Why should we move to Phoenix? (Tucson, Globe: for sale, neighborhoods, buy)
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Well jeez, so far ya'll aren't making me want to move there lol. Is there anything you DO like about Phoenix?
I moved to AZ from the northern CA bay area and I think San Francisco would fit your lifestyle very well. The rivers are wonderful for the activities you mentioned and there are numerous lakes as well as the ocean for exploring. I would visit first to see if it is a good fit for you. There are some wonderful cultural centers all around the northern coast and I think you would have fun visiting the small coastal communities there as well as a hop and skip over to my favorite place on earth, Napa. Even if you do not drink great wines, their mustard festival is worth going to and not to mention some fantasic places to dine. I miss tide pools very much. The property taxes are high in CA and San Fran is one of the more expensive places as far as housing goes. But if budget is not a problem, that may be your place. AZ to me is one big sprawl with little cultural identity which does not bother me at all since I like big cities and I love our air and love, love our lower taxes and housing costs. Best of luck to you
Well in terms of liberal people San Fransisco wins right there but in terms of sports teams to root for Phoenix has all 4 major sports teams. Plus no major city in the U.S has better outdoor activities than Phoenix. You can do just about every sport from jet skiing to snowboarding within an hour or more drive of the area. Phoenix is a very modern city, has it's historic areas too, but they're just overshadowed by the more modern buildings. You have the urban lifestyle of Phoenix downtown, the parties of Tempe, the high-end shopping districts of Scottsdale, the sports of Glendale, the emerging Chandler and it's area, the mountains of Mesa, and the mansions of Paradise Valley. You have everything you need, plus more of what other cities don't.
i lived in phoenix as a kid and loved it. it's hot for 6 months of the year, the other 6 months are about as perfect as you will get. i can deal with the heat, cold sucks big-time. houses are cheap, the scenery is beautiful, outdoor activities are only limited by your imagination and physical ability. vegas, southern california, grand canyon, pine covered mountains are all a short drive away. sign me up.
san francisco is hideously expensive, cold, and hideously expensive. otherwise it is a beautiful city, lot's of stuff to do (if you have any money left over after paying your housing costs), and can be blasted off the face of the earth by a mega-quake on about any given day. california government is something i'd rather not expose myself to either, so for me, it's phoenix between these two choices.
I lived in Washington, DC, Washington State, New Jersey, and Western Pennsylvania, with a few other places tacked on for shorter stays, before I landed (for reasons I won't bore you with) in Arizona. I live in Tucson but I'm not crazy about it and have to drive all the way to Phoenix for many of the activities I enjoy.
Looking at the list of things you place value in, I doubt you would be happy in Phoenix. There are things to like about it, but they are spread over an ungodly urban sprawl connected by freeways similar to those in LA.
There are teams for all the major sports, but they are not supported with the hometown enthusiasm one finds in many other American cities. When you go to see the Diamondbacks, you are likely to have a fan from the visiting team sitting beside you. When the Cardinals were in the Superbowl, all I could think about was remembering when I lived in Pittsburgh and how the whole city goes totally nuts when the Steelers are doing well. There was NO comparison in Phoenix. I think the Suns are the most popular team and there is certainly great enthusiasm for ASU football, but passion for pro sports in Phoenix is less than impressive.
Yes, you will find water sports, but you have to travel far from anywhere to do that, unless you call swimming in your own pool water sports. Hiking is the most popular leisure activity in Arizona. Please understand that much of the year in Phoenix it is too hot to be outside in mid-day. I know it's hot in SC, I've spent time there and I lived in DC. But humid hot NOT what we have in Arizona. We have lean-on-your-car-and-get-a-first-degree-burn hot. Fail-to-wear-sunglasses-and-you-will-get-cataracts hot. Everyone-looks-five-years-older-than-they-are hot.
There are two nice art museums in Phoenix. But they are nice; they are not world-class. And I'm not comparing them to NY and LA. I'm comparing them to Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Yes, there's plenty of upscale shopping. Arizona may now be the second poorest state in the nation, but there are still plenty of millionaires in Phoenix.
You will meet lots of nice people throughout Arizona -- most that I come in contact with in my suburban white environment have brought the tastes and values of their Wisconsin and Michigan roots with them. They are not sophisticated. I DO NOT mean that as an indictment -- many people consider that a great asset. But it's a fact that neither Phoenix nor Tucson could ever earn the tag "sophisticated." Politically, it is conservative and not likely to change in the near future. People here who qualify as screaming liberals would be considered moderate in many other states. I would agree with a previous poster who said the majority of conservatives here are fiscal conservatives with their "I take care of my own and to h@ll with you attitude," but you cannot dismiss the idea that much of the conservatism is also influenced by the fact that there are many Mormons and evangelical Christians in Arizona. They are a very vocal influence on local communities.
You didn't mention having children, but please note that education is an issue that constantly haunts Arizona. If you are leaving SC because of poor schools, you are going out of the frying pan into the fire. You will find some good schools in Phoenix if you look for them. But overall, while people pay lip service to education, they are totally unwilling to pay cash. AZ leads the nation in high school drop outs and spends a pathetically low amount per student on public schools. Google it and see the comparisons. It makes a difference in overall quality of life. Arizona is doomed to a future of being run by people who have substandard educations.
What's good about Phoenix: best place in America for mid-century modern architectural preservation and there are many architects who do stunning new contemporary homes, so no doubt you could find a house you would like. Real estate bargains are currently second only to Las Vegas in the Southwest. No matter how loudly the libertarians complain, taxes are ridiculously low compared to other states. And, to me, the influence of Native Americans and Latinos adds a great richness to the culture here. But for every person who agrees with me on that, there is another who would prefer an Arizona that would more closely resemble Michele Bachmann's Congressional district.
I've spent a lot of time in San Francisco for business and, to me, it would be the greatest place in the country to live ... if you can afford it. Architecture, amazing. Weather, moderate year around. Culture, world-class. Restaurants, arguably the best in the nation. Shopping, ditto. Sports and entertainment, nothing I can think of that's not nearby if not in the city. A city that draw the educated, the talented, and the ambitious. You can have the urbanity of Boston, the excitement of New York, the relaxation of Charleston, and the cultural mix of Miami in one tidy package. Unfortunately, enough other people think so that it costs way more than I could ever pay.
We are very light on "historic" areas and culture, and if you're a liberal like myself, prepare to be baffled by the "conservative" mindset. You must live under a frikkin rock
Government here is run by & for businesses You mean the way it should be?
There isn't a drop of water here for recreation, but many apartment complexes have fountains you could play in if so inclined. There is water, you just have to go look for it. We have rivers and lakes
That said, the people are the same as anywhere else - you will get a few "hand signals" if you obey the speed limit when driving, which is a surprise - since we can carry our guns around anywhere without licenses or training. WE? Being a Liberal, aren't you afraid if guns?
Come on out and look around if you're serious...
You can get yourself a photo-radar ticket while you're here ... Not anymore, again, you must live under a rock. The Camera's are no longer active.
check out the sights, and get a feel for the town...
Arizona has more culture than you can even comprehend. Have you ever heard of the Herd Museum?
Well jeez, so far ya'll aren't making me want to move there lol. Is there anything you DO like about Phoenix?
I didn't say that I didn't like living in Phoenix - your questions centered around the people and the culture, and the social climate. Phoenix is a great place for those that can "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". If you think there's any possibility whatsoever you may need any social programs in the future (welfare, education, etc) understand that Phoenicians are too cheap to pay for it.
You won't find a publicly funded opera, or art - unless the feds pay for it. A monthly unemployment benefit in AZ is about equal to a weekly benefit in CA. If, for some reason in the future you lose your job, and can't pay your rent, you'll be evicted in 15 days if the landlord knows what he's doing - and he can keep your stuff. Our court system is heavily skewed towards businesses, and our consumer protection laws are almost non-existent - enforcement is very lax, since no one wants to pay for it.
All the blathering posts speaking of "bountiful" water here are just wishful thinking. Owning a boat or a jet-ski here is about as useful as a pair of snowshoes. It's a desert. There isn't anything wrong with that, it's just different.
My property tax bill is about 1/4 what it would be in my old home state - which is nice, but sometimes you get what you pay for. I believe Phoenix will be one of the cities that leads any future recovery in this country because we do have lax labor laws, low taxes, and a legal system that is hopelessly skewed in favor of business. The knife cuts both ways..
My husband and I are looking at relocating this spring. We've been strongly interested in Tampa, FL, but we have started swaying toward perhaps San Francisco or Phoenix, AZ. Being from SC, I know absolutely nothing about the west coast. So my question to you is, why should I want to move to Phoenix?
Things that are important to us: sports teams to root for, lots of outdoor activities, water sports (kayaking, boating), museums, nice malls, shopping, historic areas, we want to live somewhere with character, nice people, preferably more liberal than conservative, I am 26 and my husband is 30 and we just want to live in nice modern housing within a city with lots to do.
Things that aren't important to us: school districts (not planning on having kids)
Any input would be great, and more than I know right now! lol
Thanks!
You're going to find a more liberal atmosphere in San Francisco than in Phoenix. You'll also find more historic areas in San Francisco and more architecture - it's an older city, so it had more time to develop that.
Sports teams are in both cities - Phoenix has all four sports teams. Lots of outdoor activities in both cities. Probably more water opportunities in San Francisco, though there are lakes around Phoenix. Both cities have excellent shopping. Both cities have some nice museums.
It sounds like you'd probably fit into San Francisco a little better given your description - the problem, of course, with San Francisco is affordability. It's very expensive there, far more so than Phoenix.
And to my mind, either Phoenix or San Francisco beats Tampa, Florida.
Arizona has more culture than you can even comprehend. Have you ever heard of the Herd Museum?
The Herd Museum is, indeed, a wonderful regional museum that contributes to our understanding of our history and the local culture. The Phoenix museums of art, contemporary art, and natural history, as well as Taliesin West, are also assets.
But please remember, Phoenix is the FIFTH largest city in our nation! Phoenix should be trying to compete with Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia in terms of its cultural attractions -- and if you think that's happening, you are seriously misinformed. Phoenix has almost FOUR TIMES the number of people who live in Boston. Have you ever been to the museums in Boston? They've had more important art works stolen than we have in every museum in Phoenix combined. Cleveland is smaller than Mesa and its museums run rings around Phoenix. San Francisco, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Miami, and Atlanta all have better museums than Phoenix.
I give all props to the fine people who are trying to bring art to the desert of Arizona, but it will take centuries, not decades, for this city to catch up with what's going on elsewhere at the rate we're going now.
The Herd Museum is, indeed, a wonderful regional museum that contributes to our understanding of our history and the local culture. The Phoenix museums of art, contemporary art, and natural history, as well as Taliesin West, are also assets.
But please remember, Phoenix is the FIFTH largest city in our nation! Phoenix should be trying to compete with Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia in terms of its cultural attractions -- and if you think that's happening, you are seriously misinformed. Phoenix has almost FOUR TIMES the number of people who live in Boston. Have you ever been to the museums in Boston? They've had more important art works stolen than we have in every museum in Phoenix combined. Cleveland is smaller than Mesa and its museums run rings around Phoenix. San Francisco, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Miami, and Atlanta all have better museums than Phoenix.
I give all props to the fine people who are trying to bring art to the desert of Arizona, but it will take centuries, not decades, for this city to catch up with what's going on elsewhere at the rate we're going now.
I think the "Lack there of" in Phoenix is due to the rapid growth over the last 10 years. Far to fast for the city and county to match its growth. For instance, loop 101 wasn't completed until 2001, loop 202 wasn't completed until 2008.
Maricopa Accounts for over 1/2 the total Population in Arizona. Arizona population is 6,500,180; and Maricopa County Population is 4,281,899, according to the current census. That is 65.8% of the population, lives in Maricopa county. Yikes! The 2000 Census, Maricopa County had a population of 3,072,168. In 10 years, that is a massive expansion, when the valley commute didn't change hardly at all. Over 1 million more people on the road, mostly in the west valley, as you can clearly see where the expansion took place, and nothing has changed as far as the commuting. In my opinion, a new Museum is the last thing on the minds of the county clerk.
As far as big cities go, Phoenix has a low cost of living. But you also don't feel like you're in a big city here. It feels more like a large collection of neighborhoods.
Lots of outdoor activities, great shopping, entertainment. Culture is around but you have to look for it a little harder. Hispanic and native American culture is all around. Chinese cultural center is interesting.
Very important that you have a job lined up because the job market is not good unless you have some very specialized experienced that is in demand.
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