What are the Pros and Cons of living in Phoenix AZ?
I am debating whether to move to phoenix or to stay in Fresno, CA.
I am a full time student. I am what you would call a semi square. I don’t drink or smoke. I love to dance but i don’t really like going to night clubs. but i am outgoing. I am 19 years old and I am determined to get my BA then MA then possibly my PH.D in Business Administration. Is Phoenix a good place to live? and if not is there any surrounding cities that may be a good place to live?
Plaese only serious answers
Thanks
PROS
* Fantastic weather (from about mid-October through early May)
* Dry air – no mold, mildew, or car rust. Best of all, no mosquitoes
* Gorgeous sunsets
* Beautiful desert landscape and fauna
* Beautiful palm trees everywhere
* Affordable housing/property costs
* Modern city with good infrastructure and a good freeway system. For a city of this size, traffic volume is really not too bad here
* Overall it’s a pretty clean city in spite of the occasional smog and pollution (which is nowhere near as bad as Houston’s or LA’s)
CONS
* The summer heat
* Low wages
* Orwellian neighborhoods
* Ubran sprawl
* Very spread-out; little or nothing within walking distance of most homes and apartments
* HIGH utility bills, especially in the summer when you’ll have your A/C running all day
* Very little cultural diversity – Mexicans and Native Americans is about as diverse as it gets in Phoenix
* Horrible, rude drivers (AZ is #1 nationwide in hit-and-run accidents)
* Rampant panhandling and solicitation
* Too many chain restaurants and anchor stores
* Hard to find any type of ethnic food here (other than Mexican)
* Meth-heads
* White trash
* Rednecks
* Skin cancer
* Downtown Phoenix itself is purely a business district with no nightlife or entertainment (other than the sports arenas)
* CRIME. A huge problem here. Arizona is #1 nationwide in identity theft and #4 in car theft (trailing only CA, TX and FL)
* Illegal immigration – another huge problem here
* The public schools are putrid; AZ’s public education system is ranked #49 nationwide
* EXPENSIVE car registration and insurance
* The people. I’m sorry, but overall I just don’t find Phoenicians to be very sophisticated, cultured or mannered
Also. Phoenix has a major issue with road rage and horrible atttitudes of drivers, but this is not due to traffic jams. It’s because of the intense heat. Hot weather causes a lot of behavioral changes in people. A car is not a comfortable place to be when it’s 115 degrees out, and people are in a rush to get to their houses or a mall where there’s air-conditioning and shade. This is what causes the road rage, not traffic jams.
I’m not out to trash Phoenix. I’m not trying to encourage you or discourage you, I just want you to have all the facts. I’ve written a lot of good things and a lot of bad things. I’m from the east coast and I’m moving back home.
Lao Dance Club in Fresno, CA
