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Well I say you let the young lady read through the thread and decide for herself. Moderator cut: hostile I have looked at the demographics of Denver and see Phoenix has about 20% more hispanics, but the difference in all other races is negligible. I have always thought of diversity as more than two races because by that definition you could call Mississippi diverse since it has a large black / white demographic while other nationalities are minimal. Lets not argue amongst eachother. We have each presented our opinions Moderator cut: hostile .
In avoidance of making this an argument thread I'll just leave what we've said as is. The OP hasn't chimed in yet so I don't know what more she'd need to know as of now.
If you can justify calling Denver just as or the same in diversity with at least 20% less minorities a negligible difference then cool. But hispanics can be of any race...
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 12-01-2009 at 07:09 PM..
Here's my story in a nutshell. I'm a 30 y.o. single, female, no kids, and college educated. Chicago native; lived in SW Florida (not by my choice, parents decided when I was younger), Denver, Las Vegas & L.A.
I was laid off from my job in Las Vegas (Director of marketing for a production company - I have a solid yet diverse resume) and saved myself further job hunting frustration and got out of there before the economy tanked even more. (Vegas is at 13% unemployment and most of my friends have either been laid off and have left as well.)
I unhappily and temporarily moved back to Denver to be with my sister to develop plan B. (Denver is my second home as I went to high school and college out here, but was so excited to move back to Vegas for the second time a year-and-a-half ago.)
However, I seriously dislike Denver: the snow, the cold wealther, ugly people, snobs, boring city, boring people, no industry, vanilla people (I am Caucasian but please can we have some diversity?!!!), no night-life and horrible city for dating. There is nothing new for me to explore here and frankly, I feel like a stale 90 year old woman. This city has turned this extroverted, flamboyant chick into a miserable hermit. Denver is a great place to be married, have children, ski and drive an SUV. For me, no thank you.
I've been to Phoenix/Scottsdale four times; Sedona & Tempe twice. I love the desert landscape (people think I'm nuts, but my stomach flips in excitement when I feel the warm air on my skin and drive through the scenic desert - it feels good to be there.)
Anyways, I have some concerns and am very interested in getting your honest opinions.
1.) I have never "partied" in Phoenix. Not that this is on the top of my list of priorities when it comes to relocating, but I want a city that provides me with a fun night life and doesn't drop DEAD at 1:30am either. How's the nightlife out there? Rock bars? Clubs? I love variety and love exploring new places. Do you think Phoenix could offer me this?
2.) One of the reasons I left Las Vegas was that it is a breeding ground for illiterate, shady, flakey SHARKS! I am very concerned that Phoenix might be filled with the shady jerks spilled over from Las Vegas. How have you found the quality of people there? Ease of making new friends? I'm very outgoing and have never had problems making friends; although as I'm getting older I'm seeking more quality people people in my life. (ie educated, friendly, responsible, people
3.) Anyone ever had a huge scorpion or tarantula in their house/apartment? Just had to ask! I'd occasionally get sand roaches in my place in Vegas. Gross, but not a total freak out.
4.) How is the singles scene? Dating?
5.) I've read that there's low wages out there. I disliked that about Las Vegas. I have an opportunity to work from the house, but I'm not sure that would float my boat either, so I want to keep my options open too.
Thank you for your thoughts, opinions...
I am 4 years older than you. I was born and raised in Phoenix (lived there for 30 years) and moved to Vegas 4 years ago. All I can say is you are going to be greatly disappointed. On everyday day to day life, Vegas and Phoenix mirror each other. The exception is Vegas has a much better nightlife, while Phoenix does have a better job market. I also met way more schemers, thieves, low lifes etc in Phoenix compared to Vegas. All I can say is if you hated Vegas, you are going to hate Phoenix the same or worse.
The votes are in and its 5 to 2 against Phoenix. With 2 of the other posters being neutral.
Look up the demographics yourself and consider that even if Phoenix slanted to a 50/50 white & hispanic population it doesnt really make it "diverse". Areas that get heavy concentrations of only 2 races tend to draw boundaries on which side is "theirs". You will most likely pick a white area, frequent more white establishments and probably not experience anything significantly different than where you are right now.
Dont get me wrong you are able to find a neighborhood that is well mixed in Phx, I'm sure if you look hard enough, but as a city, it would be a stretch to label Phoenix "diverse". More diverse than Denver? Sure, maybe, I dont know. But as long as you are packing up all of your possessions and moving SOMEWHERE, I could almost guarantee there are better directions to point your moving truck.
You describe yourself as flamboyant, young, single and 30 years old. You have the world to choose from. The post you wrote could have been me describing Phoenix and my premature elderly feelings. Surely you can find a place that offers much more than here. If you are serious about finding someplace that makes you feel young and alive, dont take my word for it, let majority rule, find a real city to move to.
Here's my story in a nutshell. I'm a 30 y.o. single, female, no kids, and college educated. Chicago native; lived in SW Florida (not by my choice, parents decided when I was younger), Denver, Las Vegas & L.A.
I was laid off from my job in Las Vegas (Director of marketing for a production company - I have a solid yet diverse resume) and saved myself further job hunting frustration and got out of there before the economy tanked even more. (Vegas is at 13% unemployment and most of my friends have either been laid off and have left as well.)
I unhappily and temporarily moved back to Denver to be with my sister to develop plan B. (Denver is my second home as I went to high school and college out here, but was so excited to move back to Vegas for the second time a year-and-a-half ago.)
However, I seriously dislike Denver: the snow, the cold wealther, ugly people, snobs, boring city, boring people, no industry, vanilla people (I am Caucasian but please can we have some diversity?!!!), no night-life and horrible city for dating. There is nothing new for me to explore here and frankly, I feel like a stale 90 year old woman. This city has turned this extroverted, flamboyant chick into a miserable hermit. Denver is a great place to be married, have children, ski and drive an SUV. For me, no thank you.
I've been to Phoenix/Scottsdale four times; Sedona & Tempe twice. I love the desert landscape (people think I'm nuts, but my stomach flips in excitement when I feel the warm air on my skin and drive through the scenic desert - it feels good to be there.)
Anyways, I have some concerns and am very interested in getting your honest opinions.
1.) I have never "partied" in Phoenix. Not that this is on the top of my list of priorities when it comes to relocating, but I want a city that provides me with a fun night life and doesn't drop DEAD at 1:30am either. How's the nightlife out there? Rock bars? Clubs? I love variety and love exploring new places. Do you think Phoenix could offer me this?
2.) One of the reasons I left Las Vegas was that it is a breeding ground for illiterate, shady, flakey SHARKS! I am very concerned that Phoenix might be filled with the shady jerks spilled over from Las Vegas. How have you found the quality of people there? Ease of making new friends? I'm very outgoing and have never had problems making friends; although as I'm getting older I'm seeking more quality people people in my life. (ie educated, friendly, responsible, people
3.) Anyone ever had a huge scorpion or tarantula in their house/apartment? Just had to ask! I'd occasionally get sand roaches in my place in Vegas. Gross, but not a total freak out.
4.) How is the singles scene? Dating?
5.) I've read that there's low wages out there. I disliked that about Las Vegas. I have an opportunity to work from the house, but I'm not sure that would float my boat either, so I want to keep my options open too.
Yeah, she said too cold for her liking; she likes heat and sunshine...Seattle is less diverse demographically than Phoenix as well; San Francisco is arguably the second most diverse city in the country, however, with NYC being the first.
The votes are in and its 5 to 2 against Phoenix. With 2 of the other posters being neutral.
9 votes out of 4.3 million, hardly count that as a consensus.
Quote:
Look up the demographics yourself and consider that even if Phoenix slanted to a 50/50 white & hispanic population it doesnt really make it "diverse". Areas that get heavy concentrations of only 2 races tend to draw boundaries on which side is "theirs". You will most likely pick a white area, frequent more white establishments and probably not experience anything significantly different than where you are right now.
Hispanic isn't a race people! Asian, White, Native, Black can all be hispanic...what matters are diverse ethnicities, cultures, and yes races of which there are plenty in Phoenix. But stereotyping and lumping all people in one category together, you do each unique culture a disservice. Kind of like saying all people of one race "look the same."
Quote:
You describe yourself as flamboyant, young, single and 30 years old. You have the world to choose from. The post you wrote could have been me describing Phoenix and my premature elderly feelings. Surely you can find a place that offers much more than here. If you are serious about finding someplace that makes you feel young and alive, dont take my word for it, let majority rule, find a real city to move to.
Well this is certainly your opinion, but others differ. I don't know if I wouldn't even call Denver a "real city." I think such label are stupid and has nothing to do with the actual fact that a city is a city is a city as a rose is a rose. We can get more poetic but I'm sure everyone gets the point. Moderator cut: hostile
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 12-02-2009 at 09:46 AM..
Having lived in both, I have to agree there are some similarities between Denver and Phoenix. Both are sprawling; both have redeveloping downtowns (Denver's is more developed); both are western in character; both are surrounded by mountains, and apart from the more desert-like Phoenix, have a similar dry high air kind of feel; both are sports communities; both have a boom and bust economy, etc.
That said, I think Phoenix - or at least Scottsdale - has a better nightlife scene than Denver does. And Phoenix is surprisingly literate. Just like Denver has the Tattered Cover, one of the best bookstores in the country, the Poisoned Pen, is here. Phoenix also has a major symphony, ballet, several small theaters (more than Denver), lots of art fairs, and young people. And the economy, tattered though it is, is better than Las Vegas.
Still, one thing worries me here - if you don't like Denver's sprawling blandness - and I know what you mean - you may find the same trouble with Phoenix. The cities have a similar "feel" as opposed to the more urban cities like Chicago - which if I was a young single, that would be the city I'd prefer to live in.
Well, I grew up in Arizona and have traveled extensively both in the US and internationally, so here is a perspective from someone who has lived here awhile and has seen the proverbial "other side of the fence" as well:
There are plusses and minuses to living in Arizona--as there is with any state. I wouldn't call Metro Phoenix a "cosmo" city. We are very laid back in Arizona so if your looking for a high-paced energy, like in New York, you won't find it. However, with that said, there are some pockets of Metro Phoenix that have a great nightlife atmosphere. Scottsdale was named by the New York Times as one of the "hippest and most happening" places in the country. It went on to further say that Scottsdale is the desert version of Miami's South Beach with "plenty of late night partying." You'll find the vast majority of nightlife is concentrated in Downtown Scottsdale. Downtown Tempe on Mill Avenue also has a pretty active nightlife (more of the college age crowd however), and there are pockets of Uptown Phoenix that have a pretty good nightlife energy as well. If you want more information go to: http://www.azcentral.com/ent/nightlife/ Now, that's not to say that every Phoenix suburb has a rockin nightlife--Mesa is like a morgue after 7:00PM, but I would say that Phoenix as a whole, has a ton of nightclubs to choose from if you know where to go.
As far as the people....lol...well Arizona is a very transient state, which means not many people have "roots" here--they all come from every state in the Union, stay a couple of years and move on. Now don't take offensive everyone, but personally, I don't find people in Arizona to be THAT friendly. Now, Texas--that's friendly. But in Arizona? Bleh..average. Yeah, you are going to find alot of caucasians here as well, but you will also find Latinos, Mexicans, Indians, and Asians. I would say Phoenix is more ethnically diverse than Denver. You won't have any problems making friends. Just have to know where to go--and yes we are very literate.
Yes, I have had several scorpions-in fact one bit my Mom in bed. But that all depends on where you live. You will have more of a problem with scorpions and such if you live on the outskirts of town or in more rural areas. Not anything to freak out over however.
As far as the single scene goes..I am madly in love, so haven't done the single scene in awhile, but I again would say "bleh." Don't get me wrong--there are a TON of singles, but as far as quality? I guess to each his own. I can't completely diss it, as I found my honey here. Again, its all relative. Of course, Forbes did a study on the best cities for singles, and as far as Phoenix goes they ranked it #30 out of 40. If you want to see the full study, here is the link:
Lastly, wages depend on what industry you are in. Wages are lower, but the cost of living is lower as opposed to say California or New York. More importantly, the job market here in Phoenix is not great right now, so make sure you have a job lined up or know you can do well in your industry before moving here. Otherwise, you will be screwed.
Hope that helps! I have always wanted to live in Denver..lol..so I guess it's true that the grass is always greener.
Sorry, but I COMPLETELY disagree. You are comparing one city, Las Vegas to Metro Phoenix which has a multitude of cities to choose from. It's really comparing apples to oranges. I mean honestly, is there anyone who really WANTS to live in Vegas?
Quote:
Originally Posted by las vegas drunk
I am 4 years older than you. I was born and raised in Phoenix (lived there for 30 years) and moved to Vegas 4 years ago. All I can say is you are going to be greatly disappointed. On everyday day to day life, Vegas and Phoenix mirror each other. The exception is Vegas has a much better nightlife, while Phoenix does have a better job market. I also met way more schemers, thieves, low lifes etc in Phoenix compared to Vegas. All I can say is if you hated Vegas, you are going to hate Phoenix the same or worse.
Just my 2 cents.
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