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Why live in Phoenix, AZ?

Since you'll be in college - you're gonna have a good time regardless of where you are. But Phoenix really isn't that bad. My only complaint is that there's no real culture there - at least not that I can find.

Well, Scottsdale has culture, in the form of the thirty thousand dollar millionaire. ;)
 
The 5 years I lived in that God-forsaken dump (i.e. Phoenix) were by far the worst 5 years of my life. I can't think of enough bad things to say about the weather, the awful ugly scenery, the lack of culture, etc. I guess it's true what someone said before me - either you love the place or you hate it. I guess the best thing to do is to educate yourself on the place, maybe even visit it a few times, before you make the decision that you want to spend your college years there.
 
If you like the outdoors and want a year round ability to do that it's the place to be. It is also an ideal location as Arizona has all 4 climates from arid to mountain all within 4 hours of Phoenix.
Ideal location for travel to other parts both by car and flight.
Bad side is that everyone else lives there and the traffic can be horrible. The smog is bad in the winter from an inverse layering affect.
For a city it's size it is clean.
Culture wise it's not New York or Chicago but it does have culture it's just not so much in your face.
 
It's hot and hotter there. There's a lot of nice places to live or visit in Arizona, but Phoenix isn't one of them. It's the first place I ever saw an Astroturf yard. It actually made a gravel yard look attractive.
 
(lived in Phoenix for about 9mo in 2004, thats all i needed for my post)


I have never seen such "class division" before and it really shocked me. The general population is divided among race and economic lines. White here, brown there.

Be white and rich or be prepared to not take advantage of all Phoenix (and by extension Scottsdale and Tempe at least) has to offer.


Every major street in Phoenix is 6 lanes (3 each way) with a suicide lane in the middle. You want to cross the street, good luck.

Every stoplight has red light runners. Its just part of living there that its understood on the non-speed camera having intersections, that when the light turns red at least 3 cars continue on. People with green in the opposite direction just wait. Its just day to day understood.

You are required to register your vehicle in Phoenix (or arizona) if you have a full-time job in the city. They actually have people drive around the city looking for out of state plates. They return a few times over months and if they notice it seems this car belongs to someone who works in this building, they MUST have a full time job, and we MUST leave a pamphlet explaining they MUST register their car in AZ.

Registering your car costs varying amounts. You pay a % of a value that dependson the KBB value of your car THAT particular year. Every year your registration costs go down, but a new car can cost more than the first few payments for it!


Phoenix is located between 2 mountain ranges, a valley. Which is why they have monsoons (only place besides asia thats gets them). Did I mention Phoenix has an airport...in a valley...with 6 lanes of traffic on main streets...bring a gas mask on some days. (they try to fix this by, earlier than most states, adding ethanol and other things to your gas, and you cant buy premium at most stations)


Phoenix (maybe just AZ) has some of the weakest gun laws I have ever seen. Never will you see more GUN SHOW billboards anywhere. If you like guns Phoenix may be for you. Have a gun under the seat? In the glove box? Not illegal and dont even have to tell a cop. The thought of the average idiot (and Phoenix has lots) having a firearm with little oversight, scared the hell out of me.


There is always a drought. Cant wash your car on certain days. Better not water your lawn during noon to 6 or your neighbor may call the cops. And yet, there seems to always be enough water for the multitude of golf courses that are scattered throughout.


Phoenix is certainly unique, but I found nothing redeeming about the place.

/rant :rolleyes:

OK, I do know of a redeeming quality...FILIBERTOS!
 
It's too hot. Plus, it's the southwest. Not very exciting in my book, but then again I'm a city boy. I live in Chicago. LA and NYC are sort of second homes for me. I do not care for the desert or mountains all that much.
 
Never lived there, but been there several times. Hated it for all the reasons previously mentioned. Huge. Smoggy. Nothing but an ugly suburb.

If you like golf courses, don't get used to them. There's a better than even chance that droughts in that region will continue to intensify AND the population will continue to grow (LA-Riverside-San Bernardino, Las Vegas, Phoenix, etc). Golf courses will be among the first things to shut down. Eventually there probably won't be enough water to support the existing human habitation, so they'll have to start trucking it in at huge expense. Cost of living will go through the roof, and large parts of the city will be abandoned, causing an economic collapse.

Basically, stay the hell away. It's a horrible place that's only going to get worse.
 
Sdashiki said:
I have never seen such "class division" before and it really shocked me. The general population is divided among race and economic lines. White here, brown there.

Be white and rich or be prepared to not take advantage of all Phoenix (and by extension Scottsdale and Tempe at least) has to offer.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone has mentioned that yet, and it's very true. Thank you for mentioning it.
 
leekohler said:
It's too hot. Plus, it's the southwest. Not very exciting in my book, but then again I'm a city boy. I live in Chicago. LA and NYC are sort of second homes for me. I do not care for the desert or mountains all that much.
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Shoot, if you're in LA let me know. It's only a couple hours south of me.
 
phungy said:
I haven't been there but may move there later this year (for school). Wanted to know some reasons why or why not. Thanks!
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What I ask is why have so many California companies moved there, and to Las Vegas/Nevada? Phoenix Met area is now at 4.2 million people which is akin to central SF Bay area. There is no doubt that the city is an up an coming major player, but also with the crime that plagues major US cities. But plenty of places to work, shop, and have a nightlife. But I will do remaining college stuff on internet and remain in my 1,800 person one horse town.
 
Cost is cheaper in Phoenix for building, land and your work force than California. That's for the time being.
Nevada has no state income tax which is a major reason.
 
I went back to Phoenix two weeks ago on business. ( We moved from there in early 2005 ) and I could not believe all of the houses that were for sale, empty etc. Talk about real estate bust. I can only imagine what Vegas is like.

Part of the day, we were way out in the 200's of the Avenues at a community called "Arvado" (sp?) A nice planned community next to a great course, empty homes everywhere and the little planned downtown was empty of retail tenants except for a bank and a pharmacy.
 
robanga said:
Part of the day, we were way out in the 200's of the Avenues at a community called "Arvado" (sp?) A nice planned community next to a great course, empty homes everywhere and the little planned downtown was empty of retail tenants except for a bank and a pharmacy.
Click to expand...

I think you mean Verrado. I went there on its opening weekend a few years back and fell in love with the concept of a return to the idea of a small-town layout, but not the prices or commute. I may have to revisit...
 
JNB said:
To paraphrase Frank Herbert, God created Phoenix to train the faithful. We like it the way it is, it helps to weed out the weak. :p
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Amen. I say to all the cynical people who don't like Phoenix, thank you for leaving and I hope you don't come back... :D

Does Phoenix have some crapy places to live, yes. What major city doesn't? I just thank god I live in Phoenix and not a crap hole like LA, or Manhattan, Chicago, Trenton, the list goes on.

Arizona is a unique state. As someone stated above, we have pretty much all the climates of the world that are easily accessible in a short drive.

Is it hot in Phoenix, yes. Don't like it, go away... :) I did find the meth-head comment funny. I guess it takes one to know one. Never ran into that issue around here and show me a major city that doesn't have a drug problem.

I keep saying major city because if the cynics of Phoenix aren't aware last I heard Phoenix was ranked #6 in the largest cities of the U.S. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html
 
JNB said:
I think you mean Verrado. I went there on its opening weekend a few years back and fell in love with the concept of a return to the idea of a small-town layout, but not the prices or commute. I may have to revisit...
Click to expand...

Exactly Verrado was it thanks for the correction. What a neat community. If they do not get some retail or convenience retail in the downtown though, its going to look like a ghost town. If one worked from home it would be great place but commuting to anywhere would take forever. Having lunch in the clubhouse I also was getting zero bars on AT&T :cool:
 
dmr727 said:
Never been there. ???

I have a friend from Phoenix that loves to make fun of the types of people that live in Scottsdale. He taught me that phrase. :)
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You mean Snottsdale, right? ;)

BTW, you and some of the others should love it here, nearly perfect flying weather year 'round. Except during monsoon (30+ knot crosswinds) and Summer afternoons (density altitude of PHX or DVT commonly 7500').
 
jonbravo77 said:
Is it hot in Phoenix, yes. Don't like it, go away... :) I did find the meth-head comment funny. I guess it takes one to know one. Never ran into that issue around here and show me a major city that doesn't have a drug problem.

I keep saying major city because if the cynics of Phoenix aren't aware last I heard Phoenix was ranked #6 in the largest cities of the U.S. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html
Click to expand...

Phoenix has a big meth problem. I don't know where you live in the metro-area, but it requires some exploring outside of the suburbs to see how horrible this city really is. I had a job for a few years that required me to drive around the city and work at different locations every day. During that job I worked in the worst parts of Phoenix and saw the real city. I have a feeling most of the people who love this city stay in their protected bubble in the suburbs and don't do a whole lot of living/working in the actual "city".

And yes, although Phoenix is one of the largest "cities" in the United States, it doesn't feel like a city. It's a collection of suburbs and a city core which is dead unless there is an event going on.
 
I only lived there for three months -- February to April 2008 -- but I loved my time there. I would pick Phoenix any day over any city that got snow. Sure it gets hot, but you'll never have to dig yourself out of your driveway to go to work. I lived in a new apartment in Chandler that was nicer than any apartment I've seen here in Nashville, TN.

Chandler Fashion Center was a great mall. South Mountain Park had great views and hiking. The mountains were beautiful. The only complaint I had was with scorpions. I only saw one in my apartment but always worried after that.

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I'd take the climate of minnesota or wisconsin over the oven heat of the desert any day, its all about your preferences. Shoveling snow is not bad in my book, in fact it is decent exercise. It beats getting into a car that is so hot your hands burn on the steering wheel.

But then again I love cold climates in general.
 
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