Arizona
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- Nac
So been thinking about moving out to AZ, California is getting entirely too expensive (housing, gas,etc.), and life here is a bit ridiculous with people. Any one live out in that area and recommend any places, of course I would need to freelance or find a job out there primarily. Wanted to see what people thought of the area (state) besides the heat. Thank you in advance.
- whiteSneaks0
I have lived here (phoenix area) for 24 years and I am looking to get out in a year or so. It is a big suburb that is getting old. Cookie cutter homes as far as the eye can see.
The only thing that is significantly cheaper is housing. The job market is weak but slowly improving. It will never be great though because despite the size of phoenix very little business is headquartered here.
Best areas to live: some parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Tempe
- blackspade0
i was there recently
Tempe def looked nicest place to live, if u can handle the heat! :)
- whiteSneaks0
I was at that E&A show. Everyone was performing that night was great. Every friday there is good hip hop at that place sometimes headliners and sometimes just local stuff.
good times.
the real summer heat hasn't even kicked in full force yet.
- blackspade0
tru, you were there!? ha crazy
yea was good night, i enjoyed it ;)
- tenletters0
I have spent the last 12 years here. Went to asu, studied design. Been working for a local/regional mag here. I have though of bailing out many times, Back to boston or chicago, to get some city life but I stil hold out hope for phoenix. The thing about it is theres no center. The phoenix downtown is improving quickly; new loft housing going up every where and asu moving a good chunk of the campus to there. But as of now most of the exciting stuff is happening in Tempe or scottsdale. But blackspades pics showed some of the annoying things about phoenix, testosterone trucks, car culture, missing downtown. But its definitely a blank slate. So thats why im sticking around
- blackspade0
yea but dont get me wrong i could handle living there for a while im sure!!
id prefer the heat to the 5 degrees it is here at the moment
- whiteSneaks0
thanks spade, It took me three years to see that project to completion. A big pain in my ass. Luckily it turned out alright in the end.
As much as the heat wears on me that isn't why I want out. Limited opportunities for my career, no city life, traffic, suburbs, lifted trucks, and I have been here my entire life are my reasons for wanting to move.
- Antonelli0
If it matters, they're building a Six Flags in Surprise.
w00t
- tenletters0
IKEA in the works too
- mikotondria20
Yeah, Phoenix is a strange place in that it really is an 80mile by 60mile suburb, with endless wide straight roads fast food and relentless sun.
It can seem a bit culturally sterile at times, though with the trucks and jocks, but after a while, you really get to love the rugged beauty of the desert, the endless blue skies and cacti, plam trees and humming birds, its an unforgiving environment, and walking anywhere in 115F heat can be pretty daunting.
There are some great bars and superb cheap food and housing here, your money goes a long way.It has a bit of an identity crisis, Phoenix, but at the same time its that 'blank slate' that is much of the appeal. Its not hard to do well here, but it takes a good time to get used to the mechanics of living here.
Tempe's great, Scottsdale is extremely rich and pretty, Mesa, Phoenix are as urban
as it gets.
Its a nice place, come and visit :)
- tenletters0
Come to think of it just stay in cali, and in about 5 years our suburbs will connect somewhere around blythe. look out tokyo
- Nac0
nice... i know about the heat, I have visited before. A change would be nice.
- heavyt0
I dont know much. PHX is pretty cool.
I might join ou soon enough though. maybe we can get soemthing going together.TR1
- Nac0
nice I will have my bags packed even if it is temporary.
- abizzyman0
I don't mind it so much.
The heat pisses me off a bit - that's about it. I'm not sure if I'm in any big rush to try and make it 'big' in design - so I'm content with loads of freelance that keep getting passed my way out here.
I've worked on a few magazines out here - worked on some large projects - some small - some national - some international... I guess it all depends on who you work for. It's tough to get in with companies outside of phoenix (to do work for).
Whitesneaks - that site is shit. I'd kill myself. You don't have to bullshit your design to hang.
- pixelfr0g0
I love Arizona. I've now been here for about 4 years.
Very affordable, housing market is great, lots to do and if you're into the outdoors/hiking etc... there's almost no place better.
The Summer heat does suck and I'm sure it will make me move in another 5 years or so, but for sure this is a fun place to live, especially when coming from Detroit where there is nothing but urban blight and rain for weeks on end.
Whitesneakes, how's the new gig going? Don't start complaining about it yet! ;)
:P
- karlo0
My Aunties penfriend lives in Tucson. I have been there 3 times. I LOVE AZ. Its hot, its cheap and the babes are lively - if I could get a job in AZ I would quit tomorrow, get my arse on the quickest British Airways flight to Phoenix
Any jobs??
Karlo
- puter0
drivign through Arizona a few years back Ielt like if God lived anywhere it was there. After that I visited quite often. Coming from Philadelphia and living in New York for a spell- it's great trip. Personally- I am completely sick of the cities and all their filth and was thinking of moving to AZ as well. Of course it does depend on work.
I will be visiting Sedona this September for a Wedding and hear it's a beautiful place. Although it looks like a lot of New Age kooks live there, and old people.
- Dublao70
I grew up in southeast Mesa (near Apache Junction) however; I’m now studying New Media in Indianapolis, Indiana. I think about Arizona nearly everyday. Compared to the Midwest I feel that AZ is exciting and vacation like. That could be because I equate cold weather with stress and tons of homework. I’d make the move for sure if I were you, though I don’t know too much about the job scene.
Good News: I’ll be flying into phoenix tomorrow for a two week vacation!