Living in phoenix

So I am thinking about moving to phoenix area soonish maybe 1-3 years. Never lived outside of so cal. What do you like about and what dont you like about it

About the only thing that sucks here in Phoenix is all these dang Californians moving over.

Moved here almost 3 years ago and its been the best decision I have ever made. Bought a house that I could never afford in OC. I live 30 min from lake pleasant 30 min from the desert to take the rzr out 30 min from places to go shooting... well you get the picture lol. People here are more friendly than OC gas is cheaper and you are closer to the river. All positives.

Like I said its one of the best things I have ever done. Now all my wives family and my family are following.

What I like the most about this area is the diversity of climate within a short drive.
In the winter your not all that far from snow and at the same time, not all that far from a warm beach.(Rocky Point).
In the summer the cool temps of the higher elevations are well within reach.
A LITTLE less traffic during rush hours but significantly less all the other hours.
A cost of living that is reasonable.
Etc...

I was from the los Angeles area and I've lived around the country. I find Scottsdale to be the best place to live these days. There is a nice balance here; low property taxes ,300 days of sunshine, great restaurants, great airport and the street grid system. We've been here for 4 years now and It's a place we plan on planting roots for many decades.

Depends on what you do.

Overall, Arizona has lower income taxes, lower pay in many industries, lower overall cost of living, typically higher property taxes as a percentage of assessed value depending upon school district (lower in total as houses are cheaper but higher as a percentage).

Public schools vary widely by district so that is an important housing decision if you have kids. Lot's of really good charter schools and private schools.

Summers can get you down if the heat bothers you but the other 8 months of the year is very awesome.

Traffic is much better.

aj923 said:

Moved here almost 3 years ago and its been the best decision I have ever made. Bought a house that I could never afford in OC. I live 30 min from lake pleasant 30 min from the desert to take the rzr out 30 min from places to go shooting... well you get the picture lol. People here are more friendly than OC gas is cheaper and you are closer to the river. All positives.

Like I said its one of the best things I have ever done. Now all my wives family and my family are following.

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I left OC 10 years ago now and am like you on my descision :thumbup:

In August it will be 9 years since we moved to Phoenix from San Diego. It was the best decision we ever made for all of the reasons that have already been discussed above. I really don't have any negatives to share. I love the heat of the summers. :thumbup:

Heat doesnr bother me. We will be raising a family there id we move. I work in aerospace but my background is material managment. Mrs is in hr so she can work anywhere. I like the fact that I can get a house for much much cheaper. Also that the desert and river are close. I just want to make sure I am leaving for the right reasons

We are closed to all Cali refugees.

Its a big metro area with a lot of choices and varied lifestyles.

You really have to get around to all the places because its so different

we moved from san diego to Gilbert back in september, so take what i say with a grain of salt till after this summer lol, but we love everything about it. Best decision we made, kids like it more, schools are great, people are generally nicer etc. Cost of living is variable. People say its so much cheaper, some things are some things are not. We didn't notice a huge change at the end of it all, but we have a bigger house. Look chandler gilbert area, very new very nice lots of new homes.

Please take as many people with you as possible. [emoji3]

Arizona is closed!!!

I too am in the aerospace/aircraft industry and would leave CA tomorrow for AZ if there was work there for me.

Bpracing1127 said:

Heat doesnr bother me. We will be raising a family there id we move. I work in aerospace but my background is material managment. Mrs is in hr so she can work anywhere. I like the fact that I can get a house for much much cheaper. Also that the desert and river are close. I just want to make sure I am leaving for the right reasons

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I would move to Phoenix in a heartbeat if we had a permanent office there. You can easily reach another climate in 1-2 hours if its too hot. Several lakes within 1-2 hours also. :thumbsup

Im With Tyro and Yolo...We are currently Full and are Not accepting applications at this Time or in the Near Future:finger

460 said:

We are closed to all Cali refugees.

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Just FYI,

My re-entry application should be grandfathered in.

Thanks!

After years of trying I convinced my wife to move to AZ, she had never lived out of OC. Told her to give it a shot for 2 years. At 2, she was on the fence but by 3 Ca was a thing of the past. Now 8 years, last week she got offered 50k + bonus more per year to take a job with Kaiser in OC - we never seriously considered it.

Lots of different communities here. We found the West side more to our liking. Slower paced with farm land around. East side is busier with more job opportunities I would imagine. We have a lot of friends in the mortgage and realty business if you would need assistance in those areas.

RitcheyRch said:

I too am in the aerospace/aircraft industry and would leave CA tomorrow for AZ if there was work there for me.

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Depending upon what you do, there are a ton of aerospace/aircraft companies in the greater phoenix metropolitan area. All sorts of OEM stuff as well as MRO's.

As far as major metros are concerned, Phoenix is not that bad... I treat the 3-5 really bad months of summer like you would winter in the Midwest, but with heat instead of snow... Lots of good neighborhoods throughout the valley... Really need to decide where is best for you... Traffic is not nearly as bad as California, and the people are usually friendly... Houses are affordable but daily items (food, etc.) are about the same... Ask 50 Phoenicians their opinions and get 50 answers... I prefer the west valley but to each their own...

LuckyStrike said:

Im With Tyro and Yolo...We are currently Full and are Not accepting applications at this Time or in the Near Future:finger

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you know your current residency status is under review. You might need to resubmit a revised application like said person below.

941Punk said:

Just FYI,

My re-entry application should be grandfathered in.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Please see above response.


All the best!

460 said:

you know your current residency status is under review. You might need to resubmit a revised application like said person below.



Please see above response.


All the best!

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460, thanks for the giant box of swag, it was really appreciated... Glad I messaged you...😂⚡️😎🙉🙈🙊👹💩

Bowtiepower00

Too many hipsters in Phoenix. Besides that, pretty nice. Ps, I'm also from LA.

Bowtiepower00 said:

460, thanks for the giant box of swag, it was really appreciated... Glad I messaged you...[emoji23]⚡️[emoji41][emoji86][emoji85][emoji87][emoji83][emoji90]

Bowtiepower00

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[emoji1474][emoji1474][emoji1474][emoji1474][emoji1]

I'm a Design Engineer and keep an eye out on all the job sites for work in the Phoenix area.

530RL said:

Depending upon what you do, there are a ton of aerospace/aircraft companies in the greater phoenix metropolitan area. All sorts of OEM stuff as well as MRO's.

Click to expand...

460 said:

you know your current residency status is under review. You might need to resubmit a revised application like said person below.

All the best!

Click to expand...

Would delivered Bison Rib Eye seal the deal?

i moved to phoenix in 93 right outa high school to attend a trade school. moved back to cali after i finished that in dec 94. i kinda regret moving back to cali a little. however i was young and dumb at the time. i lived on the north end of town on thunderbird and the 17. i really liked it and may consider moving back to phoenix if i cant figure out something in havasu full time.

comparing it to where i live in cali there really isnt much difference other than the beach is relatively close, but i don't give a shit about the beach.

22 years and counting. Only thing that pisses me off are the dust storms after I wash my truck, and the people with California license plates that drive like assholes.

941Punk said:

Would delivered Bison Rib Eye seal the deal?

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That might.

So here is the deal... People are moving to AZ from CA by the bus load. Half my neighbors are recent transplants. They love to complain about all the things they hated about CA. The top of the list includes stupid laws/ordinances, political climate, cost of living,etc. the ironic thing is at the same time they complain about the relaxed gun laws in AZ, the conservative view point of local govt, etc! That makes no sense. What do these people want?
All I can say is, DONT BRING YOUR CIVIL OR LEGISLATIVE BS VIEWPOINTS WITH YOU! WE DO NOT WANT TO BE THE NEXT CA STATE TRAINWRECK!

Rant over!![emoji12][emoji12]

460 said:

you know your current residency status is under review. You might need to resubmit a revised application like said person below.



Please see above response.


All the best!

Click to expand...

Good One Tyro... Im Still An AZ Resident...Going On 16 years now "AND NOT FROM CA."

Scottsdale, AZ here.. Been in AZ since 03, grew up in OC for 18 yrs, went into the military, went back to visit a few times, you couldnt pay me to move or live back in OC area...

460 said:

We are closed to all Cali refugees.

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That closed sign will be driven right over on the way in!

I have lived all over Ca and moved from the Bay Area to Cave Creek in 2005.

What I like about AZ is the weather, less stressful lifestyle, and the good people. We are 2-3 hours from everything we enjoy and can drive back to Ca when needed.

Living in AZ gave me the opportunity to have my wife stay home with the kids and that's invaluable to me.

I wouldn't move back for any amount of money.

River Lynchmob said:

That closed sign will be driven right over on the way in!

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You should pack it up and move out to AZ. Lots of mechanical companies suck in Phoenix. Lots of bidding going on!

AZBrummett21 said:

You should pack it up and move out to AZ. Lots of mechanical companies suck in Phoenix. Lots of bidding going on!

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Trying to talk the wife into it...right now she doesn't want to move from the family. She's stuck on canyon lake right now.

River Lynchmob said:

Trying to talk the wife into it...right now she doesn't want to move from the family. She's stuck on canyon lake right now.

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I get it, family is hard to leave.

Good luck with that ...

HAVASUSUN said:

So here is the deal... People are moving to AZ from CA by the bus load. Half my neighbors are recent transplants. They love to complain about all the things they hated about CA. The top of the list includes stupid laws/ordinances, political climate, cost of living,etc. the ironic thing is at the same time they complain about the relaxed gun laws in AZ, the conservative view point of local govt, etc! That makes no sense. What do these people want?
All I can say is, DONT BRING YOUR CIVIL OR LEGISLATIVE BS VIEWPOINTS WITH YOU! WE DO NOT WANT TO BE THE NEXT CA STATE TRAINWRECK!

Rant over!![emoji12][emoji12]

Click to expand...

Exactly what happens in Idaho...the people come here in bus's and love the laid back atmosphere and the conservative policies and now we have open carry...then they try and make it CA...makes me so fuckin mad I could spit...

phoenix is not booming..actually there is little work here{mechanical}.all union company's are working out of state for the last few years.I am on the biggest job in phoenix right now..and this shit is tinny compared to jobs i have done in dtla.

River Lynchmob said:

That closed sign will be driven right over on the way in!

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No way you are leaving the beach for the greater Phoenix area

AZBrummett21 said:

You should pack it up and move out to AZ. Lots of mechanical companies suck in Phoenix. Lots of bidding going on!

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I'm starting to look a bit now. 25 plus years in SoCal in mechanical its time to look there! Anyone hiring, crazy long resume, plus Im generally a ok guy :rolleyes

riverroyal said:

I'm starting to look a bit now. 25 plus years in SoCal in mechanical its time to look there! Anyone hiring, crazy long resume, plus Im generally a ok guy :rolleyes

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Residential and commercial?

JRS1939 said:

Residential and commercial?

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New prison now, last project was fast and furious at universal for hvac and special effects including steam and hydraulics. Plus cars land for the same at California adventure, few hospitals, few more prisons, pharm, you name it. Spend most my time in meetings now!

been in Phx. since 1946, fun place to grow up, wish everyone would leave.....guess I'm getting to be an old bastard!
wish I could go someplace else but wife won't hear of it......:grumble:

Bump...

This coronavirus BS is what it took to push me over the edge. I want out of CA and to the Phoenix area. I don't want to doom my future children with going through the CA indoctrination school system and their BS discipline policies. Only problem is, I don't know where to start.

I am planning to move and start out working from home with the goal of expanding our Civil Engineering firm in the region. That is important because it will most likely include acquisition of an established firm and setting up an office. An office would need to be closer to the metro area, but with an address that carries some weight to attract talent and clients (such as Scottsdale or Phoenix addresses. It helps believe me)

That brings me to my situation, I have no scale for what commute times look like and distances vs. drive time etc. I am 29, fiance 26, getting married in october, no kids yet, dual income, looking to spend $550k-650k max.

I really like Cave Creek, the areas along the 17 north of town up to New River, and the older canal-irrigated areas of Peoria. I'm not sure as the good communities, reasonable distance from town, drive times to the river, glamis, etc. to get out of town. I would like 1/4 acre lot and a pool is going to be a priority with the summers in AZ. I am not opposed to building, but I'd like a larger lot if thats the case.

Whats the verdict? Am I out of my mind, or is this a reasonable list in the greater phoenix area? Where would you start?

Drive out and explore the area. You'll find out real quick you will want to be in Cave Creek instead of Peoria. Commutes are still long mileage wise but shorter in time. Example, I have an 86 mile commute sometimes and take 1.5 hours. My 84 mile commute in LA took 3.5 hours. In LA, 90 minutes would get me 15 miles sometimes.

Grew up in So.Cal, moved in 2012 and bounced to TX, VA and now in AZ... We love it here and have no plans to leave. There is good and bad in every location but overall it's a great place to be.

It also will depend on what population density you want to live in. We lived on the West side for 13 years (Peoria, Surprise and Waddell) and all three were different. We enjoyed Waddell by far the most. Wide open and spacious, great for toys. We now live in Gilbert which is a very nice East side of Phoenix town and hate it. Houses are literally 10 feet apart, traffic is constant, lots of stores but they are always packed. To me it's a status town. Lots of ballers here so house prices are up there especially for what you get.

Certain highways are notoriously bad during rush hour. The 10, 17, 60 all have issues. I do have friends though that bought houses in the right locations which puts them on the reverse side of traffic so their commutes aren't bad. You could get on google maps during rush hours and see what is yellow and red to get an idea of where the bottle necks are.