Phoenix, AZ

phoenix is awesome, temperarily. weather is great, summers arent even that bad. there is no beach which sucks, (which will change pretty soon once global warming takes over california) but your 5 hours from cali seacoast. you like snow boarding, 2 hour drive north for the slops, you want to take a weekend vacation, 3 hour drive to mexico. arizona is so great for so many reason, but i wouldnt want to live here for the rest of my life, to much traffic and the people are to materialistic

lived there for a year. still kinda of miss it. grew up in the midwest outside chicago. chicago is a much much better city but there are some things i love about phoenix. for me being young it was great having asu nightlife and scottsdale right there. the nightlife isn't too bad some really good clubs but there isnt a ton of em out there. there are tons of gorgous women there and theyre not nearly as snobby as people make them out to be. the people are generally down to earth and open minded. the summers are far too hot but the rest of the year is damn near perfert. it was wierd to me having no water source nearby sometimes it bugged me others i didn't care. city is pretty generic and has no skyline but there is still alot that goes on. overall i really did enjoy my time living there and i would move back for the proper oppurtunity. i do recommend visiting but just make sure to do the right things when you do.

Phoenix is great

I like what Phoenix has been doing downtown.  It has been known as a collection of suburbs, people go to work downtown and leave and this needed to change for Phoenix to be competetive and get people to live in the city.  What they have done with the light rail is great.  These trains look incredible and will be live in December.  The setup of downtown is nice, a lot of new architecture - and some cool restaurants and coffee shops have been coming in in anticipation of the light rail.  2 major sports teams and great teams are downtown - Suns and D-Backs.  Presently people show up to the games and go home, hardly anyone hangs out downtown, but this will change.  Denver re-vitalized its downtown and somewhat cowtown rep a few years back by adding the lightrail and I believe Phoenix will do the same thing.

it's like los angeles without the beach, attractions or celebs. just horrid.

People say Phoenix and arizona are too conserative because of the large mormon population but I found the area to be very liberal(unfortunatly im a conservative) I mean arizona has a lesbian democrat governer. I lived here for 4 years and Im finally moving away in a week and a half.

Phoenix, is the new American city in which people seem to be rushing to in droves and the reason for this is that Phoenix is the obtainable low hanging fruit compared to other major metro areas in terms of affordability of homes and just a cheaper quality of life. To Phoenix credit it has built itself up to be aesthically pleasing however, once you get past the facade it is a place that lacks culture zero rain & wind means air polution on par with LA, it is very conservative both politcally and socially, and its a desert. Deserts aren't meant to sustain large populations and the lack of water and diminshing water supply to the area is looming large especially with the effects of global warming. In a nutshell, Phoenix used LA as its model for building a sprawly conglomeration of suburbs with no quality city center. The city also ranks very low or mediocre in terms of having an educated populace (and it shows). Phoenix is the ultimate Suburban-type city. So if you like zero culture, cookie-cutter restaraunts and homes i.e. Chillis, Applebees, 80 shades of flat brown landscape, mediocre schools at best both elementary, secondary, anc college (ASU), six months of armpit hot weather, zero water, brown polluted air, zero seasons, golfing, a fake shallow environment and people especially Scottsdale, and are a conservative Republican Phoenix is the place for you!! a knock off butt-backward mediocre version of LA without the beach and culture.

Its ok. Its kina just dumb. Shopping Centers that look the same, homes that look the same, and the landscape gets boring. I wouldn't live there, although it is a great place to visit. It isn't as sophisticated as North Eastern or even South Eastern cities.

UPDATE:   OK, I'll give Phoenix another star.  The place is improving.  There's work on downtown that's giving it a cultural vibe, and things are starting to look up - better art museum, improving downtown, better parks, an attempt at public transportation.  The city still has problems - too much traffic, too hot in the summer, but it's improving.

Phoenix is just sort of...there. It's a big sprawling mass of a city improbably located in the middle of a desert. There are some decent areas - Scottsdale isn't bad, and there's a lot of nice areas west of ASU in Tempe - but overall there's just not much to really recommend the place. This is particularly odd considering the city is essentially brand new - much of it was built after 1950 - and it's the fifth largest metropolitan area (thanks for pointing that out, Igantius) in the country now, which should enable it to be as cultural as a Chicago, New York, or Philadelphia, yet better planned. Instead it has little or no culture, is a sprawling mess, has terrible traffic, intolerably hot summers, and no cohesiveness to the neighborhoods, such as they are. Some of the surrounding scenery is impressive - Phoenix certainly makes a good jumping off point for the rest of the state- but the city itself isn't very interesting. If you want to go see how a city in the desert should look, drive down to Tucson - culturally, Tucson has less going on than even Phoenix, but it's prettier.  

One of the tenets of my religion is not playing golf. I believe that one patch of desert is about is good as any other.

That being said, Phoenix is o.k. during the months of November to March, let's say. I spent some time in Scottsdale, and believe it or not, you probably could have cooked eggs in the swimming pool! This was in the summer and towards evening, after the water had been basking in the sun all day.

Hot & dry too much of the year. Not the worst place to live but if I had my druthers I'd pick somewhere else.

Im done with Phoenix. I went back there recently and the magic was gone.

Well, dammit Im coming back again after some recent developments. I'll be there in September. The desert just keeps calling me back. I dont know what to say.

People just love to hate my home. I'll just make a quick score card:
Hot Summers (-)
No snow to shovel in winter (+)
Piss poor downtown (-)
The Phoenix Suns (++++)
The Arizona Cardinals (----)
The Arizona Diamondbacks (+?)
The natives of the area (+)
The California transplants that drove up housing costs and made the city bland (-)
Crime (-)
Gun owner friendly (+)
Snowbirds (-)
Bad driving (-)
Wallace and Ladmo (+)
Home of Alice Cooper (+)

I've taken these into account and given my home a three.

I've been here 8 years, and I love it. I came from the cold, lived in most of our major cities, and have finally found my paradise. There is no down side for me - there is tons of stuff to do if you like the outdoors, and the climate of the state has every kind of weather you could possibly want or imagine. Fortunately, I bought a house when it was cheaper, so I'm OK there. The state is industry friendly, which has drawn in lots of tech businesses and jobs. The people are great - I've not met a rude one, (much to my surprise, after reading this website). And the people are very interesting - they come from all over, especially New York. The weather is awesome too. Hot in the summer sun, but since I have to work all day, I never notice it. I'm just out in the morning and at night. Downtown Scottsdale is the city draw here, and it is always hopping - every kind of person, including ancient cowboys. Lots of wild west flavor, if you like that kind of thing. Much nicer and more affordable than any decent city in CA (which is where I still have to spend a lot of time for work). The area attracts major art fairs, horse shows, car shows, etc. and the nature is to die for.

I have lived in Phoenix for eight months now. I grew up in Buffalo, NY, and then lived in NYC for 4 years. Wow, after coming here from NYC...it was kind of a disappointment. At first my husband and I thought it would be great--warm weather, "affordable" housing (it's not so affordable anymore!), and a decent job market. Jobs haven't been a problem for us, but...like others have said on here, it is just so "vanilla" here. No culture! The desert scenery is beautiful, but the summers are unbearably hot! As for nightlife...you really have to go to Scottsdale. Again, though, coming from a big northeastern city, it seems like there are very few nightlife choices. If you come to Arizona to visit, I recommend checking out Northern Arizona (Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon). If you are in Scottsdale, check out the Old Town art galleries. But as far as living here...I really don't recommend it!

Rule number one...NEVER judge a city based soley on weather. Phoenix is a manmade disaster. Los Angeles without water would be a pretty good description...with right wing freaks running the place. I used to complain about Hartford until I spent a week in Phoenix. God awful...

It is going on 4 years for my living in Phoenix. My first year I could not STAND the heat in the summer but it has gotten better. You learn to hybernate during the day! In the winter, the weather is DIVINE! I do think Phoenix has a job problem (not many good paying ones) and the housing is going out of sight. Otherwise, love the proximity to Las Vegas, San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Mexico and Hawaii and adore the dry temps.

Thankyou i really needed to hear that i was going to move their after graduation from Ohio to work for enterprise but since you said their is no black people i will reconsider and i want to live somewhere warmer than Ohio but i don't think i could deal with 120 degree weather. So Thanks!

well on its way to becoming another los angeles.

When I moved to Phoenix nearly six years ago, I found the scenery alien because I'd just come from the hill country of Austin, TX. However, I was surprised how quickly the desert beauty grew on me. I liked having mountains all around me and enjoyed the rock gardens, desert shrubs, and cactus. I came here when jobs were plentiful and housing was still affordable. Now I regret not buying a house when I came because I'd probably make a $100k profit now that I'm leaving. Yet what they say is true, this city is pretty bland overall - a big shopping mall really. Crime is high, my expensive bike was stolen, and almost everyone of my friend's cars have been stolen (probably by Coyotes who use them to transport illegal aliens across the border). The night clubs aren't particularly impressive and people in Scottsdale are becoming increasingly snobbish. I think too many wannabe snobs from L.A. have setteled here. Housing has become unaffordable - as of 1999 a new 3 bedroom 2 bath would have cost you $140k in a nice (conveinently located) part of town, the same house in 2005 will run you $240 to $280k. Anything bigger will run you into the $300k's. I you want to pay less than $150k now, plan to move an hour or more from the city. And jobs don't pay all that well even though the cost of living continues to skyrocket. Californians and North-Easterners are moving here in droves, making the city unbelievably crowded. Plus it is mind-numbingly hot (115+ degree days) in the summer. And though the spring/winter is lovely, hot summer lasts from mid-May to the end of October. I'm pretty surprised that so many people and businesses continue to migrate to such a boring city, especially when there are more affordable and/or interesting alternatives. I mean if you're willing to spend $350k on a house in the suburbs 30 minutes from downtown Phoenix, why not spend $450k to live in San Diego and enjoy the ocean, better weather, and easier traffic. You're over paying either way. Or if like many residents of Phoenix, your idea of entertainment is to attend the grand opening of a new shopping mall, why not move to Dallas and enjoy the lower cost of living. It's a lot like here just w/o mountains and the overbearing dry heat. But as a bonus, they have lakes all around, and a 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath will still cost you $160k. Plus Dallas employers pay as well as Phoenix employers. Like I said before, I'm moving.....

Too hot, sprawling and polluted. ...Cy

I have lived here for a year and I hate it like no other. The scenery is ugly, it's full of Jesusfreaks and rednecks with 'Savage for President' bumper stickers, and NOBODY KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE PROPERLY! Plus, about the stereotype of the people here not doing anything except shopping, it's true. Even on weekdays the malls are packed and it once took me 45 minutes to find a parking spot. The people are faker than anybody you'd meet in Hollywood. The weather is too extreme as well. You feel like you're in an oven during the day and you're freezing your ass off at night. Stay away, it's basically a piss poor imitation of a generic Southern California city.

Absolutely too hot and dusty. Summers are the worst. No one comes outside except to run to their cars and turn on the air. I like being outdoors. What on earth can you do outside in unbearable 120 degree heat? No thanks.

I lived in Phoenix for about eight years. I moved there from Detroit and I hated every bit of it. It has no culture, it's way too right wing, you have never seen smog until you have seen smog at 120 degrees AND forget star gazing, way too much crime, Sheriff Joe Arpaio is the devil (look up Tent City), the schools suck, there are no black people and only mistreated hispanics, your skin gets so dry from being in Air Conditioning all day, there is nothing for your kids to do in the summer besides hang out in malls, the rain has mud in it!, if you go for bike ride in the summer and pass out.. you will bake to death in the heat, you can bake cookies in your car (maybe that's an asset?), the houses are too expensive for how much it sucks and don't build equity for the most part, all the produce and fish is awful because it has to be shipped in, the architecture is bland, etc. So I moved to San Diego, and I love it here!!! What a load off, sitting around hating where you live takes a lot of energy.

Wouldn't bother living there. What's there to do?! Christ, I heard it gets up to 130 degrees in the summer.

Phoenix is wonderful, a huge city in the middle of the desert. Hot as hell 6 months of the year, but dry and sunny. Feels like LA in the desert, with some incredible views.

Phoenix is an easy place to live. I was there 14 years. If you have moderate (middle of the road) political views and are reasonably sociable - you'll do just fine. If you're self involved and or a hard core liberal - stay away - you won't fit in.

An unimaginably hot desert wasteland, with a bunch of concrete poured on top! There are no yards or anything!

I live in Scottsdale, and overall I think the whole area is terrible. Don't move here, its unbarably hot, boring, and homogenous. It's a hole that you can't escape. The vannila culture boils down to vitrolic conservatives, chain stores, strip malls and asphalt. The crime is horrible. Most people who like this place are either from the midwest or have not been anywhere else. I want out.

I spent 3 days in Phoenix, Az. It wasn't the best of places, the city was really nice, but outside of Bank One Ballpark there isn't really much to see. The countless number of cactuses are really nice. The weather was pleasant, it was a steady 85 everyday, with no rain. I would never go back there again, some what of a boring city.

There's nothng special about this place. I was not impressed with the downtown dining. I liked the airport, but everything in between my two visits there was nondecript.

I absolutely HATE it here!! Great place to visit, but not to live. It is the most boring state in the world, the schools suck, the people are OLD, the crime is HIGH, they HATE black people, they hate KIDS, it's WAY too hot, there is NO water, the jobs are low paying, it's ugly and dirty and dangerous. I can think of a million places to live instead of here. People are crazy to live here, most just come to die here. Awful place.

I lived in the Phoenix area for 7 years. Loved hiking in the desert (gorgeous, especially in March when flowers are in bloom)and driving to Tucson, Bisbee and Sedona. Hated the traffic around Phoenix and the horrible drivers, the relentless heat, the plastic brainless culture of the city. Loved the Mexican and American Indian cultural flavor that infuses the place; hated the segregation of Mexicans into menial labor and poor neighborhoods. Hated the high crime rate (a friend was murdered the 1st year I lived there) and the lack of social cohesion and the rabid right-wing politicians. In the end, despite good friends and the desert, I really was glad to move away.

The Blob. I have family here and so visit a lot. At first I hated it, but learned to appreciate what it has, and especially the sublime desert and mountains that surround it on all sides: now I look forward to my visits. There is a surprising amount of cultural diversity here: don't be fooled by the apparent sameness of strip malls and evenly spaced six-lane arterials. Summer is pretty grim though, with frequent temps over 110.

I was born in Phoenix, and I live there right now. Let me start by saying that this city is turning into a trash dump! Traffic is horrible..all the new freeways won't be built until late 2007, and light rail won't be here until the end of 2006, the crime is getting out of control, and worst of all they're in the process of building a brand new stadium for the NFL's worst team, the Cardinals! When you get to downtown, they call it Copper Square, but at night it becomes a ghost town. The skyline is nothing to look at, the only cool place downtown is Bank One Ballpark. Outside of Phoenix, the desert scenery is absolutely amazing! Drive north of the trash dump, err..Phoenix, you find yourself in the largest stand of ponderosa pine tres in the world! Truly a sight to see! If you want to visit Phoenix, don't spend all your time in the city, you will hate it!

I've only driven through it, but I can tell you that there is no reason for a metropolis to exist in the middle of the desert with no water or resources.

So hot and so ugly.

It's a barren desert. Is there even an attraction worth seeing in this area?

I just spent two days in Phoenix, and I really enjoyed it. The scenery was stunning, and the weather was extremely pleasant, even in upper-80s heat (I guess that's nothing compared to the temperatures in the summer!). The sunsets were absolutely spectacular. If you're a golfer, you'd probably go nuts in Phoenix. Avid golfers were raving about the courses, saying they were the best they'd ever played. I'd definitely go back to Phoenix, especially in the dead of winter!

Airport service was wonderful, people were very friendly and always willing to give a helping hand, and the area is lovely as long as you visit when the weather is not super hot.

I lived there for 2 1/2 years; it was the best time of my life. And the sunsets are exquisite! The people are very accepting of however you choose to live your life

Very HOT!