Well if you want less rain than you get in the UK then this is the place for you. For the most part this is a great place to live.
Hi there,
My husband and I just moved from San Francisco area to Phoenix (Ahwatukee). I lived in California for over 20 years - and the cost of living is outrageous, so when the opportunity came up for the same pay scale in Phoenix, we took it. The cost of living is absolutely great here. And we like the sun and don't mind the heat. I find the people nice, and the natives are the harshest critics of the place. I have't found anything I don't like so far. There are plenty of good places to eat, lots of parks, good shopping, etc. I was very wary of crime, and did lots of research before we moved to ensure we were in a nice neghborhood. And so far, we really like Ahwatukee... nicely manicured, feels safe, nice homes, a bit suburban, quiet. When we want more noise and pretentousness we go to Scottsdale, a short drive away.
The other thing to mention is that if you are at all in the tech industry, you will be very welcomed here in the job market.
Good luck!
PS: If you're wanting other cities with a similar climate - try Palm Springs, CA - it's gorgeous.
As others have said it's scorching hot, but that won't really matter because you will be spending most of your time in AC. Otherwise its just standard Americana suburbia. If you can afford the higher living costs and you want nice weather I suggest moving to California which has an agreeable temperature year round, beaches, cool cities and is overall nicer than Arizona.
Phoenix is a nice city to live in, but there are a lot of different parts to live in it's pretty big. I personally live in Ahwatukee and I love it. It is very modern, has extremely nice people and schools, there is just about everything you need in Ahwatukee. Restaurants, pools, the Chandler Mall is about 10 minutes down the street. I believe it's a particularly safe place to live and hang out in. But one heads up, if you don't already know is that it is very, very HOT here. And I'm talking like 115-120 degrees fahrenheit hot in the summers. Freeways and traffic are pretty good for the most part, a lot of the freeways have been re-built recently. It is affordable in my opinion although at the moment gas prices are soaring, so if you are planning in getting a car I would seriously advise you to get a fuel efficient car. Unless you want a SUV that costs 80-100 dollars to fill up. Some parts of Chandler are nice too, i would defenitely recommend looking around and seeing what suits you best.
Not really unless you like crime worse than in the UK. The heat is horrid in the summer, you spend lots of time inside with the AC running your already high utility bill up.
If you want warm climate and can handle the humidity check out Houston. Lot's of nicer places than Phoenix to live, just depends on if you want dry heat, need to work, etc...
I moved from phoenix AZ i think it is dangerous and there is alot of crime i moved to moreno valley CA and it is way nicer,peaceful to live here...... oh and phoenix AZ is filled with illegal aliens.
It's just like every other big city in the world, but its mind-blowingly hot. You don't want to live there in the summer, unless you like temperatures above 120 deg. Fahrenheit.
My sister lived 30 miles east of Phoenix for almost 3 yrs. It is a very very dry heat. The foods are saltier than here in New England. It is personal choices that make it what you want.
All cities in the Phx metro area are hot. From Fountail Hills to Estrella Mountain and from Buckeye or Gilbert to Anthem......it's HOT.
Now, if you want to go north 1.5 hrs to Prescott, it's about 20 degrees cooler, but the job opportunities aren't there as much - depends on your profession. Flagstaff is 2.5 hrs north & it's 30 degrees cooler, snow and everything. There's a college (NAU) & ski lodge (Snow Bowl) - if those might be worth looking into a job. Again, it depends on your profession.
If you stay in the Phx metro suburbs - stay north. North is newer, therefore a nicer, quieter neighborhood. Looking for comfort in the older ones takes a native Arizonan I think.
It doesn't get above 120 often, it's hit 123 ONCE. Typical is 112, 116 is a bad day. This summer 110 was the norm.
Phoenix is HOT. I mean Hot as in OUCH!
i hated it ...and i mean HATED it, i was there 4 years..moved there to be near my family who had moved out there in earlier years..its hotter than hell...i saw way too many dead bodies on the sides of the road, had my apt broken into, my car vandalized and the schools suck. my niece and her family had an alarm put on their home...only to have their house broken into by the very person who installed the alarm..another niece was approached b/c she was wearing "gang colors" while pumping gas...she had no clue...i hated PHX hated Tucson and stayed just 4 years, the longest 4 of my life...i felt like i had done something really bad and was being punished...I now live in NC and love it
I live in and love Arizona. That said, I'm not much on Phoenix. If you really want to live in AZ, consider Tucson. Not as hot as the Phoenix area, the state's best university, absolutely beautiful, and I'm moving down there from Phoenix myself next year. Definitely Tucson. Also, it has a lot of high-tech going on, as well as everything else.