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Never lived in Phoenix either but been to AZ/NV and the desert plenty. Personally couldn't do it- brown and dry and dead not for me.
My sister lived in Phoenix for a year but didn't like it- too big and crowded, felt like LA sort of scene more image conscious people. She does like the desert as she lives in Tucson now and likes it a lot.
I don't think Phoenix and Raleigh really have much similarity, other than being state capitals. Phoenix is way bigger city and metro, and has a bigger airport, 4 sports teams etc. OTOH, Raleigh has the tech sector, 3 big universities, and a more educated populace.
My husband and I have a winter house in Phoenix area (main home is MN). I've only traveled to AZ a couple times in Summer and it was truly hellish! Stiflingly hot, to the point you feel sick. Can't take your dogs out without spraying down your fake grass to cool it off, definitely can't walk them on sizzling pavement! Oh, and you can't take a nice cool shower because the "cold" water comes out warm starting in May. Even your unheated pool will not be refreshing.
Also, parts of AZ are very brown. Too much sandy hardscape. Beautiful Nov-March, then it gets too hot again.
Just my opinion!
"And in 30 more years, Phoenix might feel more like the desert cities in Iraq, where temperatures can climb over 120 degrees Fahrenheit during summer heat waves'"
By 2100 - 2125 Phoenix could fall into the 'unlivable' zone. Not likely going to be your problem then, nor is probably 2050...but long term Phoenix's prospects are not great. The Triangle? Who knows, could become more like Florida worst-case scenario. Bigger hurricanes maybe. But we won't run out of water lol...
We moved to Cary from Phoenix 2 years ago, have kids. Here is our experience;
1. Weather, there is no comparison, it's far better here. Yes, it's hot and humid during the day here for about 2.5 - 3 months, but it cools down at night and you can still be outside. Our kids are outdoors all year. Winter is a joke, at worst 40 degrees, it's basically perpetual 'Fall'. Phoenix has two seasons; absolute Hell and perfection. And the heat is like 5 months long, I mean it was over 100 there in late April last year. This summer has been a nightmare for our friends there, more days over 110 than ever.
2. Scenery, this area wins out by far. It's so lush, green, beautiful here and Phoenix is...brown. Sure, Camelback is nice to look at, but Phoenix is basically a 50 mile X 50 mile strip mall. The rest of Arizona is beautiful though, but I just love the greenery here, forests, etc. Every week something new blooms, amazing.
3. People, honestly, the only difference is people are more 'neighborly' here. We actually know our neighbors here, we talke to them, we drink with them - even pre-covid. Neighborhoods feels more like a 'community' here, especially the ones with pools. In Phoenix, we never knew our neighbors. This is a far more diverse area too, you wouldn't think it being the 'south', but it is.
4. Entertainment, I have to give it to Phoenix on this front, but not by much. 'The Triangle' (Raleigh-Durham-CH) gets a lot of good concerts, and has a great indie music scene. But... many bands go to Charlotte instead which is a 2.5 hour drive. Sports, no major league anything here, but we win on College sports. I mean Phoenix has...ASU... that't it. I'm not a night club person anymore, but I imagine Scottsdale is probably more happening than what you find in Durham or Raleigh. However, restuarants, we've got plenty and better than Phoenix imo.
5. Nature/Outdoors, Triangle wins by far. Again, in Phoenix you can't even be outside for half the year. And in the city you can hike / bike desert trails. That's about it. Anything else you need to leave. Here, there are many other options and tons of greenspace. Air quality here far surpasses Phoenix, not even close. Beach? 2 hour drive from Raleigh... 6 hours from Phoenix (San Diego). Mountains? 3 hours from Raleigh, 2 hours to Flag from Phoenix...
6. Family, this is a family oriented area that's for sure. Phoenix is on some levels, but it's also retirement and younger singles. That being said, younger singles should have no issues here with 3 major universities and a plethora of other colleges.
7. Cost of living.. Phoenix is getting more expensive than the Triangle, this is a good time to 'get in' here before we catch up to the bigger cities.
8. Jobs, I think equal, you have some major employers here, RTP, Universities, and it's a state capital like Phoenix.
One other advantage here is that you are not on an 'island', with Phoenix the only other 'city' within 6 hours is Tucson, which is kind of boring. Within 4 hours of here you have Charlotte, Wilmington, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Greenville, SC, Myrtle Beach, DC, Richmond, Norfolk...the list goes on. It just seems like there is so much more out there and closer than Arizona.
We like it here much better, certainly there are some getting used to things like dark windy roads versus 'the grid' in Phoenix. But we feel the 'zen' of this area just fits us better.
To me, driving through Phoenix seems like you're in a city that shoudn't exist. You're stressed from the traiffc, everything is jumbled together close enough to create congestion, panic perhaps looking for the correct exit, and there's no canopy of trees to give scale to your surroundings...
It's always blazingly apparent that you're out in the middle of a inhospitable desert that without lots of man-made engineering really doesn't support life.
And it's flat. It's just strange-looking out there. I remember spending the night at a hotel in Kingman, AZ which looks like you're on the surface of the moon.
I'll bet many NC'ers would freak out in the wide open spaces devoid of any trees.
I moved here from Albuquerque.... which is about 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix and smaller.
I miss the SW a lot.... the big change for me , is no open space here. All land is usually owned and developed.
You can't see a horizon for the trees. There's no mountains. There's tons of biting insects. If you sit in the shade you don't dry out , you just sit wet.
That's great news... Care to share what you decided?
We have lived in Phoenix for 31 years (our whole life), and we just want something other than heat, and since Raleigh, although not as bad, still has a good deal of heat, we've decided to go visit Denver for a few days, but only as a last ditch effort to try and convince us not to move to the NW area of Washington.
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