moving to phoenix from uk
 

Hi All
Just looking for a bit of advice.
It looks like I'm going to be offered a job within my company in phoenix az. Early stages at the moment.
We understand about the heat. But whats it like living there day to day?
We are a family of 5. Kids ages 12, 9 and 3. They all love america from holidays but living there might be different.
Company should be offering healthcare so thats good. Not sure what elese at this stage.
Any help advice would be great and much appreciated. Thanks

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

Unless you've lived there you don't understand the heat, it's like living in a hair dryer during the summer. 200+ days a year where the temperature is over 90F. Understand it's not just hot, it's extremely dry.

Based on your post, I would say your main problem is going to be schools. Schools in Phoenix are largely terrible. This is because there are so many retirees and they don't want their money spent on schools as far as I can tell. Arizona ranks very low in quality of education.

All is not lost, you need to pick an upper middle class area with lots of <<<SNIP>>> people, but those <<<SNIP>>> people need to be working age. Scottsdale and the North Valley/Deer Valley aren't too horrendous and I think Peoria might have some okay schools. Bear in mind "Scottsdale" is big and has the highest average age of any town in the US, so you need to figure out where exactly in Scottsdale.

Big shortage of houses at the moment as well.

Also, traffic. Public transport in most of Phoenix is awful although it has gotten better in the last few years. The closer you get to downtown the better it is but in the suburbs it can be pretty dire. Understand you may spend a lot of your life sitting on I-10, I-17 or the 101. The 101 at rush hour is absolutely soul sucking, at least between I-17 north and Scottsdale. And you get to do it when it's 120 F.

When you say your employer offers healthcare, I'd still dig through the details, never come across any healthcare in the US that is really comprehensive, there's always some sort of co-pay or high deductible.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

I'm a USC and I've lived in Arizona for 48 years, first Tucson and then Phoenix metro area (Chandler and Mesa, to be specific) for the past 32 years. I love Phoenix and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Yes, it's HOT, but it's DRY. No horrible humidity. There is AC everywhere...home, car, work, shops, etc, and swimming pools. It's not like you're standing outside for very long. Yes, public transportation isn't the best, I guess, and there is lots of traffic. You get used to it. I live in Mesa and work in Tempe and my commute is about 40 minutes on average.

I don't have kids, so can't comment on schools, sorry.

Rene

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

;)Unless you work outside. Then you'll be dreaming of the smell of fresh cut grass in summer.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

This is true!

Rene

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

Company MUST offer healthcare coverage and it must be a good plan - otherwise, with three children, don't even think of taking the job.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

I know a number of people in Phoenix and they enjoy living there.

It is a big, cosmopolitan city.

Once you get over "sticker shock" from the heat it is not that bad as others have mentioned it is a dry heat. As well - you can ski two hours away from Phoenix (a lot of people don't realise this).

Schools in Arizona are a mixed bag but the two big universities there, Arizona and Arizona State, are competitive and very high quality.

Lots of retirees move to Arizona from the Upper Midwest, and, increasingly, there is a lot of run-off from California as people seek lower cost-of-living.

It's not a bad place; you could do a lot worse.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

What constitutes "good" Healthcare has been debated here many times. It used to be considered that good Healthcare paid for everything, but even with employer subsidies it could still cost an arm and a leg.

But now there are other options, that can make a lot of sense for most people, cost considerably less, and also potentially allow you to stuff your own personal piggy banks (one for each adult) with tax free money to cover future medical expenses. :)

We used to pay close to $1,000/mth for insurance while making very few claims. Now we pay $186/mth and salt away $'000's every year in our Health Savings Accounts to use for minor expenses or keep for the future, while still having the comfort of insurance that will cover us for major medical expenses and hospitalizations.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

The whole "dry" heat thing is a common joke, it doesn't actually make it easier to tolerate. Coming from the UK with 60% RH to 0% RH it will be a shock.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

Very true and I've never met anybody saying the desert has a pleasant heat:nod:. Dry heat just means you don't have a breeze to cool the air down. Of course one could argue that high humidity is worse but when it's 48C you can forget the oh it's a dry heat:lol:.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

It does for me. I can't stand humidity.

Rene

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

Sure we're all different but the point I think he wanted to make is that there is a difference if it's 28c and humid compared to 48c and dry. Yes humidity can be bad for some but people complaining about high humidity when it's max 28c will burn when it's 48c.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

I concur with this. Having experienced both - the humidity makes a huge miserable difference.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

I don't know which part of England that you come from, but 60% humidity is almost unknown in the UK. High 80s is reasonably common.

https://www.currentresults.com/Weath...ity-annual.php

One good thing about Phoenix is that they sell quite good pasties.

Cornish Pasty Co.

Re: moving to phoenix from uk
 

We have lived in Phoenix for 32 years. Our three children were all educated in the Deer Valley School District from elementary school through high school. I am very happy with the education that they received. You learn to cope with the heat but I am not going to lie. It has not been easy for me with the intensity of the Phoenix heat. Now that we are retired we are planning to return to Scotland next year. I will be returning with the fondest memories of our time in Arizona and the wonderful childhood that our boys had. We just returned on Friday from our 15th visit to Grand Canyon. Although I have suffered from tremendous homesickness I would not have changed anything.