Living in Phoenix Arizona
 

Me and my wife are planning on moving to Phoenix sometime this year. I was wondering if you could tell me the best places to live there. We are just tired of the weather in Kansas City and want out. We can deal with the blistering heat.

Kudos to you. I'm thinking about buying a home in Vegas, and because I'm lazy, the lack of doing any yard work of any kind is really appealing to me. Make sure you get really really good ****ing windows though.

I think Vailpass lives in the area.

Move in next door and put Chiefs stuff in his yard. :)

Check out Amy's Baking Co. everyone I know in PHX and surrounding areas rave about it.

do the windows have to be ****ing?

That question needs in depth personal accounts of the kind of lifestyle youre looking for. Also whether or not scorpions freak you out.

I just don't want to move to the ghetto lol

Heh.

Also this is me

http://sheamacleod.files.wordpress.c...pion-king.jpeg

Screw Phoenix, you and your wife should move next door.

Damn, they were already in the mid-90s a month ago... the older I get though, the more I really, really hate Spring in KC. I don't mind the extremes nearly as much as the fickle teasing bitch of Spring. Mid-40 lows this week, yay! :banghead:

Obligatory post for reference. Good episode for those who don't watch. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7uPOGxUtZvk

A tornado touched down 10 minutes away from the house I just left in Iowa. Today it snowed while the sun was shining in Denver.

I fully support a mass exodus from the midwest.

I heard the tornado siren four times today but I still wouldn't leave the midwest to live in the desert. I enjoy the Great Lakes too much.

Marty and Vailpass live there. Shoot them PMs.

I'm here. What is your housing budget?

I thought Arizona is like the desert state? Què no?

So how poisonous, if at all are scorpions? Are they more dangerous than Black Widows and Brown Recluse spiders?

Perfect weather IMO.

Like a severe bee bite. They are not aggressive. Check your shoes before putting them on if you have a scorpion infestation. Or camping.

I live here in Scottsdale and you're picking a good time to come; buyers market at present. Zillow.com is a good way to browse; their prices aren't always all that accurate but should give you a general idea. Once you're honing in on something, let me know and I can tell you what I know about the area. I've lived here in the Phoenix area since I was 8....46 years.

Move in next to vailpass and start attending his pool parties. I give your marriage 3 months.

I live here too and have for 2 years. Proximity to your job is usually a deciding factor for east/west valley since the Phoenix area is ****ing huge.

Scorpions are a problem if you buy in an area that has issues; have a cousin that bought in a development in Gilbert who built over scorpion nests...they're always a concern for them...never go away. Me? I've never seen a scorpion except in the wilderness...or his house.

Makes sense. In my limited reading, it appears they may be even more prevalent in newer housing developments rather than mature housing developments. Because when they build, the scorpions are already hanging out in that previously undisturbed desert land. And they hide in ****ing shoes. God damn it, I wish I wouldn't have read this shit. I'm already freaked out about spiders, and I'm going to be in Vegas a long time next month.

Guadeloupe, mesa area.

Lived there for 3 years. Chandler and Gilbert are very nice, as well as parts of Mesa, if you're looking East Valley. I never really went out West other than to go to Coyotes games, so I'm not much help there. The whole area is growing South at a rapid pace, so if you get in around SanTan Village and buy now you could theoretically make a pile of cash in equity over the next 10 years or so. Paradise Valley is very nice as well.

Lol that's funny. My wife and I are planning on either moving back home to KC or to Phoenix. KC is in the lead right now though for many reasons of which are better schools in KC, no "beware of human smuggling" signs in KC like there are in Phoenix and there's actually grass in KC and not gross cactus dry crap everywhere. The only reason Phoenix is in the running is I could transfer jobs and it is enticing to wear shorts year-round. My wife just graduated nursing school and is gonna try to get on somewhere in KC before we make a move.

We've been to Phoenix many times as it is only 2 hours away. The people are rude, the city is ugly but we like hot weather. All my friends there are trying to get out of Phoenix especially the ones with kids because like I mentioned the schools are terrible there.

He should be good as long as he's white.
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You could say the same shit about any place. A place you move to is what you make of it and plenty of young out-of-staters like me chose to live here for numerous reasons. I personally find the desert landscape and low landscape upkeep appealing. We bought in the West Valley, Litchfield Park, which is one of the better school districts in the valley. I grew up in bum**** Montana with a class size of about 30 kids per grade, K-12. You can imagine not a lot of draw for good teachers. I really didn't have homework until I went to college. I still turned out ok.

Lived in the Phoenix area for two years from 2010-2012. Major thing to note:

--You will miss green and water, no matter how much you think you won't.
--Zoning in Phoenix is horrible. Bad areas/farms next to strip clubs next to expensive neighborhoods.
--Plenty of stuff to do outdoors in the winter
--For suburbs, probably stick to the east half of the city. I lived out west in Glendale/Peoria. Not bad, but had a better time in Mesa/Tempe out east.
--Traversing the entire city can take hours if you move to one extreme side.
--If you can afford Scottsdale, live there.
--There is good nightlife in Phoenix, but not much culture.

I'm sure I could think of more. Hope you like dust too.

I love you no matter what.

Follow up to my previous post. Not sure if you live in KC now or have lived away from KC, but you will miss the sports teams if you have not lived outside KC in awhile.

Just being able to turn on a Royals or Chiefs game and then listen to sports radio the next day is something you take for granted. Even though I could watch the games on the Internet (thanks grandllama or whoever you were), I still feel like I was missing out. This was my first time living outside KC though, so you may have already experienced that.

Interesting. Its like that alot in Texas too.
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Totally this

I live in Gilbert and have for many years. It's my second tour in the Phoenix area. My wife and I love it here. The weather is awesome(yeah it sucks July-August but where does it not? Oh yeah, Southern California only a few hours drive away for monthly long weekends), the state is beautiful outside of metro Phx, and there is always plenty to do. Yeah the schools mostly suck but there are exceptions. I would suggest the east valley. Personally I think Scottsdale is totally overrated. Scorpions are not that big of a deal but you can PM me and I will tell you how to find a scorpion free property. Come on out, we can use some more Chiefs and Royals fans out here!

Another thing to add is while you have access to many sporting events here with 4 Major teams, Pac 12 athletics and spring/fall league baseball, the atmosphere is less than ideal since transplants like me like every team around the nation and the home town teams suffer.

xoxo

Oh yeah speaking of things to add: your a 4.5 hour drive to Las Vegas! If that doesn't seal the deal then gtfo anyway!

This. This plays a part in us moving back. I always come back to see family and for a Chiefs game once a year but it's not the same. I still never miss a game as I have NFL Sunday Ticket but I just miss it overall, not just my sports teams or being able to go see my teams play live whenever I want.

Sports is something to consider if sports is apart of your lifestyle. Arizona is a terrible sports state. It's nothing like back in Kansas or Missouri. There is no legit, consistent, loyal support for any team, pro or college, in Arizona. U of A fan base is ok, but they don't care as much as all the colleges back in said states. As far as the Cardinals fans here? Lol I see their fans all the time wearing Fitz jerseys but having on a Cowboys, Steelers, Pats and now the newest...Broncos hats or gear. No joke, there's no support for them. I don't care though as I'm a born and raised from KC diehard Chiefs fan but it's just different. For instance, a couple guys I work with that have season tickets to the Cardinals games told me just last week that depending on how the Cardinals are doing they'll let me have their tickets for free when the Chiefs come to town on December 7th. I don't get it but cool with me lol.

I wonder how old this dingleberry is?

I've got a buddy who I visit out there and have taken that drive to Vegas many times. We will probably look at renting for a year or so before we buy something. He tells me to live in the Gilbert Chandler area.

27

Just going to the grocery store and seeing a chiefs hat or royals jersey is something you never notice until you move away. Just the idea that other people around you are rooting for the same thing and you have something to talk about with them. Heck, I almost missed Mizzou fans after a few years.

Well that depends on your job situation as you don't want to commute across the valley....unless you want to leave the area after a year and be divorced. Your budget is important too. Although I live in the West Valley, I would say most people prefer the east valley as it has more numerous nice areas, more shopping, more entertainment and more congestion. But there are plenty of great communities on the west side too if you know where to look and where to avoid.

We already bought our house here and had our neighbor come out to meet us a few days after we moved in. A couple in their 70's from none other than Overland Park, Kansas. Both Chiefs/Royals fans. Gonna be a kick ass block party!!

Lol awesome. I've totally said the same thing to my wife several times. Anytime I see a person out here in AZ with Chiefs, KU or Royals gear on I freak them out because I act as if I found my soulmate or I knew them forever because I high five them and pretty much dry hump them and shit lmao. I feel alone sometimes being out here as far as sports go that I freak out when I see a fellow fan.

This to. Being at Petco Park this week seeing a bunch of Royals jerseys made me realize how much I miss living amongst fellow self haters

Although I feel a lot of pride when I wear my Royals or Chiefs stuff. Especially if they happen to beat the Dbacks or Cards

I might need to get together with a few of you and have a circle jerk while watching the chiefs

Awesome house up for rent in my nice Gilbert neighborhood. No homo. NTTIAWWT

Totally agree. It's like finding a long lost family member.

How much

I'm thinking that with this many Chiefs fans on CP who live here, we should do opening game in a Chiefs bar somewhere in the valley.

Not sure but I would guess in the $1200-$1500 range. That's about going rate for a decent house here. Apartments a bit cheaper $900-$1100 for most anything worth living in.

In. Or better yet try to all get tix together for Chiefs at Cards

That would be epic. I've got my parents coming for it, my uncle/wife from DC and my buddy/wife from Phoenix already going.....All Chiefs fans.

I lived in Scottsdale for about 6 months, wasn't bad, It was kinda weird seeing super high end cars in a Walmart parking lot.


The scorpions are creepy if you've never seen em, take a portable black light out into some fields.

This is the absolute truth. I spent a week in Phoenix one time and when I got back to Nebraska I was never as happy to see trees and grass. I don't know if I could ever get used to that.

I'd probably want to stay below a grand, all we need is a 2 bedroom house. Are scorpions really a big deal?

Hey man. If you got the funds and the time, come on out. I will house you and run you around town. Lots of areas to live. Lots of areas not to live.

Wife and I moved down here, no kids and rented two different 3b/2b houses, 1500 sq/ft for $900/month. Not the best areas but definitely not the worst and plenty safe. Since we don't have kids, worrying about school zoning when renting wasn't a big deal so we could find a place in an area we wanted within our budget, which was less than 1k. Plenty of places available in that price range. Should be no problem for you.

And no on the scorpions. I've seen 1 in our 3 houses we've lived in. It was dead.

why the hell is everywhere so much cheaper to live then little ole ****ing boise idaho!!! pisses me off!!

My 2br condo in Scottsdale is $1545/mo. It's pretty big and nice. But Scottsdale is over priced as shit and for no real reason really and I will be moving soon.

Wife and I rented a 3 bed 2.5 bath in gilbert for 1150. Never saw a scorpion in 2 years but we did spray.

Electric bills are murder with multilevel homes. 300 plus regularly in the hot months with gas drier and water heater .

Yup. Dreading the summer cooling bill.... Scorpions will be found in newly developed areas for sure. I have only seen a few since 2001. A buddy has a shitload of scorps. Spends his nights in his back yard with a black light on a killing frenzy.

Plenty of Coyotes though, which is cool.

Lot of Phoenix guys on here. Should get together for the Chiefs/Cards game this year.

No, unless you move into a new development. I drove here in fall of 1984 to attend ASU after 2 years at at CMSU and never left.

30 years has seen a lot of change --Phoenix metro is similar to LA. The concrete has made the highs higher and the lows higher.

Key is your work prospects... and distance to/from workplace. Phoenix has new freeways always under construction... new buildings pop-up overnight. Real Estate market is cyclical and many zip codes are still a bit underwater.

1. Scottsdale
2. Tempe
3. Ahwatukee (Phoenix)
4. Chandler
5. Gilbert (strip mall...church...cookie cutter houses...repeat)

Forget about Paradise Valley/North Scottsdale/Cave Creek

Pretty simple. If your neighborhood used to be citrus you will have scorps. If it used to be cotton, your fine. Realtors should know which neighborhoods are which. Look for houses with a thin, white powdery film by entry ways. This is a great way to tell, as diatomaceous earth is one of the only effective scorpion killers. A

That's funny, I would reverse your list exactly. I suppose it's just a matter of taste. One man's trash is another man's treasure and all that.

I lived in all those places except Gilbert and I had more scorpions in Tempe than I did anywhere else. Even when backed up to the south mountain preserve.

Ahwatukee was my favorite place to live. By far. I lived there, Gilbert, Chandler and now Scottsdale.

Not a fan of Tempe. Too young with ASU there. Mill Ave is fun though.

My Brother lives in Scottsdale. I lived there (with Mom and Dad) in the early 60s when the old man was a Major at Luke AFB. At the time, we lived in GoodYear (long before it turned into a ****hole).

I would recommend Scottsdale or Tempe and perhaps Mesa. But that's about it. I'd stay away from Avondale, Goodyear or Glendale.

One thing - You'd better plan for the heat. It's like an oven in the summer.....

Why on earth would u want grass? You have to waste your time cutting it 2 hours a week. Fertilizing it, putting pre emergent. I dont understand all you suburbanites and your yards. I hate my yards. Costly to keep up, complete pain in the ass that constantly goes unused. What a waste of space. Id give all my yards away, put astroturf on them if I could

Lol I don't want a huge yard. I just want some grass for my dogs to play in is all.

You say that now.

I'd live there; simply because I could ride nearly year round :)

Yeah, My parents were snowbirds there. Every year they would come home by mid-April, 1st of May cause it was just to hot to do anything outside. 100-115 just isn't pleasant.

This! I'd love to xeriscape my yard.

I've been down there in July. It's really not that much worse then here.