Don’t fly Malasia Airlines ...
From the SHTF perspective, probably not so good. Other than that, sounds great.
It’s hot there
I live in CA, but spend a lot of time in PHX due to work, my company has pretty big operations there.
I like everything about PHX, except the heat.
The heat is hell on car tires and batteries.
Maricopa, AZ or Maricopa County, AZ?
If you like Suaro cactus with little birds looking out and gravel yards painted green to look like grass and its 105 degrees the first week of June Phoenix is your Huckleberry. :=)
I’ve been out there several times over the last six months. People are nice, traffic stinks.
I seriously doubt you can garden. Every is sand, rock, or has spikes. Incredibly dry. It surprised me at how dry it is. From a preparedness side there will be no water if they lose electric.
It’s a desert.
Your thinking will go like this. I am the smartest person to move here its great. Other people are dumb. Year 2- its still great but God here comes that heat and boy traffic sucks. 3rd year- God get me out of here its HOT I can’t do another year of this.
A few years ago Phoenix was a mecca for kidnappings by drug cartel members for ransom...I do not know how it is now, but research is your best friend. Always make sure you have peace in your heart about the move. A preacher once told me to go somewhere on a visit before I moved there to see how I felt.
Check ‘city comparisons’ at bestplaces.com? for crime, economy, housing, and water etc.
You don’t say where you are coming from so it could be quite a lifestyle change. I am a native from the valley of the sun and live in the East Valley. The commute into downtown Phoenix is not fun via the freeways unless you carpool. Some people don’t mind the drive, I do and so I have always worked near home. Yes it gets very hot here. We do our outdoor activities in the winter and spring, hiking, off-roading etc. The valley is surrounded by mountains so you can pretty much go hiking when you want. This time of the year it gets very crowded with Snowbirds from the north. Lots of canadians all out on the roadways and in the stores. They leave as soon as the temp reaches 90 degrees so they should be leaving here in the next couple of weeks. You can escape the heat in the summer pretty easy, we have the mogollon rim 1 1/2 hours away or Flagstaff and temps are about 20 degrees cooler there. Plus everyone has pools. If you can afford higher cost of living then check out Scottsdale.
City of Phoenix is California without the ocean. Left wing-nuts everywhere. Move to the County.
Maybe look into renting in the ‘county island’ in the Chandler/Gilbert area. Ask a realtor about the term/area.
I’m in it with 1 acre, 20 minutes from downtown where I work. You can farm. Lots of year round alfalfa farms. Corn. I have oranges, peaches, figs, grapes, grapefruit. I’m thinking of turning over some dirt here soon. Find a place with flood irrigation. Maybe consider rent-to-own.
What you are looking for is possible.
There are a lot of nice areas to live in the Phoenix metro area but what will work for you is entirely dependent on your age, what you like to do, and if you are married, married with children, or single. I would look up a real estate agent and ask questions about lifestyle match to area neighborhoods. It is a good place to live but it isn’t terribly cheap and it does get hot. I grew up in Montana and I do not miss the cold.
If that's the case, you need to choose another place. In fact, you sound like you should stay put and make it work.
I lived in Phoenix in the early 70s, before they built the freeways. Getting across town was a bear — traffic was horrendous. And it seemed that they were always digging up the major streets — they would have lanes blocked while they put in, say, a water main, then cover it up, then put in electrical lines, then cover them up ... etc., etc. Summers were not pleasant — many days exceeded 105 degrees, and it was often still 100 degrees at 10 PM, sometimes later. Asphalt softened and high heels sank, and it seemed like you were constantly running between your refrigerated house and your air conditioned car. You could easily burn your hands on the steering wheel or gearshift - never mind touching the car to get in. Winters were fine, but crowded with “snowbirds” (adding to the traffic issues). If you wanted to drive to San Diego or Los Angeles, your best bet was to leave around 1 or 2 AM to get across the desert before it got hot. Then the monsoon season when the rains rolled through — high humidity with that heat — ecch. If I had to live there again, I would go up to the foothills, like Carefree or Cave Creek - still in the area, but not quite so hot as in town. Prescott, Sedona or even Tucson would be even better.
I've only ever driven through Phoenix - in on 10 from the south, out 17 to the north. I may have a chance to visit a friend there next month for a couple of days.
I've spent time in the desert southwest. I like the heat. I'm one of those nuts whose idea of fun was to take off early and go hike up and down mountains and washes in 100+ heat.
My friends all tell me that Tuscan’s the best.
Don’t forget to write your Mom and Dad, when you have the time.
Let your brother and sister know how much you miss them.
Wow..lots of responses to read through. I am in Western PA currently. I have a couple acres, stream across the road; easy gardening. My reasons for moving are purely social (i.e., getting away from undesirables who won’t leave me alone). I grew up in very southern CA. I was exposed to 108+ degree days most of my life. The problems I am facing now are very high costs to keep my home warm across long winters, (again) escaping a family of crazies, and possibly increasing my wealth. The down side is it sounds like I will have to be very choosy about location in order to grow anything and I have LOTS to read about the water and water table out there (here, 30 inches down is natural shallow springs).