As a long time member, and one who moved to Phoenix and left (my thoughts).. (Scottsdale: crime, houses)
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I wanted to like Phoenix, I really did. I convinced myself, it was this desert paradise - low cost of living, endless sun, unique scenery, perfect right? I had one acquaintence in Scottsdale, and being one year removed from college, and fed up with NYC's high cost of living and high stress, I was convinced I made the right decision...I was wrong..
Unfortunately, too many people bundle up Phoenix, with the rest of the valley, and while the suburbs were fairly nice, when you judge Phoenix on it's own merits, it falters. There was just a general blandness to Phoenix, and the novelty of the blue skies, and cacti quickly wear thin. Phoenix just seemed to be endless sprawl. Bland houses, strip malls, chain restaurants and stores, for miles and miles on end, with very little to stand out. With the exception of Ahwatukee, the Biltmore and far northern Phoenix. The downtown was the biggest joke, people should not need to flock to the suburbs for nightlife, the suburbians should be coming downtown. For a city of 1.5 million, I've seen cities with populations of 50,000 have livelier downtowns (and currently live in one). Most of Phoenix seemed to be poor and crime-ridden (all of central phoenix, west Phoenix, and south Phoenix), while in most cities bad neighborhoods are the exception, in phoenix they were the rule. Crime was much higher than I believed, and there was an extreme lack of things to do in the city. Yes, there is Jazz, Museums, book stores, but really what city doesn't have this, and more of it in higher quality. Yes, you can hike, but think twice due to the heat.
And the heat - I was a sunworshipper; I always loved the heat. Miami in the summer, Las Vegas in mid-July, bring it on, never bothered me. Phoenix was a different beast. An unrelenting heat that was not just three months, but began in March and ended in November. By March it was hitting 90, and if you want to say it's dry, the sun was intense and 90 in March felt very hot. If you still want to say it's dry, that might work for 90 in May (which was a rarity), but wait until it's 110. 110 with 10% humidity is far worse than 90 with 65% humidity. 110 degrees is 110 degrees, it will suck the life out of you, make you run for the indoors. Whereas, Las Vegas cools down noticeably at night, the urban heat island known as Phoenix, does not. Oftentimes it was a brutal 100 degrees at midnight, and I would leave for work at 8 AM, and it would be a scorching 95 degrees...And don't think the winters are warm like Miami. After enduring such a summer, a warm winter would have been cherished. However, many days failed to get out of the 50s and felt much cooler due to the dry air and wind. Nights often dropped into the 30s.
Spend an entire summer here, before you move here. Don't give up a lively and cultural city like NYC for this endless sprawl of heat...And I have not missed it.
Phoenix is definitely not for everyone. Many people miss seeing green hills and trees. The heat is intense. There is a lot to do here but you do have to plan around the heat for half the year. But, at least you know what you like and were able to move there. Good for you.
There are generally 3 types of people that move to Phoenix.
1) People that move here with a positive attitude and genuinely want to make their home in Phoenix.
2) People that come here to visit, fall in love with the desert scenery, and decide to move here permanently.
3) People that are fed up with cold winters, high costs of living, lack of jobs, and feel that Phoenix with be a magical oasis in the desert.
Group 1 usually toughs it out, realizes that Phoenix does have its' share of problems but decides the pros outweigh the cons. They are the ones who are most likely to stay living here.
Group 2 usually split into two subcategories, 1 that realizes Phoenix is definitely not for them and the other that embraces everything it has to offer and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. 50% of group 2 will move to a different city (or go back to where they are from) within 5 years. The other 50% will stay here, make a home, and enjoy their lives.
Group 3 almost always move within a few years of living here. They complain about the heat, the illegals, the sprawl, and the job market and decide they should have never moved. Group 3 seems to be the one's that complain the most and not embrace anything that Phoenix offers.
I feel that this forum IS a great resource to each category of people but I feel many don't educate themselves on where they are moving and are setting themselves up for failure.
I don't get it. If you don't like a city and finally leave it, why would you go back to that city's forum and bash it? I absolutely hate where my mom lives, but I'm not going to go over to that forum and run down the city. Just because I didn't like living there doesn't mean the next new resident won't love it.
The heat starts in March and ends in November? March is almost over, and I think we have had like 2 days over 80 degrees. No 100+ days in the next week as far as I can tell. You're right, if you can't hack temperatures in the upper 70's, Phoenix is not for you. And it's not a "city" that should be compared to NYC. I mean, did you really think it would be anything like NYC? Same can be said for LA and many other larger cities. I lived in Manhattan for the good portion of a summer in college while staying with my girlfriends parents. It's an entirely different world, and someplace great to visit, but I would never want to live there. I love my large grassy lot, swimming pool, spa, BBQ too much to deal with that nonsense. And the surrounding burroughs were pure junk. I felt like I stepped back into the 1970's once I left Manhattan for some of the surrounding areas. Different strokes for different folks. Of course people should check Phoenix out before buying a place here, but isn't that true of any city?
I wanted to like Phoenix, I really did. I convinced myself, it was this desert paradise - low cost of living, endless sun, unique scenery, perfect right? I had one acquaintence in Scottsdale, and being one year removed from college, and fed up with NYC's high cost of living and high stress, I was convinced I made the right decision...I was wrong..
Unfortunately, too many people bundle up Phoenix, with the rest of the valley, and while the suburbs were fairly nice, when you judge Phoenix on it's own merits, it falters. There was just a general blandness to Phoenix, and the novelty of the blue skies, and cacti quickly wear thin. Phoenix just seemed to be endless sprawl. Bland houses, strip malls, chain restaurants and stores, for miles and miles on end, with very little to stand out. With the exception of Ahwatukee, the Biltmore and far northern Phoenix. The downtown was the biggest joke, people should not need to flock to the suburbs for nightlife, the suburbians should be coming downtown. For a city of 1.5 million, I've seen cities with populations of 50,000 have livelier downtowns (and currently live in one). Most of Phoenix seemed to be poor and crime-ridden (all of central phoenix, west Phoenix, and south Phoenix), while in most cities bad neighborhoods are the exception, in phoenix they were the rule. Crime was much higher than I believed, and there was an extreme lack of things to do in the city. Yes, there is Jazz, Museums, book stores, but really what city doesn't have this, and more of it in higher quality. Yes, you can hike, but think twice due to the heat.
And the heat - I was a sunworshipper; I always loved the heat. Miami in the summer, Las Vegas in mid-July, bring it on, never bothered me. Phoenix was a different beast. An unrelenting heat that was not just three months, but began in March and ended in November. By March it was hitting 90, and if you want to say it's dry, the sun was intense and 90 in March felt very hot. If you still want to say it's dry, that might work for 90 in May (which was a rarity), but wait until it's 110. 110 with 10% humidity is far worse than 90 with 65% humidity. 110 degrees is 110 degrees, it will suck the life out of you, make you run for the indoors. Whereas, Las Vegas cools down noticeably at night, the urban heat island known as Phoenix, does not. Oftentimes it was a brutal 100 degrees at midnight, and I would leave for work at 8 AM, and it would be a scorching 95 degrees...And don't think the winters are warm like Miami. After enduring such a summer, a warm winter would have been cherished. However, many days failed to get out of the 50s and felt much cooler due to the dry air and wind. Nights often dropped into the 30s.
Spend an entire summer here, before you move here. Don't give up a lively and cultural city like NYC for this endless sprawl of heat...And I have not missed it.
I wanted to like Phoenix, I really did. I convinced myself, it was this desert paradise - low cost of living, endless sun, unique scenery, perfect right? I had one acquaintence in Scottsdale, and being one year removed from college, and fed up with NYC's high cost of living and high stress, I was convinced I made the right decision...I was wrong..
Unfortunately, too many people bundle up Phoenix, with the rest of the valley, and while the suburbs were fairly nice, when you judge Phoenix on it's own merits, it falters. There was just a general blandness to Phoenix, and the novelty of the blue skies, and cacti quickly wear thin. Phoenix just seemed to be endless sprawl. Bland houses, strip malls, chain restaurants and stores, for miles and miles on end, with very little to stand out. With the exception of Ahwatukee, the Biltmore and far northern Phoenix. The downtown was the biggest joke, people should not need to flock to the suburbs for nightlife, the suburbians should be coming downtown. For a city of 1.5 million, I've seen cities with populations of 50,000 have livelier downtowns (and currently live in one). Most of Phoenix seemed to be poor and crime-ridden (all of central phoenix, west Phoenix, and south Phoenix), while in most cities bad neighborhoods are the exception, in phoenix they were the rule. Crime was much higher than I believed, and there was an extreme lack of things to do in the city. Yes, there is Jazz, Museums, book stores, but really what city doesn't have this, and more of it in higher quality. Yes, you can hike, but think twice due to the heat.
And the heat - I was a sunworshipper; I always loved the heat. Miami in the summer, Las Vegas in mid-July, bring it on, never bothered me. Phoenix was a different beast. An unrelenting heat that was not just three months, but began in March and ended in November. By March it was hitting 90, and if you want to say it's dry, the sun was intense and 90 in March felt very hot. If you still want to say it's dry, that might work for 90 in May (which was a rarity), but wait until it's 110. 110 with 10% humidity is far worse than 90 with 65% humidity. 110 degrees is 110 degrees, it will suck the life out of you, make you run for the indoors. Whereas, Las Vegas cools down noticeably at night, the urban heat island known as Phoenix, does not. Oftentimes it was a brutal 100 degrees at midnight, and I would leave for work at 8 AM, and it would be a scorching 95 degrees...And don't think the winters are warm like Miami. After enduring such a summer, a warm winter would have been cherished. However, many days failed to get out of the 50s and felt much cooler due to the dry air and wind. Nights often dropped into the 30s.
Spend an entire summer here, before you move here. Don't give up a lively and cultural city like NYC for this endless sprawl of heat...And I have not missed it.
I am curious, did you move to Vegas, or back to New York?
I too wonder why people who move from AZ feel the need to come back to the forums and write how awful it is here. Maybe they are really unhappy about their decision leaving the valley and to make them feel better and justify their move in their minds they have to bash us and our way of life like a immature school kid. You moved on....so move on!!!!
It's like the guy ranting as he is walking out the door.
You are changing the locks as soon as he leaves.
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