Where should two 20-somethings move to? (Phoenix, Tucson: 2013, live, club)

[Hal Roach]

People with social work degrees generally need social services themselves. BTW, you'll be paying out of state tuition at all CC and State schools. 1300 a month..and he does manual labor, and no education? Sounds like fantasyland to me.

[elkotronics]

It's Hal...Roach again? With the same ridiculous name? What? You didn't learn from last time? I really can't take anything you say serious with a silly little nickname like that! Hee.

[Hal Roach]

Elko, have you applied at the new Amazon warehouse? LOL.

[kaitlynbroock]

Thank you all! This has been so very helpful.

[kaitlynbroock]

Hal Roach, such a kind comment. Thanks to everyone else for not making demeaning comments about our employment choices, my education goals, or our budget. I came on here hoping for some advice as to how to navigate the area, not be put down. You know nothing of our financial state, so keep your snide comments to yourself.

[Hal Roach]

Yes, trust fund kids, who do manual labor, always move to Phoenix for the Summer. Will you bring me some Granola?

[elkotronics]

All right, Hal, I've decided ta take a more friendly approach to you. BTW - who are you going for tonight, Golden State or Oklahoma City? If OKC wins, this will be their first NBA playoff Finals!

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by kaitlynbroock

Hello!

My boyfriend and I are looking into a potential move to Arizona. We are both mid twenty somethings, ready to leave the grey skies in Oregon behind. I will be returning to school and studying social work. I know I will end up at ASU to obtain the degree, at either the Phoenix or Tucson campus. I do have the option of taking the general classes and getting my AA at a community college and then transferring in. If I were to do this, I have of options besides Phoenix and Tucson. From what I've read, there are a lot of comm. colleges in the state. Any info on which are better, and which to avoid? Or any that provide an AA with a social work focus? This could be a large deciding factor when choosing where to live, at least temporarily.

We tend to prefer urban over rural areas, for the lifestyle, as well as the job opportunities. My boyfriend is a bit of a jack of all trades, great at manual labor, but willing to venture into anything else job wise. We want to be sure we settle on a location with job opportunities for him. I will be working from home while in school.

We do love the heat... but with that being said, we are aware that Oregon summers are not the same as Arizona summers. Is there a place in AZ that exists that isn't 110 degrees in the summer, but still warm year round? And no snow in the winter still? Maybe we are dreaming on this one, and clearly if we end up in Phoenix, we know it will be scorching hot. In a dream world, we would love to be somewhere with sun, but not overwhelming heat waves that last four months. We will (of course) be willing to compromise on this one.

Budget is ~$1300/month. Seems like that should get us an okay place for two people. No kids so we really only NEED one bedroom, but we would love more space. In Portland that isn't getting us a whole lot, and it seems like AZ has more reasonable rental costs. Correct me if I'm wrong on this one!

Safety is of course our top priority. I'm not knowledgeable on the safe places in AZ, and the places to avoid. Any info on this is much appreciated as well. We also want to be somewhere where we can embrace the outdoors.

To recap:
-Somewhere either in Phoenix or Tucson, close to ASU campus, or near a good comm. college with a social work focus.
-Not in a drab, depressing suburb. Willing to compromise on city living, but it has to be somewhere with a bit of character!
-Reasonably priced and safe
-Job opportunites
-Outdoor activities
-Perfect weather (okay, not sure this one is even possible)


So, where should we go? Thank you!

I'm pretty involved in both, I like Tucson quite a bit more, but in your scenario id move to the Phoenix area. Tucson isn't very kind to ASU grads. Tucson is a good ole boys network. My wife works in social services and worked for a few of the larger providers in Tucson when we were down there a few years ago, the pay is lower and the client resources are nil. A lot of social work is, in reality, aiding people who don't want your help function normally, which they have no interest in.

If you're going to move to Tucson skip the ASU campus and go to UA. I think youd like Tucson more, just do UA instead or a PimaCC campus.

But if you're set on ASU move to Tempe, Tempe is probably the best city in the Valley. Or central Phoenix. If you like rural, Gilbert has a rural feel, it's pretty white bread though.

Pay is markedly better up here (in my line of work I make almost 2x what I made down there, my wife's salary went up a few thousand) housing is more expensive but not significantly and the housing stock is better.

Tucson is a lot prettier, but parts of Phoenix hold their own. Tucson is like a desert jungle surrounded by large mountains and foothills with old pueblo style housing. Phoenix is a bit more barren, flatter, drier, more grass, less large fauna, larger skies, and the city has a farming history so it's softer looking.

Sorry the post is all over, I'm on a phone.

[cactusland]

Honestly, what is your budget? Phoenix vs Tucson is a big difference, and whatever you have to pay also will change things. Being around the U in Tucson in terms of cost is pretty different compared to Tempe.

[elkotronics]

PHX has more entertainment options - like rock and roll, hip-hop, etc. More plays, etc. Big-league sports, if you're in to sports. Our son lives in PHX and seems to be getting along all right. I prefer the look and "feel" of TUC much more. It is really a good-looking city - it just doesn't give off a big - city feel. TUC does have some fun entertainment venues like Club Congress downtown and The Hut on 4th Ave.


TUC is the city of U-Turns - you will soon discover this if you move there - the road designers made it such that you constantly have to do U-Turns. Instead of trying to explain it I'll just leave it at that. If you move there you'll quickly discover what I'm talking about.


PHX has a huge airport which can offer lower airfares, at least that was always the way it was when we lived in tiny Willcox, AZ. I bought my 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS at Avondale Mitsubishi, 9 miles west of PHX in Avondale, AZ. Good dealer - if you ever want a Mitsubishi I'd recommend them.


Hey, JGMotorsport64 - how are you getting along driving in PHX? Are you bothered by the high traffic volumes? I get along all right driving in PHX, however, when I'm driving a 24' U-Haul truck and towing a car with a dolly behind it, it can get sort of stressful. Especially if you go through the guts of the PHX expressway system between the hours of 5:00 and 8:00PM.