Moving to AZ, any help?

Hey guys, in advance I appreciate any response. I'm stressed and planning for the future that I didn't realize existed.

Anyway, my question is, where are the best places to go in the Phoenix area? I am young and I am interested in places to go out, relax, work out, bowl, anything. I may be moving north up towards Flag/Sedona soon, so suggestions there help too. However, I'll be in PHX for the most part.

I have a job, but I am looking for anything in the realm of opportunity. Music is my thing, but I love any type of media and I work on lots of fringe ideas and outlets. I collect a lot of data on ufology, cryptozoo, and paranormal, so I can offer a great research team if you've experienced them in the area.

If I posted this in the wrong area, move it anywhere. Its not like I expect a large number of hits either way.

Thank you so much for your time guys.

Keep it easy.

I envy you! Stay in Phoenix if you are able. Phoenix has everything a man wants in a city. You will be enjoying hockey, football, baseball, basketball, etc.....Phoenix has it all! My baseball team has spring training there every year. You will be able to do outdoor activities year around in shorts and t-shirts.

Thank you for that. My city experience long-term has been Philly and I've been miserable. PHX seems like a different kind of place.

Thanks for the input, I'm glad to see you had a good time there. I'm big on sports so I can't wait.

Hey, get some friends together, U2U me and come on out to hang.

Phenix is absolutely beautiful and you will like it. Having said that, it will be hard for you to adjust if you're from the East coast. It is really two different worlds!
Careful in traffic, as one beep or an exchange in words can get you killed dead. The old west is alive and well and so are the guns!!!
If you have a tendency to mouth off, STOP.
If you're low key, you will be alright.
I dont mean to rain on your parade but just be careful and mind your p's and q's.
I like the area of Phoenix by South Mountain, Ahwatukee area. Its inexpensive, beautiful, and there are jobs. The people are very nice (those who dont carry) and overall it should be a nice experience, just be civilized and stay away from fights and stay within the law.
Monkey business is not tolerated there at all.
I lived in the Tempe area for two years and loved it, but you must be cautious- choose your friends well.

Just me being the motherly type this morning. Good luck!

Originally posted by SantaClaus
Hey, get some friends together, U2U me and come on out to hang.

I will u2u in the near future because I want to be there to watch spring training! You are in for a treat in AZ but listen to Mom (djtempe). They have a sheriff that doesn't fool around. My cousins got into a domestic dispute and spent the night in a tent in the desert!

[edit on 9-1-2008 by ConstantlyWondering]

I spend a fair amount of time in Phx and Scottsdale on business. To me Phx is like LA without the ocean. Flag and Sedona are almost to hip for words but some of the most beautiful areas on Earth and outdooor recreation wonderlands.

Welcome to the Desert Southwest!!

I also spend some time in Philly on business and like dgt. said; different worlds.

Don't drink and drive!

reply to post by SantaClaus


I also lived in the South Mountain, Awatukee area for 7 1/2 years. About 6 months after I moved there from close to Duluth MN, the novelty wore off. The first winter there was really nice, that is the best part of living there. The first summer not to bad, but just wait! There would be times in the summer I would just pray for a little whisp of a cloud. The summers seem neverending when you get a two week period of temps that are 110 and over. Sometimes it doesn't get below 100 overnight.
Don't believe people when they tell you the "dry heat," makes a difference. When it's over 110, it doesn't matter, and even 20% humidity is a killer! Nothing like a dip in the pool when it feels like you are in a bathtub! Yuck!

It seems like the cost of living is lower when you look at the rents there, but in the summer expect HUGE electric bills. I kept my thermostat set to 80 (had a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment, $1,200.00 a month) and my bills were close to $300.00 a month. (the heat starts by end of May and stays sometimes until Thanksgiving.)

Traffic is neverending! Expect to be stuck in traffic even if it is at 3:00 a.m., and people drive like maniacs there. The state of Arizona has the honor of having the most red light runners. Lot's of road rage, too. Don't ever flip anybody off in traffic, as one other person mentioned, lot's of guns there. It's not uncommon for people follow you home and shoot you for cutting them off in traffic.

Crime is horrible. Even in the best neighborhoods every other house is a crack den it seems when you watch the news! There are constantly hellicopters flying around at night with spot lights on looking for some type of criminal. Don't drink and drive there, either. My son's girlfriend got pulled over 2 doors from her house. She was 21, and this was her first offense. She ended up doing 3 days in tent city. She deserved it, but DUI laws are very stiff there.

If you want to live close to Flag, beware that it is very expensive. Small apartments are as expensive as what I paid for my apartment in the Phoenix area, if you can even find one. It's a beautiful town, though.

I only ended up staying as long as I did to help take care of my aged parents, but I really do regret ever moving there. Seriously, I was ready to leave after about 6 months!

edit to add:

Oh, and every house looks about the same. Stucco beige or white with a tile roof, sparse, raggy looking landscape, with a pile of rocks for a front yard. It's really boring. Unless you drive a white car, you stick out like a sore thumb! Just wait, you'll see! Make sure you take enough money or plan to earn enough to move away from there!

[edit on 9-1-2008 by Enthralled Fan]

Much thanks CW, EF, Wha, and DGTempe.

My girlfriend lives up in Sin City so I know what to expect as far as heat goes (although I guess its even hotter). I don't deal with heat well and I've climbed in the "dry heat" climate and believe me, I'd rather it be humid just so I could sweat without it evaporating out of my pores. The temp is going to be my main concern, but the work opportunities out there will hopefully make it worthwhile.

Also, LV has some atrocious traffic, so hopefully I am prepared for what I am about to get myself into. It is frustrating, but I know what it's like to have someone keep a grudge on the road in a city, so I try to watch myself.

My buddy (who is letting me crash at his place for the first month) just got an extreme DUI out there (def didn't know there were different kinds of DUI). In Philly, cops did not care in the least, so my frequent nights out will have to end in a cab ride from now on... On top of the fact that I've calmed down and am ready to grow up a bit.

Now, here's the question. About crime, I hear some people saying how horrific it is and some act as if it isn't a big deal at all. Phithydelphia was the murder capital of the country last year, but I didn't see much crime, even living in a bad neighborhood. My friend lives in Ahwatukee now but says he wants to move up into Scottsdale. Is that a more affluent neighborhood? Are there certain places where I can find a place that isn't so dangerous?

Basically, I wanted to move to a city that didn't really have the skyscrapers and concrete everywhere. I like LA kind of so if it has that feel I'll survive. Denver was my first choice, but the job market didn't want me there. That's why Flag is so attractive to me, its almost like suburbial denver.

Thanks again so much guys, your words are priceless to me, I just want to be making a good decision, because I'm coming off of lots of bad ones that somehow ended in my still graduating college (who knew?). If anyone has anything else to put forward I really appreciate it. And you don't need to sugarcoat anything, I can deal.

EDIT: EF, she stayed in tent city for a DUI?? Hope she got out alright.

[edit on 1/9/08 by SantaClaus]

Scottsdale is a more affluent (ie: pricey) area but less crime.

Personally, I hate Az. Each and every time I've driven through that bleak and boring landscape, I've gotten a ticket. ONE mile over the speed limit and highway patrol will follow you for 100 miles just to stay on your butt and wait for you to do something-anything they can give you a ticket for. I kid you not. When I go to California now, I drive AROUND Arizona (from Okla.!)

They had open carry (guns) when I was there so usually people behave themselves in public. Little strange seeing 6-shooters in gun holsters slung around peoples waist but I never heard of a whack job walking into a public place and opening fire, either. Everyone in the joint would try to take him out before he fired twice.

Grand Canyon's nice. So many retirees have moved there and put in swimming pools that it's raised the humidity level. Humidity and 110+ degree heat is not fun.

Make your money and get out as quickly as possible.

[edit on 9-1-2008 by whitewave]

Edit function seems to not be working so let me re-iterate. So many retirees have moved to Arizona, not to the Grand Canyon.

reply to post by SantaClaus


Scottsdale is very nice, but a lot more expensive than say, Ahwatukee, or Chandler area. Nice older established neighborhoods in Scottsdale as well, where as everything in Ahwatukee is pretty new. Ahwatukee is more young family oriented.

Crime is pretty well all over the place, but Scottsdale might be a little safer than some other areas. I had a very good friend I worked with killed at a car wash in Chandler while he was vacuuming his car. It was a gang initiation for a 15 year old kid, who walked up behind my friend and capped him at point blank range, then stole his car. My friend was a young father of twin 2 year old girls. There is a huge problem with gangs in the Phoenix area, and they have infiltrated just about every town.

My daughter attended NAU for 2 years, so I spent some time up there visiting her. It is mainly a college town, and places to rent during the school year are pretty hard to come by, and very expensive, as I mentioned before. Also, it's sort of stuck out in the middle of nowhere, and my daughter got sort of bored. Unless you like spending a lot of time in bars, there is little else to do unless you ski in the winter time. One good thing about it is that you can drive to the valley in just a few hours.

Jobs are pretty easy to come by, for sure in the Phoenix area. They have Intel, Honeywell, and Motorola for the 3 largest employers (or they were when I was there) Then there are lots of restaurants and retail shopping centers. Heck if you like shopping, there is a strip mall every other block!

There is always something to do for entertainment in Phoenix, also. As someone mentioned sporting events as an option. It's fun to go see the Coyotes play hockey in the summer when it's blistering hot outside, and also fun to go see other city teams play baseball in exibition games. If you love golf, year round for that.

I would say to go and check it out, but give yourself some wiggle room if you don't like it. Some people love it, I just am not one of them.

As for summers, once again, even the natives of the state say they will never get used to the summers. Lots of people come and go in the state, and in the amount of time I lived there I only met maybe a handful of people that were actually born there.

edit to add:

2 of my sons still live there. One in Mesa, the other in Tempe. They just love it! It's a nice place to visit, but I would never want to live there again!

[edit on 9-1-2008 by Enthralled Fan]

reply to post by dgtempe


isnt it legal to have a concealed handgun on you?

in texas we hafta have license to do that, BAH I SAY

Keep oven mitts in your car, buy a good window shade and remember to crack your windows in the summer. The heat is so intence, it melts plastic Cd's and other various things if left in the car on a hot day.

reply to post by Lysergic
Who says they're legal? One gun per family does the trick. You dont think they're thinking of the law, do ya?

Originally posted by Lysergic
isnt it legal to have a concealed handgun on you?

No, it's not legal to have a concealed handgun on your body in Arizona unless you have a concealed carry permit which is easy enough to get if you have $100. Though it is legal to carry one in plain sight. Just get an old western holster, strap it to your waist and ride into town...it's perfectly legal. lol



[edit on 1/10/2008 by kinglizard]