British Expats - Phoenix, AZ

British Expats (https://britishexpats.com/forum/)

- Marriage Based Visas (https://britishexpats.com/forum/marriage-based-visas-35/)

- - Phoenix, AZ (https://britishexpats.com/forum/marriage-based-visas-35/phoenix-az-802361/)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10798826)

Everyone says this and I personally think it's nothing special. It reminds me of how people go on about how great Vancouver is and I always think they're mad.

As far as I could tell it was full of really old white people, the restaurants were nothing special and the downtown I grant you was better than Phoenix but the downtown anywhere is better than Phoenix, which is just a concrete and glass jungle of office buildings.

I've driven all up and down Scottsdale Ave. loads of times and there's nothing about it that strikes me as being that special. Come off the 101 southbound, ooh, there's a Porsche dealership, then there's an art museum and there's the Fashion square mall further down.

But really, so what? In terms of living how is it any better than Glendale or Peoria (or Mesa as pointed out above)? Better view of Camelback Mountain?

If you go north of the 101 up Scottsdale Ave., then it's quite nice, out in the desert up around Carefree.

I'm sure there are people who have genuine reasons for liking Scottsdale but I tend to think a lot of people say they like it because everyone else does. To me it's just the place where the white people live in large numbers in the greater Phoenix area.

The parts I like, mainly, are the residential areas in the areas north and east of 101; as you say, up towards Carefree / Cave Creek (which is also a wonderful place to visit), or out towards Fountain Hills. The key differentiator for me is the 'consistency' of the place; everywhere in the Pheonix Metro (Glendale, Mesa, Tempe, etc) you can find very nice residential areas, and some great shopping areas, but you get the sense that no one sat down and planned the bits in between. I get the feeling, driving around the residential parts of North and Northeast Scottsdale, that the whole place has a certain quality to it - simple stuff like the medians having lots of native plants, and businesses having to conform to strict codes (gas stations can't have big signs advertizing their prices, for example). I'm always amazed as I drive up 101 near Shea that the freeway walls are incredibly decorative (it was apparently very controversial when they did that, as it cost a fortune, but I think it is great).

There also seems to be a greater adoption / acceptance of the native vegetation in Scottsdale; in much of the metro area, you see developments pretending to be elsewhere, with lots of grass, and non-native trees. North/East Scottsdale is heavily decorated with cacti, Palo Verde and mesquite trees, etc (I've heard that they have banned palm trees north of a certain line in the city to reduce water use).

And of course you have the McDowell mountains ... I go hiking at either the Gateway trailhead (Thompson Peak Parkway) or the Sunrise trailhead (at the end of Via Linda) several times a week, and they are both only 10 minutes from my home. There are SOME areas of Phoenix metro that have mountains, but I haven't seen anywhere that has the range and variety of the McDowells (Troon mountain, Pinnacle Peak, etc). I've attached a few pictures of the mountains near my home - one taken from my patio, one from my office (which is also nearby) (both taken to capture the snow, once in 2011 and once in 2013), and one of the mountains at sunset, taken while walking along Cactus Ave near 101.

I have to say one of my pet peeves when I tell people I'm going to Phoenix is when they go (almost all the time): "Oooh, you should go to Scottsdale, it's really nice there." And then I ask them why, followed by "er..."

Pretty much the same experience of asking people why they think Vancouver is so wonderful. "Oh it has wonderful scenery", yes good job it does while you're sat in traffic for hours to go a few miles. This assumes you aren't trapped in a tunnel. Or a massive downpour.

I agree that the mountains and so on north of the 101 are nice, but on the rare occasions someone actually spits out an answer it's usually along the lines of there's a nice golf course/hotel somewhere (okay yes there are but that doesn't make it anything special) or the Fashion Square Mall. Which is especially idiotic in Alberta as the WEM is much larger.

I was watching An Idiot Abroad last night and he was in Venice (the real Venice in Italy) and I was thinking all the people who tell me how nice Scottsdale is, their heads would explode if they went to Venice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 10800258)

I never really felt Phoenix offered anything that Tempe didn't.

And Tempe has an IKEA!!!

I lived there for three years and by the end I absolutely loathed it. I too didn't have a choice in moving there so I tried to make the most of it, but was so very happy to leave. What I had not anticipated was how much I'd miss trees and rain. Yes, seeing actual living green stuff, other than cactus and draught tolerant shrubs. When I left there I swore I'd never complain about rain again. Also I found PHX to be rather soulless, a massive urban sprawl with no real character.

I live in Austin TX now which is hot, but nowhere near as bad as AZ and doesn't have the same post-apocalyptic landscape feel which I found ultimately rather depressing. Just my opinion of course, I met some expats out there who really like it, but definitely not for me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael (Post 10791575)

Make sure she doesn't walk on concrete without shoes or sandals which will likely be 130 degrees or more. Even a second or two can be very painful.

I agree especially as most peoples priority when checking out a new place is to take off their shoes and go barefoot on concrete ;)

I moved to Phoenix during the dot com bust when i had a choice of either Phoenix or Miami for employment.

Yes the heat is like putting your head in an oven but then some places are so cold its like putting your head in the freezer.
Its a concrete jungle, so what. Its a city, an urban sprawl but so what, what idiot would build up when its cheaper to build out?

If you come to Phoenix and cocoon yourself in restaurants, malls and bars you will soon get bored. Like any other place you simply need a list of things you would like and see if it will tick off most of the boxes.

The monsoon season is interesting in that it brings about change, and about one third of our annual rainfall. Its not that dangerous, just the odd palm tree falling on a car and lots of street flooding. Many people use the term monsoons when reffering to the storms which is incorrect, a monsoon is a season that brings about many monsoon storms and haboobs.

I have lived in the north east and much preffer the 3 month hot summer to the 5 months of snow on the ground. You simply need to learn to adapt to the heat.
I've learned my tollerance to heat and have since found that it does not bother me that much. I think nothing of cycling 15-20 miles in 110 degree heat while carrying enough water to stay hydrated.

Some things to consider are the politics and religion. Lots of right wing religious people here despite it being a city of transplants. There are Mormons and everything.

I agree with others on Scottsdale. Great for fine dining and the like, much more suited to materialistic people who proudly drive fancy cars with "Scottsdale" someone on the license plate holder. If you ask anyone what is great about scottsdale they will probably go on about the dining options, ask them what else and they will normally resort to saying bad things about other areas of the Phoenix metro area.

Do you have kids? If so Arizona education sucks. Expect to pay more for all day kindcare for your child. There are whole areas of old white people (Sun City) who want to not have to pay taxes to fund public schools, because they don't have children.

Some things we do to get around the heat in the summer, especially with the kids off school.

1) if you have a kid : house with a pool, or apartment complex with a pool. Public pools are full of piss and floaters. Make your outdoor space cooler, shade umbrellas, misting systems ( i have one around my pool fence, less than $50 at home depot). An evaporative cooler, they work great in the low humidity. I can spend hours outside with my family by the pool. I got a lawn too so the kids run through the sprinklers and we have a slip and slide thing they like to slide on.

2) get out of town. In less than 2 hours you can be up as much as 7000 feet in elevation. Much cooler temperatures, natural parks, forests, camping etc. Without having to spend too much money.

3) stay in town. A staycation as the locals put it. All the top resorts that charge big bucks during the cooler winter season typically have deep discounts during the hot summer. With kids we typically stay a couple of long weekends with other families in full inclusive resorts that have big pools, water parks, lazy rivers and pool side cabanas.

4) take up a new hobby or learn something new. Most cities have recreational centers (tax payer funded) kind of like sports centers in the UK but also with more community offerings. Swimming lessons for kids, music classes, cooking classes, photography, computing etc etc. All at very cheap prices.

I lived and worked in Cave creek for nearly 2 and half years.

I fell in love with everything about the area, from the weather to the wildlife, everything. For me it just seemed like home from th moment i moved there.

She's in Scottsdale as I type this. Or kidnapped and out in the desert somewhere...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Cheesestick (Post 10810314)

She's in Scottsdale as I type this. Or kidnapped and out in the desert somewhere...

Was she there last night (Friday?). If she was, I hope she saw the amazing storm that passed through! Starting around 10pm or so, a phenomenal light show took place in the skies above north Scottsdale / Cave Creek area, with lightning strikes every 5 seconds, horizontal and vertical 'fork' lightning, massive downpours of rain, and so on ... and by morning, it was dry again! I went outside and stood for at least 20 minutes, enjoying the storm (it was dry at my location ... these things are amazingly localized).

Humidity is pretty high, and temps are 'relatively' low, so she's not going to enjoy the 'bone dry' desert heat, but - it's certainly entertaining!

A spot of rain this morning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steerpike (Post 10810745)

I saw that too, arrowhead mall location just south of 101 North Glendale. Amazing. Rain is on/off all day today, much needed.