Love it, want it
- I think the desert is a place that you love or hate despite anything else. I lived in teh desert of CA for a year 30 years ago and just adored it. After going to Phoenix on business and vacation I fell in love with it and the saguaros - they are gorgeous. I am also a golfer so was impressed with the variety of courses. I am from Chciago and love the Chicagoans. I lived in Florida for several years so truly understand the transient nature of a place where snowbirds flock as well as vacationers. I currently live in Seattle and while it is beautiful, the people are not. Read up on Seattle Freeze and you will understand. It has taken me 5 years to get acclimated the passive aggressiveness and now I am doing the same thing. Need to get back to who I am and in a gorgeous place like Phoenix. Love the desert and sunsets.
- —clickc
Like A Bad Vacation
- Been here for many years. It's akin to a bad vacation that never ends. It's a very transient place, no one seems to be able to do anything really well, a poor work ethic, superficiality and on an on. The illegal issue takes center stage all the time and it's a very red state--lots of tea baggers call it home here. It's hotter than heck 4 months per year and the winters are cool, not like Florida at all. Jobs are not great pay wise or benefit wise. It's pretty much a melting pot of sub-mediocrity.
- —Guest Nicky
Hate it
- People are small minded bigots. Drivers from he'll. Food sucks and is expensive. PeOple are phony. No comparison to new y,ork. Like moving from heaven to he'll. Will leave this he'll hole very soon.
- —Guest Marjo107@hotmail.com
It's not so bad...
- We've lived here for the past 7 years. Yes the summers are sometimes extremely hot but there is nothing better than an Arizona winter. The housing market is actually looking up. The foreclosures have started to slow down and we are seeing an increase in prices. It's definitely an interesting housing market. We are seeing multiple offers on homes in the area and we have had an influx of first time home buyers and investors. There are several new businesses coming into the area in 2012 and 2013 so looking forward to an increase in available jobs.
- —Guest ArizonaBuyerGuide
Noone Cares about Chicago
- Chicago is a nothing city to compare to Phoenix... There's nothing good about Chicago to thrive people into being there like Phoenix does with the weather.
- —Guest Dono
Phoenix Is Great... From October to May!
- Phoenix is AWESOME, from October to May. It's the June to September that makes you question why the heck you live there. Pros: Biltmore, Central PHX, Camelback Corridor, Arcadia Cons: Everything else around it. Great place to live as a single person, but once you start a family you want the hell out!
- —Guest Realist
It's Those Darned Canadians
- All of the contributors so far have overlooked a serious blight on the greater Phoenix area. Yes, there is crime, low education, foreclosures, dust and fires of hell heat but the real scourge of the desert are Canadians. Jan Brewer should take a far tougher stance on Canadian immigration than on Mexican. Vast numbers of homes are being bought up by those predatory lumberjacks and Ski-dooers. Bad Drivers in Phoenix? It's Canadians who are raised riding snowmobiles and skiing behind methed up caribou who are the real danger on Arizona roads. Rudeness? All Canadians do is drink beer and fart. Really loud, awful farts. Even the women. No culture? It's those bland Canadians whose first phase of their alien occupation was to impose a hockey team on Phoenix. It's not even a good hockey team. The Canadian National women's team could skate circles around the Coyotes. Boredom, Social isolation? It's those bland Canucks. All the talented or funny Canadians like Mike Myers go to L.A.
- —Guest The Dog
Thoughts from a Los Angeleno
- I just recently moved to Arizona from California. Specifically from LA, CA to Glendale, AZ (there is a Glendale in CA). And so far I've been here a month. Moved here specifically for a job. I'm single guy, no kids, never been married. Pros: My salary went UP, cost of living went DOWN; traffic disappear (now granted I drive west away from Phoenix to work) but in general, I have not experienced anywhere NEAR the traffic jam nightmares of Los Angeles. Beautiful weather (though I came in October so I prepared for the brutal summers). And nice roads, open spaces. Cons: Well...not really but it does feel a bit isolating. Not a negative just used to more people. As for nightlifte, I know of Scottsdale and Tempe (AS Univ) and downtown Phoenix. Not too much diversity (I'm Hispanic). Other than that I look forward to visiting the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Flagstaff and Tucson.
- —jaramill
USED TO LOVE IT STARTING TO HATE IT.
- in phoenix over 47yrs now born here. and i have seen it go from a nice place to live to one that is over stuffed with people legal and illegal crime has exploded meth labs and drop houses are everywhere now the place is no congested with polution and traffic it takes forever to get a road built or even repaired around here and the state can't even balance it budget but they sure are good at spending our hard earn taxes dollar on nonesense like a light rail or yet another sports stadium most people can't afford to ever use... og and for some reason it's now 90 degrees on halloween instead of 78 degrees like it used to be 20 yrs ago! it hardly ever rains here and when it does alot of people drive like idots out in it.. it used to be a great place then the population exploded and now it's starting to feel like hell on earth at times. why won't i leave it's simple i was here first born here as far as i'm concerned everyone else here thats causing the problems can please leave
- —Guest George S
hate phoenix
- i agree with those who hate phoenix,az,lived there june 2006-april 2007,worst place i lived.
- —Guest dan
Miserable people
- To all the anti social freaks out their that say there is nothing to do out here, you are all lazy and truly don't like the heat. So why did you even move here. I've lived here for almost a year, came from Chicago... Obviously lol, and I love it out here! You can't shovel sunshine, maybe if you had a better additude, or outlook on life it wouldn't be so hard to meet people. The only complaint that I might have is the thievery, there is so much of that out here, so take extra caution and lock your stuff up! Otherwise, the females are bad, pretty much all dtf, you can do something outside everyday if you choose to, its all about staying hydrated and I'm not talking about drinking carbonated garbage, lots of water. The heat is a mind over matter thing. Mills ave is a great place for the blue collar regular, people tend to be a bit snobby when partying in scottsdale, but that is what money brings to most people... Both have great night lives, but I prefer mills ave...
- —Guest Chi Town
It gets hotter every year
- This place is an oven and the air is filthy. No trees, every plant and animal has spikes, thorns, or venom and is trying to kill you. Mammals are not supposed to be here. For 6 months of the year you will have a perpetual layer of sweat on you if you just go outside. Its the first place I have been where the sun is your enemy and you dont look forward to a sunny day cause its miserable.
- —Guest ItsHot
I like Oregon better, sorry, but I do.
- As a native and life long resident of Oregon, I'm finding my new life in Phoenix to resemble The Twilight Zone. The water here resembles warm swimming pool water with a side of dirt, the coffee is a joke and I miss rain, moss and mud. There I said it, I miss mud, naturally occurring mud. Why live here? A job transfer brought us here and hopefully one that will take us out. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful here, the cacti are amazing and the Mexican food is the best I've had this side of Mexico but I miss my family, my friends, the ability to buy a real cup of coffee at any time without driving 10 miles, ice cold, lovely water from the tap, hipsters, hippies, good beer, trees, lakes and rivers and the ocean. Thank you Arizona, for letting us camp for awhile, but we will be leaving you when the economy picks up.
- —Guest OregonCoffeeMomma
Phoenix , the other hell
- Here's my pro/con list, I'll start with the Cons: Summers are brutally hot, horrible job market, foreclosures everywhere, urban sprawl at its worst, vacant strip malls, chain restaurants, lame Mexican restaurants, red light cameras, snowbirds, Scottsdale Range Rover drivers and fake people, high ratio of strip clubs/check cashing/pawn shops, powerful HOAs, no rain, haboobs, high % of Republicans and Tea Party gun lovers, high crime rates, Jan Brewer, tendency to blame all ills and budget deficits on Mexicans, cookie cutter McMansion subdivisions, high % of SUV/offroad vehicles for work commuting, spraying water fountains into the air (in the desert??WTF???), flooding grass yards in the desert (another WTF???) and did I say it's too freaking hot? PROS: Short drive to get away from Phoenix (go to California of Flagstaff), plenty of water intensive golf courses to play in the 110+ degree heat, can't swing a dead cat without hitting a publicly funded baseball stadium.
- —Guest ouch, the truth hurts
Phoenix is AWESOME
- If you love scorching hot weather, I mean really HOT, like when you go outside and immediately feel the heat sting your neck, you'll love it here! If you love the way human flesh smells after people come in from a walk home in the middle of the afternoon, You're gonna LOVE it here... If you like dust storms that are the latest wave of occurrences happening due to the yearly increase in summer tempratures YOU are gonna LOVE it here!! If you like staying inside you're poorly air-conditioned home all day everyday to work out and watch tv and do inside the house things because it's too hot outside to survive, THEN you will absolutely love it here... if you're a loner and don't like to mingle, you'll LOVE it here, people stay inside their houses either because it's too hot to go out or they're loser loners... If you like how the sun makes everyone seem older because of skin damage caused by the sun, you will like it here, everyone looks dry and old and they smell like dried dirty clothes.
- —Guest B-Rock-Adocious
