Life in Phoenix

[NoChance]

I have lived in MN for the past 8 years. Before that it was WI my entire life. I too am being relocated to AZ. I will be in Chandler. My move date is August 8th.

[jcx]

Phoenix is a great place to live. While not the absolute steal it was 10 years ago, housing is still reasonable (you can get a nice house for $250-275K, less if you are willing to live in a far flung suburb).

If you are into outdoor activities, the opportunities are endless. Hiking, mountain biking, water sports (There are lots of lakes nearby) and of course golf (over 300 courses in Maricopa county).

I enjoy the summer heat. As long as your new job is not pounding nails on a roof, you shouldn't mind it too much. It's great after the sun goes down - nice and dry. And you can sit outside in the summertime at night and not get eaten alive by mosquitos. If you golf, you can golf $200 courses for 1/4th that in the summer - just get an early tee time (sun comes up at 5am here in middle of summer). Flagstaff, less than 3 hours away offers 7K foot altitudes and a reprieve from the heat in summer (and skiing in winter).

Culturally this town is not in the same league as Chicago. But it has come a long way and isn't the cowtown people make it out to be. There are many fine restaurants in PHX and Scottsdale, and plenty of nightlife.

Good luck whatever you choose.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

I didn't take the time to read all the replies, so maybe I'm being repetitive, but here's my take:

Phoenix blows huge chunky assballs. It's brown, it's hot and dry, and it's just... it sucks. The cost of living will be much lower in Phoenix than in Chicago, but with the way it's blowing up right now, I'd imagine the COL is going up (as is the traffic - but we all know what Chicago's like there). The 30% more you'll be making there will effectively be a noticeable amount more than that because of this. If you like it so hot you can't walk outside longer than it takes to get to your mailbox and back and you can handle the ocassional dust storm (probably about as fun as a Chicago blizzard, but with no snowball-related fun), then Phoenix may be for you. Your extra income will go towards huge A/C usage (instead of heat in Chicago). If you're not sure, I'd tend to err on the side of hating it there. I sure as hell did.

Also, what kind of city do you like? Chicago's a proper city, whereas Phoenix is a sprawl.

All that said, there are a ton of good looking women hanging around ASU and there are a few decent places to go out in that area. I'm not sure how old you are or if you care about that.

[istewart]

Living out west is for noobs.

[shayneon]

I moved to Phoenix from Milwaukee 4 years ago and I am here to stay. Great weather, beautiful ladies, wonderful mountain and desert scenery - If you like to do anything outdoors move now. Yeah the weather sucks for a few months in the summer, but sucks for a few months everywhere. What would you rather do during the bad time of year - lay by the pool or drive in a snowstorm? As an added bonus - if you buy a house anywhere in the valley now, you aren't going to believe how much you can sell it for in a couple years.

[tek]

Tucson--biggest group of crooks in one city ever, not to mention mexican drug users and dealers-a-plenty (and I mean that in a -EV way).

Phoenix--big sprawl, crime growing pollution and drug dealers and users who don't like the hot weather in Tucson.

[Thythe]

Thanks for all the advice. It's a tough choice. I really love the midwest, especially Chicago, but I have huge debt from college and making a lot more a year would really help.

[FeliciaLee]

I live in northern Arizona, about three hours from Phoenix.

I don't think I could live in Phx, but given the choice between Phx and Chicago, I'd choose Phx every time.

You could make enough money to pay off your student loan in no time, if you invest in real estate. I just can't believe the jump out here. Our house has already doubled in value and we just moved here in Sept 2003.

If you are willing to drive, you can buy a house at a higher elevation than Phx, and avoid some of the intense heat. We are at 2800 Ft. and don't have nearly the heat that Phx has.

If you want more of my opinion, please feel free to PM me. Everyone else has pretty much said the same thing, though, so you are being told the truth. It's not the greatest city, but it is far from the worst.

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
www.felicialee.net

[jackdaniels]

The west is the best baby!

[meep_42]

Someone here hook me up with a job in PHX!

(BA in Economics, BA Psychology - looking business/analyst positions, but i'll take anything with a career path. :P )

-d