). I know in the historic districts (Willo, Encanto, etc.) there tend to be a lot more of those front porches that you mention. And in my neighborhood especially, people are always walking dogs, jogging, outside doing yardwork. Every time I'm in my yard pulling weeds, etc...people walking by invariably say hi or whatever...people even wave from their cars. I know almost all of my surrounding neighbors and have chats with them(just pleasant small talk, no one trying to be nosy and get into anyone's intimate business). But, I'm obviously outgoing and send out those vibes! lol If the OP doesn't like that, then she may choose other neighborhoods that are more 'introverted'? hahaha
Wow, thanks everyone! Lots of great information (minus the political stuff, I am aware of politics and that's not where this conversation is going, nor do I want it to, so keep that to another thread!) I simply wanted to start this conversation to get a feel and I am glad I did. I will look into the magazine and local happenings and get involved. We are going to need to make all new friends, which isn't easy, we are leaving a great group here.
We are moving to the northern part of Phoenix, not exactly sure how to explain where. Close to Union Hills if that helps!
Any other advice is welcomed As in... places to go, things to see, jobs to work, haha any and everything!
Well, I wonder what types of things do you both like? If you like the outdoors and nature, there's a lot to explore in terms of hiking/bicycling. If you're in the Northern part of Phoenix, then you're probably not too far from the Dreamy Draw preserve, which has plenty of nice hiking/walking trails. And if you haven't already seen Sedona and the Grand Canyon, then you absolutely must see those, too! Both are great for a day trip or even longer. In town, we've got the beautiful and unique Desert Botanical Gardens- I would imagine the contrast to MN flora to be quite extreme and interesting! Btw, if you have any interest in gardening, you can actually grow a lot here in Phoenix, but our seasons are reversed in the sense that we grow (almost) everything in the winter season. But even in the summer, you can grow heat-lovers like tomatoes and peppers! Right now I've got some strawberries, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and peas in my garden- yum!
For entertainment, we've got all the normal assortment of clubs, restaurants, movies, and fine arts as well. There are larger clusters of these in Scottsdale (which is probably closest to where you are?), downtown Phoenix, and Tempe. One museum I'd like to recommend that is close to north Phoenix is the Museum of Musical Instruments (aka the MIM). Not only is it a really nice museum, but they have a great series of concerts with world-class musicians, as well as activities, such as how to 'play the Balinese gamelan'. They've got a website with more details if you're interested.
Sports- if you like sports- well, there are tons of choices as a viewer or participant. We've got plenty of pro-teams. I'm a huge Cardinals fan (NFL)- you might be aware that wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who is a huge NFL star, actually grew up in MN. None of our pro-teams are doing really well lately, but hope springs eternal for sports fans! lol
Hopefully, with living in the north, you'll be able to find work not too far from there. Traffic going south during workday weeks can be a bit congested. I wish I could be more help, but I'm just not as familar with the north side as I am with other parts of town! I'm sure you'll meet some really friendly people here- whether they be gay, straight, or somewhere else on the Kinsey scale! Feel free to ask more questions if you've got them.
PS. Shopping is decent if you like that...Kierland Commons in Scottsdale comes to mind. But dare I say that to someone coming from the land of 'Mall of America'? lol
Last edited by observer53; 03-24-2013 at 03:31 PM..
I can't wait to check out ALL of it! We are the outdoorsy type for sure so this will be exciting for us. We are sick of staying in for 6 months, so we are aware that the summers are going to be hot, but at least we could get up early and walk our dogs and go out after dark for a late dinner or drinks. My wife is a big sports girl, so she will still follow the Twins, Vikings, and Wild but we will still go to games in AZ to experience it. We love going out and about.
We love shopping too!
Any good Thai places with good Pad Thai? We are sad AZ doesn't have Saw Wa Dee like here in MN. So we have to find a new Pad Thai place!
We have two small dogs are there any good places to take them to walk? Or small dog parks? Or know of any good boarding companies? Since we don't have family/friends here we will eventually need to board them if we stay some where over night or for a weekend.
I can't wait to check out ALL of it! We are the outdoorsy type for sure so this will be exciting for us. We are sick of staying in for 6 months, so we are aware that the summers are going to be hot, but at least we could get up early and walk our dogs and go out after dark for a late dinner or drinks. My wife is a big sports girl, so she will still follow the Twins, Vikings, and Wild but we will still go to games in AZ to experience it. We love going out and about.
We love shopping too!
Any good Thai places with good Pad Thai? We are sad AZ doesn't have Saw Wa Dee like here in MN. So we have to find a new Pad Thai place!
We have two small dogs are there any good places to take them to walk? Or small dog parks? Or know of any good boarding companies? Since we don't have family/friends here we will eventually need to board them if we stay some where over night or for a weekend.
Wild Thaiger on Central in mid-town has great food, lovely presentation, and is very reasonably priced.
I live in North Phoenix and my dogs enjoy Dreamy Draw and Roadrunner Park - they have ducks and geese, and a farmer's market every Saturday.
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As in... places to go, things to see, jobs to work, haha any and everything!
