PHX or Cali for me?? (Phoenix, Tucson: for rent, houses, neighborhoods)

[mrmanz]

Hey guys, im trying to decide between PHX or somewhere in nothern california...

About me:

Im 23yrs old, black, i own an internet business & i do Ok...

Im looking for somewhere with a good young crowd and lots of activities/hobbies to do..

Basically somewhere I can make friends very easily..

I also want somewhere thats warm with little/no rain.. thats why i narrowed it down to Ariizona & California..

Im looking to spend about $2k/month for rent..

Thanks guys.

[Finger Laker]

you could live very well here on half that amount, which could be a consideration

there is a very large young population here - but that doesn't necessarily mean anything

what kind of activities/hobbies?

how outgoing are you?

how can you handle non stop sun & heat?

[shiphead]

Originally Posted by mrmanz

Hey guys, im trying to decide between PHX or somewhere in nothern california...

About me:

Im 23yrs old, black, i own an internet business & i do Ok...

Im looking for somewhere with a good young crowd and lots of activities/hobbies to do..

Basically somewhere I can make friends very easily..

I also want somewhere thats warm with little/no rain.. thats why i narrowed it down to Ariizona & California..

Im looking to spend about $2k/month for rent..

Thanks guys.

If you want no rain, live in Phoenix. California sunshine is a lie. In the northern half of California it rains from October or November till the end of march. Phoenix might rain June to August because of monsoons, but thats a giant maybe. There are a lot of outdoor activities to do in any city, what specifically are you looking for? Unsure why you brought up your race. If you are talking about a "safe" area for blacks, I do not know, but i will tell you this. My boss is black, a growing number of my coworkers are black, there seems to be a growing amount of blacks downtown.. Blacks are all over the place and it is no big deal.

I only brought that up because my friend in California, who is black, would talk about how most if not all places, were unsafe for a black man. Predominatly the south and southwest areas. Though i love him, he is completely wrong. It is the same for all races. Certain areas of a city will be racist towards another race.

Sorry... the racist stuff just annoys me and put it out there.

[mrmanz]

i actually love the sun/heat.. im in panama city, panama now.. and the only annoying thing is the rain and the language..

by activities/hobbies i mean stuff to keep me busy.. like ill take yoga, flying lessons, kick boxing classes, some volunteer work, basketball/ pingpong...

im very outgoing

Thanks Finger Laker

[mrmanz]

Originally Posted by w1ngzer0

If you want no rain, live in Phoenix. California sunshine is a lie. In the northern half of California it rains from October or November till the end of march. Phoenix might rain June to August because of monsoons, but thats a giant maybe. There are a lot of outdoor activities to do in any city, what specifically are you looking for? Unsure why you brought up your race. If you are talking about a "safe" area for blacks, I do not know, but i will tell you this. My boss is black, a growing number of my coworkers are black, there seems to be a growing amount of blacks downtown.. Blacks are all over the place and it is no big deal.

I only brought that up because my friend in California, who is black, would talk about how most if not all places, were unsafe for a black man. Predominatly the south and southwest areas. Though i love him, he is completely wrong. It is the same for all races. Certain areas of a city will be racist towards another race.

Sorry... the racist stuff just annoys me and put it out there.

thanks for your post.. only reason i brought up race is because ive heard some parts of arizona are kinda racist...

so you pretty much prefer phx to cali?

[Finger Laker]

I wouldn't say that phoenix is really racist - i've hear rumors of some tension between blacks and mexicans, but as I'm not a party to either I can't verify ....... even then I think it would be more limited to lower socioeconomic areas

the city is more divided by class - in my neighborhood everyone is pretty quiet and fine - i have hispanics on one side, a gay guy on another and a black guy down the street and there is zero tension

I wouldn't say there is a huge black population here though - which I know has been a concern from some (but you can still find barber shops, etc) ........ i say this from the perspective of someone who has lived in philadelphia - so abstract words like "a lot" can take on too many meanings

there are a lot of great vollunteer opportunities here - it's also a great area for flying and if you got really serious one of the nations premier aeronautical universities is less than 2 hours to the north - sports are played pretty much year round - city rec programs are pretty solid

if you are looking for "uban" living with ethnic neighborhoods, etc then phoenix falls below CA

imo, if you are looking for a dry weather climate, tons of sports, great hiking, a good proximity to other areas/climates and a place to have a great time then I prefer Phx

the COL here is usually a lot more favorable as well

[shiphead]

Originally Posted by mrmanz

thanks for your post.. only reason i brought up race is because ive heard some parts of arizona are kinda racist...

so you pretty much prefer phx to cali?

The cool thing about Arizona vs California is the large native american population. Between that and the growing number of Chinese and hispanics, Arizona is becoming a very deserve state and finger is right about class.

What people say about it is a nice place to visit, but not live. Discribes California perfectly. Some places in California have perfect weather and are millionaire playgrounds, but i would imagine there are better places in the world to live if you made a million yearly. In Arizona you can drive 2 hours to a cool location to escape the heat or city. Unlike California you drive 2 hours and you run into another city.

[westcoastbabe]

Phoenix, Arizona...without a doubt....I too am a single black woman in late 30's from North Carolina looking to relocate..I have narrowed it down to Phoenix, Arizona...Location, Location, Location....5hrs from Las Vegas/7hrs from San Diego & Los Angeles...Also i hear that houses are very affordable in the area as well and the Cost of Living is well within everyone's means. Whatever you decide...Good luck on the move!!!

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by mrmanz

thanks for your post.. only reason i brought up race is because ive heard some parts of arizona are kinda racist...

so you pretty much prefer phx to cali?

Some parts of Cali are very racist. Outside of the large cities, California has it's share of rednecks just like any other state. It's a big misconception about California that the whole state is liberal and progressive but the reality is outside of the metro areas of the 3 largest cities, it's conservative and very trashy. That is no different than Arizona. Outside of Phoenix and Tucson, you have small racist towns..okay...like that is so different from every other state in the country? Honestly, I'm Hispanic and I will face more racism in Arizona than you ever will and I don't really face it or fear it. The only racism I've witnessed in Ariziona is toward illegals; people are pretty vocally opposed to illegals which unfortunately can lead to racist coments on occasion. I've lived in Dallas and OKC and those cities were pretty racist toward Blacks in my experience but Phoenix is nothing like that.

[shiphead]

Originally Posted by w1ngzer0

The cool thing about Arizona vs California is the large native american population. Between that and the growing number of Chinese and hispanics, Arizona is becoming a very deserve state and finger is right about class.

dang it, diverse.. not deserve

Sometimes I wonder if I have brain damage.