[USER]

My wife and I (both 28) are looking to move out of California to buy a house and start a family.

We want a place that’s not too far from Southern California so we can go back to vitit families sometimes.

What do people think about Phoenix, AZ in general?

I think it’s a great location since it is near to California, Las Vegas, and Utah.

I went to college in Texas so I already know the heat.

[Robert]

IMHO, since climate change is probably not going to get better and only worsen……

I would not be moving to anywhere in the American Southwest.

New Mexico may be a bit more tolerable as far as the weather; I also have the feeling that it might be cheaper than Phoenix; but I don’t know what the employment and job situation there is.

Salt Lake City, where I live, has become extremely unaffordable.

It’s my understanding that some parts of northern Utah and southern Idaho are still affordable; and I think prices might actually be coming down in Boise, but I’m not certain, I’m a bit biased; but the quality of life here that we have in the Rockies is unbeatable.

The quality of life in Colorado, where I also lived so; is nothing short of fantastic – but I’m pretty sure the cost of housing has gone up considerably since I moved out of Colorado in September 2017.

I would cast your net broadly; visit the places I mentioned and see what vibes with you and your wife the best.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Kellie]

I am in Gilbert Arizona. Raised my kids here. For the most part I have enjoyed it.

Summers are hot, but rest of the time it is amazing.

Schools are average.

Cost of living has gone up and wages have not.

[Lauren]

I live in Phoenix and love it. The summers are hot but that’s just a short time of the year.

The downside is we are getting a lot of people from out of state and there is a ton of building and lots of question about where the water will come from in the future.

It’s definitely a concern for myself and the rest of my extended family that moved here.

We’ve been here a little over seven years now.

The hottest it has gotten is 118 since I’ve been here.

You can still do stuff outside especially if you have a pool but it is basically reverse winter.

We just do inside activities.

The housing market is not cheap but will be cheaper than cali.

Not sure about the job industry but it seems to be ok.

My particular industry has done well so I lucked out there compared to some of my classmates after graduation.

I think surprise, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Chandler, anthem are nice areas to live with families.

Peoria is also nice!

There are also some not so nice areas so definitely take time and look.

You’ll hear lots of crazy stuff about HOAs but I live in one and they are very common.

It has not been bad at all

[Dave]

Everyone that comes from AZ complains about the 100+ heat. I hear about it almost weekly.

Be prepared for that sunshine.

[Amanda]

My husband and I are from NorCal and have family there still. I love Phoenix.

People are nice, everything is newer and cheaper and parking spots are bigger!

The heat isn’t so bad until August (right now) and then I am SO over it! But it will start cooling down soon.

[Allen]

I visited there from Dallas last month and Phoenix quickly moved to the bottom of the “places to ever consider living” list.

Weather was miserable.

[Christina]

I don’t find AZ any cheaper than SoCal. I bought a house in North Scottsdale to get away from CA, but Phx is turning into mini CA and the heat is crazy.

I was told the 100+ was just once in a while for a few days but it is not! I have to say people in Phx are very nice and the city is lively.

I then bought in NM to get away from the heat and now NM is getting crazy hot and lots of CA/TX transplant too.

I also thought both would be close enough to visit CA often if I wanted to but it is actually not as easy as I thought.

So now I am back to CA planning my next exit.

What is affordable to you?

Have you looked in inland areas in socal/san diego/etc?

[Garrett]

I moved to Las Vegas and like it a lot. July is brutal though. No state taxes on income and housing is more affordable than most places

[Robin]

I live in So Cal and visit Phoenix, Mesa, and Gilbert a couple of times a year.

There are some real positive s such as the people being nicer, cleaner stores, and being able to use undamaged shopping carts.

The one thing I can’t get over is the lack of greenery and wildlife.

It’s so strange not to have a bunch of birds chirping upon waking in the morning.

[Erik]

What about Denver? That is top on my list if we were to ever move. We are currently in Ausitn.

You would need to fly but it is a short flight.

Phoenix had 133 days over 100 last year

[Yoomie]

So, Cal native. Moved to Phoenix from 2005-2012. Now back in CA since 2012.

Phoenix is HOT 6 months out of the year.

I was over it.

Back in Orange County near the beach and love it.

Will never leave CA again.

Can’t beat the weather.

You can still buy affordable homes in CA.

I bought a vacation home in Crestline Ca near Lake arrowhead that was affordable at $400k.

[Penh]

Look into a Goodyear AZ. We lived there for two years so we could visit my dad in LA on the weekends and that worked out well.

We really liked Goodyear.

You’re 30 mins from Phoenix and they have really good schools.

We lived in a cul de sac where we could have walked our daughter to school.

[Steven]

The summers go on forever there in Phoenix from June 1 way past Labor Day well into late September.

Vegas is hot also.

[Rob]

I lived in Phoenix for 5 years in my 20s and overall I liked it, lots of cool restaurants and bars, a lot of freedom and very much a Wild West attitude.

However I’d say it is like a mini LA and getting closer and closer to it.

In my time there the traffic noticeably increased a lot and the housing prices and cost of living went up a lot.

Stay East of downtown and there’s a lot of good areas to live.

[Antonio]

I spent a year working in Phoenix, and it wasn’t my cup of tea. The weather can be brutal – unrelenting heat with the occasional haboob or monsoon thrown in.

But their downtown has a great vibe.

Have you thought about checking out inland cities like Menifee or Beaumont?

They’re building a ton of ‘affordable’ housing, and the builders offer low interest rates.

Boring cities but not far from LA or SD

[Amy]

Phoenix is not bad.. Prices have soared due to the inflation. By October, the weather is better.

Look at the burbs and choose a location a bit further out.

[Gord]

Phoenix is also close to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) which is a great beach town for getaways.

Still warm in the summer but less so than Phoenix so many like to go there often for quick breaks.

It’s a 4 hour drive.

[Diane]

Northern Nevada is still driving distance to So Cal, cooler weather, and no state tax.

Easy flight to anywhere.

More affordable than CA, but it’s not cheap anymore.

The people are real though.

[Qinli]

I lived here in Arizona for 12 years. The only complaint is the heat in the summer.

However, that’s perfectly excuse for you to go visit family!

[Author]

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