What is life really like in Phoenix, Arizona?
To answer this question in one word, I’d say fantastic. Arizona is just a wonderful place to live. It is organized so well and it’s a modern new city so you get all the perks of a small town, while living in a quickly growing huge city. It is not very densely populated in most places and the urban planning here is on point. They are using the latest research on how to setup a city without making life cumbersome to its occupants. Keep an eye out for the hyperlinks to explore more information on each subject.
Downtown Phoenix is a separate part of town than the suburbs just like any other city. Most of what I’ll describe here is in reference to the metro-Phoenix area. I’ve lived in different parts of Los Angeles as well as Orange County, CA; Houston, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve traveled to many cities and states in the US including Dallas, New York, Jacksonville, Miami, Ft, Lauderdale, Memphis, South Carolina, Seattle and Portland, Sarasota, Tampa, the list goes on. I’ve been to many countries as well, but it of course goes without saying that the US is the best country out there. That being said, I can objectively tell you that life in Phoenix is really quite nice. It’s peaceful but energetic at the same time. People are unconditionally kind and considerate most of the time. The city is spread out and each area has it’s own nook similar to SoCal. There’s lots to do and sunshine abounds year round.
Speaking of sunshine, a lot of people wonder if it’s too hot here in the summers. Having lived through our first summer here, I can tell you it’s not that bad. I think anywhere in the world after about 90 degrees, you’re not outdoors. The warmest months here are July and August but it’s hot from about June through October. The rest of the year has pretty mellow temperatures. Depending on how far north you are in the city and in the state of Arizona, the weather varies. In North Scottsdale, we got snow and hail last year. In the southeast valley, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Mesa, we saw monsoons that came through in the middle of summer and brought cool weather during the day and rain overnight. I remember before we moved here, I had read online about there being lots of snakes and scorpions. It’s not really a thing in most places. Just like any other area, if you go hiking or happen to have an area where there isn’t any kind of pest control, you’ll run into unwanted creatures. Most people who live here have never seen a scorpion or snake, myself included.
Cars and houses are some of the biggest expenses for most people. Here are a few tips and insights. Car insurance here is somehow much cheaper than SoCal which is my only recent comparison point. I pay about 60% less on car insurance in Phoenix than I did in Los Angeles. Gas is generally about 25-30% cheaper here. When you trade a car in here, you only pay tax on the difference of the car amount. Not sure if that’s a thing elsewhere, but it’s a great savings. Definitely plan to tint your windows if you’re moving here. There’s not a whole lot of shade or clouds. The sunshine is great, but on long drives, you start to notice it. As a side note, you can plan to have strong bones and a nice tan year round. Just pace yourself in the sun so you don’t end up in the doctor’s office.
As far as housing goes, I’ve heard there are about 400+ people moving here per day which means construction is booming. Rent is going up right before everyone’s eyes, so if you plan to stay, consider buying. It’s also amazing what you can get here for $1 million when compared to California or other states. Utilities are also somehow much cheaper here than in CA. All the noticeable cost differences really add up, especially when income is the same or more as anywhere else and work is plenty.
Let’s talk schools. The schools here are fantastic. The regular public school system here is great, but it’s mixed on the type of education and the political leaning you will get. If you’re looking for traditional schooling where your kid has an experience similar to we had when we were kids, check out the never-ending amazing list of charter schools here. The state of Arizona has the best charter schools in the country, including but not limited to:
Basis
Legacy Traditional
ASU Prep
American Leadership Academy
Paragon Science Academy
Great Hearts
Bright Beginnings School
My goodness it’s a long list. To see the whole list of amazing charter schools, click here. Governor Doug Ducey didn’t provide funding to schools here if they closed during the pandemic so there was huge incentive for most places to stay open. Most schools weren’t even considering closing anyway whether the governor had said so or not. As far as universities, ASU, UofA, NAU, PIHMA, are all great options. I love that there is a university for alternative medicine here as a lot of the doctors who graduate setup their practices here.
Education is a high priority here. So is respect, integrity, and kindness. You can tell in the adults you meet who have grown up here how strongly they hold a sense of good morals and kindness for thy neighbor. It’s quite refreshing and being such a nice person, I’ve never felt so at home. There are many places in America and the world that are like here, but people’s kindness here is overwhelmingly noticeable. Everyone just wants to help out and have a reason to smile. It makes for good business and a low stress life. When you move to Phoenix, you’ll notice that your stress melts away and is replaced with peace, happiness, and better health. Your bones will be stronger with all the sun exposure. You will have more time to your self and your dreams and hobbies because you won’t be sitting in traffic everywhere you go. The farms and the places of worship sprinkled all over town are a constant reminder that it’s not a race to the end.
What else? Oh, the food. There is a broad range of people from diverse backgrounds here. It’s predominately American, and too many other cultures to name, but there are lots of middle easterners, Indians, Native Americans, Eastern Europeans, and people from Hispanic backgrounds. I met a Polish woman the other day who moved here 20 years ago from LA and from Poland before that. Super nice lady. Something in the air here just attracts nice people. If you’re an asshole back home, please leave the attitude behind. Leave one place for the rest of us to enjoy. The diversity of cultures brings with it great restaurants and some ethnic grocery stores. Not enough of the good ethnic grocery stores I’d say and the middle eastern food here isn’t that great, but hopefully it will get better in the coming years with more migration. The city of Phoenix is well spread out and not super densely populated in most places except downtown so each area has it’s own little nook with a different vibe and cool things to do. There are events year round and nothing stopped people wanting to get together here.
I’ve lived in open carry states before and Arizona is another place that has that option. Here are the rules in Arizona.
As far as work is concerned, there is so much work. If you work in construction, come to Phoenix. There is such a shortage of workers and such a high demand that the cost of labor has skyrocketed here. You can’t get someone to paint your house for less than $3-4/sq ft. The houses here are mostly pretty big so if you have any kind of trade or talent, look into the move. Arizona the first in the nation to universally accept all licenses so if you have a license in anything, you can come here and have it accepted by Arizona and start working right away. There are manufacturing companies of all kinds here including cars and microchips. Google, eBay, Yelp, Amazon all have offices here. There’s a need for every type of service here and people are ready and willing to work. Arizona didn’t give in to all the free unemployment money in the past year or so which means that people aren’t used to handouts here and they are wanting responsibility and to be productive members of society.
Arizona is projected to add more than 700,000 jobs by 2030. There’s a job for anyone interested. If you look on the map of Arizona, you will see the Flagstaff/Sedona/Prescott area up north and Tucson down south. Pretty soon, it’s going to be one big metropolis. The southern area is where most of the manufacturing is happening. The further north you go, the more corporate and high end housing you will see. If you have some money, come buy a house in Paradise Valley. North Scottsdale above the 101 loop is also a magical place to live. A lot of retirees and young families up there. Southeast Valley with Gilbert, Queen Creek, Mesa, San Tan Valley is all growing very rapidly and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
Governor Doug Ducey has also been working hard to make Arizona a desirable destination for people moving from other states on the tax and business friendliness front. Here’s a great article on that. As an overall, you end up getting a high quality of life here because of all the ease of life that is built into the infrastructure and how much of your own money you can keep and invest for your future. You live once, why not live well?
I hope this has been a helpful article!
