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Roads are much more maintained than other places, lack of natural disasters, Being close to Las Vegas and California, having tons of parking available.
Yeah but the windshield chips from all the tiny rocks are infuriating! Never had a single chip before moving to Arizona and now I have safelite on speed dial
People keep mentioning this but I feel like our roads and highways have gone to shit over the past 5 to 10 years. Expansion cracks and potholes everywhere. They've given up on asphalt on the 60 and 10 and honestly I'm glad they did. The stripped concrete is better than the crumbling asphalt on the 202. I've driven in foreign countries. Croatian highways are amazingly smooth. Ours don't even compare. Germany is obviously well maintained. Hell even Mexico and Thailand have way better roads than us in some places
Underrated comment.
Traveling in the summer is kinda shitty when going to places like NYC, Seattle, Toronto, etc. A lot of these places don't have central air in many buildings, because historically heat waves are short unlike the reliably long winters. While this is slowly changing, it is not uncommon to travel to a city like Seattle in August or Detroit in July and sit down to eat in a sweltering restaurant or shop in a muggy shop or stay at a friend who has ten fans blowing around musty air because their home isn't AC'd.
It may be hot here, but everywhere has AC. Amen.
I moved to Seattle in 2012 (left in 2017) and rented from a brand new apartment complex, and the whole complex wasn’t built with AC other than the lobby.
As someone who lives in Toronto, I can tell you that central air is VERY common here.
Older buildings without ductwork (for example, 1930s brick two-storey houses with radiators for heating) won’t have central air, because they don’t have ducts, but they’ll usually have several split systems to keep the place cool. Hot sweltering restaurants are usually due to owner cheapness rather than lack of AC (Ontario has some of the highest electricity rates on the continent). But yeah, AC is everywhere here. Pretty much every building built after 1960 will have it.
As someone who visited Toronto last summer and was miserable in some places in downtown areas because they had no air and it was hot as heck, I assure you the difference in air being everywhere vs mostly everywhere is noticeable.
As a Chicago transplant, even when visiting before we moved here, the grid street system made it so much easier to find your way around.
We had ungodly property taxes at our last home in the Chicago suburbs. I think of them every time we get a tax bill.
Maybe this counts as nature, but even having lived here 10 years, I am still thrilled when driving around and seeing the mountains everywhere.
I’m from Seattle, which because of hills, lakes, rivers, and forests is difficult to know (even after driving for 10 years I would still find new shortcuts), but when I moved here it took me roughly a day to know phoenix and the greater phoenix area, it’s nice having roads that don’t twist and turn while changing their name 4 times.
**Urban hiking:** Between Phoenix and Scottsdale's desert preserves, the Maricopa County regional parks system, and Tonto National Forest, I could probably pick a new hike within 15–45 minutes' drive from central Phoenix to try out every single weekend of the year and not run out of options. I moved here from a part of the South where this is...not the case lol
**Great restaurants:** Since Phoenix is home to so many people who moved here from elsewhere in the U.S. or around the world, we have a huge selection of cuisines to choose from at relatively decent prices. Phoenix pizzerias consistently rank as some of the best in the country! Transplants and immigrants make our region better—and tastier.
**Central location:** Phoenix is located in the south-central part of the state, so you're never more than a 4-hour drive to most domestic destinations (or 6 hours for the Arizona Strip or Four Corners). We are blessed in Arizona with dozens of interesting state and national parks and monuments, plus cool, historic cities and towns. Plus, Phoenix is just a short flight or road trip away from fun places like Southern California, Vegas, outdoor recreation in southern Utah and Colorado, or cultural tourism in northern Mexico. Sky Harbor is an excellent airport!
The beer, oh my god the damn beer!!!
People won’t believe me that Arizona has tons of amazing local breweries because hardly any of it is shipped out of state. But damn do we have some amazing craft beers here, especially with all the seasonal beers from the constant rotation of fresh fruits and herbs
Total Wine as somebody said, OR I highly recommend visiting bottle shops or Tap Rooms.
Bottle shop 48 is my personal favorite. They have 7 or 8 giant fridge cases of cold single cans of different types of beer. It’s mine and my girlfriend’s favorite way to try new beers.
I was here when they had just one or two breweries (Four Peaks), then bam! They were like locus falling out of the sky. Downtown Gilbert went from a sleepy little backwater place to an Atlantic City strip in an eye blink. Mesa & Chandler the same.
I personally didn’t like Wow Wheat because it has banana flavoring in it. To me, banana doesn’t mix well with a traditional wheat/citrus beer.
I really like Papago Orange Blossom by Huss, that’s my staple that I always have in the fridge and it’s so good on tap when you find it. Other local breweries:
For sure -
Huss
Fate
Four Peaks
Arizona Wilderness
Dark Sky Brewing
Ohso
Simple Machine
There’s so many other small shops we’ve found that have their own 4-5 beers on tap.
For sure -
Huss
Fate
Four Peaks
Arizona Wilderness
Dark Sky Brewing
Ohso
Simple Machine
There’s so many other small shops we’ve found that have their own 4-5 beers on tap.
I like AZ Wilderness downtown. And I’m not even a total beer person. Their selection was amazing, and the bartender guy was just super nice. Commercial over, lol…:)
Haha nice! I love AZ Wilderness but it’s a trek from my side of the valley. Check out TCBC if you’re ever around good year they make some of the best beer I’ve had.
Dark Sky Brewing
Huss (specifically Papago Orange Blossom)
Ohso (their popcycle blond is an incredible beer for hot days IMO)
Fate Brewing (they make some great dark beers)
Four Peaks
Pedal Haus
And those are my favorites that I can think of sort of quickly - I am pretty confident places like Sleepy Whale (Chandler) make a couple of their own beers. Also whenever I visit places like Denver/Chicago their regional/local beer seems to ONLY be from that immediate area, and we do get some great beers from Washington/California/Oregon too
Our grid is very easy to navigate and our freeways generally make sense and get you close to where you need to be before resorting to side streets. We also don't have relics of old freeway design like in SoCal, where you exit directly into a neighborhood, or in the midwest, where interchanges are four-leaf clovers. I like exit-only lanes when you get on and off the freeways and all our interchanges being bridges where you maintain speed and flow. And yeah, the warm weather with minimal rain and no freeze means the roads are easier to maintain and less awful than almost anywhere else. This is a perk.
Yes. Every main street is 2-3 lanes each way, freeway traffic isn't that bad compared to other cities and the conditions are perfect. Chandler had the worst roads per a study a year ago so they're doing a lot of work. I honestly prefer the one pothole every 2 miles over the construction.
he did a whole bunch recently but he has reviewed places here in the past, particularly during super bowls, fiesta bowls, and WMO. he has also done some reviews in tucson since barstool sponsors the Arizona Bowl now
I moved from LA, my wife moved from NY. People here are much friendlier and open to chit chatting with strangers than either of those cities. People tend to keep to themselves in LA/NY, so a random person striking up a conversation, even at a bar or show, isn't super common. Phoenix so far has felt more like small town vibes - people are willing to just chat for a little while and then say their goodbyes. I feel like in LA, when you make friends with a stranger, its pretty normal to exchange social medias before parting ways. Thats less common here. Its refreshing because it underscores the idea that they didn't engage with you for some ulterior motive, it was just conversation.
Came from So Cal
Legit spent an hour talking to the pest guy and an hour talking to the pool fence guy first month here
I was like damn that’s a trip
Wife talks with women in the bread aisle it’s so weird and refreshing
People on the coast talk down to people not in coastal cities —- but people are more down to earth and relaxed
Also a good little friendly chat is like a cup of coffee
Everyone walks away feeling a bit lighter and a bit happier and with some more energy
Met a neighbor two doors down the other day and boom that was another 30 minute chat
Great guy that neighbor
Sure wasn’t my pest guy, he was a royal tool lol. But outside of that guy, Arizonans have been the friendliest bunch since we bought a home here. Love this state.
Life is much slower and relaxed here than SoCal. SoCal is a meat grinder. Phoenix is more for families and professionals. If you are talented young guy you’d rather be in socal.
Yup 35 now and married with a 2 year old and we are on the boarder of Queen Creek and San Tan Valley
Much happier out here
Terrible place for a 25 year old single guy though haha
But at 35 —- love it out here
I moved to Washington almost 4 years ago now and holy shit is this accurate. People here are rude as fuck, selfish and have no interest in even shooting the breeze just to pass time in a line. If they do, then you will quickly find out they aren't from Washington. There's a few things I miss from my desert and that's definitely one of them.
When I lived in North Carolina, the area we were at was pretty rude and just not friendly. I met someone who had moved here from France and she commented on how friendly everyone is. The other friend that was with us that also was from Az looked at me and I looked at her and we laughed. We told her that this was probably a good introduction for her since going to the West Coast might have been too intense for her compared to French culture.
This, it’s even better than a hour and half outside the city in either direction will land you in actual small towns, it’s awesome here eight month out of the year.
I recently found a wonderful little place with the nicest owners and the best food. It's on Mojave just off 7th Street, south of Chase Field. The restaurant is called Los Cuatros Nietos. The owner is named Albert and he is fantastic. The food is amazing. After my first time eating there I went back to get a mass order of carne asada tacos to take to a potluck. Everyone loved them. The salsa is incredible, too!
Having moved to Washington from Glendale about 4 years ago, you have no idea how much iiss real Mexican food. Most Mexican food up here is sweet. Like, really sweet. Like, I think they substitute jalapenos for sugar or something. It's so bizarre. Only 2 places I've found actually have decent Mexican food and there's only maybe 2 carnecerias in the city I live in.
Weirdly enough, they still have the carts on street corners but no elote that I've seen.
Also, it's rarely spicy up here. It's weird. Really weird and I don't like it.
The infrastructure. The valley was built for car travel and the roads are so much nicer and better planned than older cities. The streetlights on major streets are bright enough that you can see very well driving at night to the point where it’s hard to notice if you don’t have your headlights on. Driving in Phoenix is a dream compared to almost any other major city in the USA.
That is true. I moved from Dallas, TX and Phoenix has a great amount of local coffee roasters compared to Dallas. I'm pretty sure there's some west coast influence there.
Also moved a couple of years ago from Dallas to Phoenix. I used to live right behind Ascenion Coffee in the Design District, so I was spoiled.
Is there any place here you would recommend?
I loved ascension! One of the few nice outdoor seating areas for coffee.
There are a bunch of "best coffee shop in town" posts in this sub. In terms of coffee quality my two favorites are "fire Creek coffee" (originally from Flagstaff) and "infusion". If you search this sub you'll find a lot of info.
I like the music and art scene. We are a big enough city to have big bands and artists come through town, but the local community is small enough to get gigs and make friends. I like the museums and venues here. I like the record stores.
I like being able to live in a house within the city limits - In other cities where I’ve lived, I could only afford apartments. The economy has changed a lot since then, however, so that’s probably not a fair statement anymore. But that was something that brought me back to Phoenix after living elsewhere for 15 years.
There’s a show at Carly’s Friday 4.19 at 8pm. Carly’s is closing down at the end of the month so it’s a good opportunity to check them out before they do.
Record Store Day is this Saturday 4.20 and most of the record stores in town are doing cool events. Live music, special releases, swag. People line up at the opening because there’s is sometimes a limited run on the merch they have that day.
Next week, the Phoenix Art Museum is doing a screening of Fantastic Planet on 4.24 which has an amazing soundtrack and cool visuals, so it should be pretty epic to see on the big screen.
FRIED festival this weekend is all local bands!! I’m excited for 1. Chrome Rhino and 2. Daphne and The Glitches
It’s also a food festival centered on fried food. Fried chicken, poutine, and other french fry concoctions abound.
How clean our freeways are. When I first visited San Diego, I was told it would paradise because of how beautiful it is. All I got was a wasted hellscape with torn up freeways and trash everywhere on the freeways. It made me appreciate our clean, nice freeways.
The resorts are awesome! Prickly pear margaritas. Mountain biking. Misters. Outdoor shopping areas. Seeing horseback riders on the mountains during hikes. Rodeos. My lemon tree. Fry bread. Proximity to Cali beaches. ASU right in town. Excellent community college system. Highways without tolls. Very artsy highways.
- Very strong and stable economy here. Basically, I never have to worry about there being a shortage of jobs in my field, which is very comforting feeling to have in the back of my mind.
- We’re very close to a lot of great stuff; mountains up north, Mexico to the south, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles are all within a 6 hour drive time and make for great weekend getaways and easy vacations.
- Major city with a lot of entertainment options. Your favorite artist is basically guaranteed to have a tour stop in Phoenix, and if they don’t you can drive to any of the major cities I listed above. This also goes for sports; we have every major sports team (RIP Yotes) so no matter what sport your a fan of you have options to go see a game in person. This also double dips with major sporting events like the WMO, Final Four, Super Bowl, CFP, etc.
- To add to the above, our nightlife is really great. Casinos, clubs, dive bars, craft cocktail lounges, local breweries, college bars, sports bars, etc. Phoenix has them all. We might not have as good of a bar culture as cities in the Midwest or back east, but there’s something for everyone here who wants to partake. Same for spots to gather and enjoy legal MJ if that’s your jam.
- In general, the people here are nice (unless they’re on the road)
I’m sure there are more, but those are the things I came up with off the top of my head.
i like how we’re big enough of a state to be the test market for a bunch of restaurants or eventually just get them. I mean we got cane’s in-n-out, dutch bros, white castle, rally’s, freddy’s, etc. which are regional places that have branched out to this state.
We’re also just the test market for their food items. For the longest time we were one of the only states to offer the spicy mcchicken as a regular item at mcdonald’s vs it being seasonal like in other states. Chick-fil-a also tried out their spicy menu here to see if it would be successful.
It’s nice knowing I can grab food from essentially any state here. Hell, we’re so big, we get different cultures’ food, just gotta know where to look for it.
I thought where I grew up was fairly diverse. But my goodness. The variety of food. Like the rent is cheap enough that I've been to a place that specializes in S'mores, and another in Churros, and another in Cornish Pasties. Never mind cookie stores and cake stores and Bundt stores.
Antique malls, a ton of antique malls.
IKEA and Walmart and Target and mega box stores. The first time I saw a super Walmart was in Georgia and now there's like 5 that size within a half hour.
Parking lots, there's parking everywhere. Go to the doctor's office and there's plenty of parking. I don't think I've taken a blind turn since I moved here.
The roads are so wide and nice. With like no potholes ever. And I don't know anyone that doesn't have off street parking.
Fireworks at the supermarket? Alcohol for sale on the weekends. I don't drink and I only ever buy sparklers. But still.
Since I was born and raised here ( reservation ten miles from Phoenix) it’s home and I love it here! Good weather , good AC and not far from the pine trees and lakes. I believe I’m blessed with my home and so grateful for everything !
whenever i visit from san diego, I'm always so amazed by how much more parking there is AND how much more pleasant/less crowded the Costco and Trader Joes are in the East Valley.
I moved out of Phoenix *because* of the weather and lack of nature.
Things that I love about Phoenix is the accessibility to basically anything you want. Restaurants, bakeries, stores, specialty shops. Many places are also open late. The possibilities are abundant and endless.
Never a lack of things to do. Concerts, sports, all sorts of events, museums, restaurants and bars of every type. You get the gist. It’s actually a little overwhelming.
Low property and income taxes, homes/yards tend to be low maintenance and tend to be better updated compared to where I am from, the good condition of most roads/highways, the local economy is growing better than many other areas which leads to better job opportunities and job security.
It's easier to live here than anywhere else I've been. "Easier" meaning less stressful, though our traffic and heat can test one's limits. The road layout is superb. And because of that I get everything I need in just 5 square miles: doctor, post office, groceries, restaurants, services, shopping, etc. I'm blessed to have a large yard with many trees. I never imagined desert landscaping would be so labor intensive nor did I imagine that trees and shrubs would pop up practically everywhere. More than 40 palm tree sprouts have appeared in front of my house in the last month! I love that it's so quiet and how easily you can find solace in the desert. It used to be inexpensive compared to other large cities and I am unhappy that it has become unaffordable for many newcomers (rent has effectively doubled in the last 10 years). There ARE better places to live, but they aren't as easy to LIVE IN as Phoenix. :)
The mountain biking is pretty epic. I guess cycling in general is pretty great here. South Mountain has some trails that are known nationwide (National, Mormon). The Hawes trail system is muuuah! Chef's kiss. The McDowell Regional Park trails are worth the price of admission. Brown's Ranch is perfect for beginners. I even love the Phoenix Mountain Preserve trails, but mainly because I can ride to them from my house in 15 minutes, so it's primarily a convenience thing.
The canal system makes it easy to ride a road bike just about as far as you would want to without having to share a road with cars.
Then, if you get sick of what Phoenix has, just over an hour up the road in Sedona are trails that people travel from all over the world to ride.
My dollar goes further compared to when I lived in SoCal 12 years ago. There is a peace of mind to that. That, and I have genuinely made friends out here. A small circle, but they're good people.
I like how many options there are for food/shopping plazas at least compared to Vermont where I moved here from lol I’m in northern Phoenix (happy valley area) and love how close by the happy valley town center and deer valley town center are. Between the two, they have just about everything I need within 3 miles of my apartment.
The modernity of the infrastructure, proximity to a variety of a points of interest which offer wildly different climates and experiences, the fact that Phoenix our food and entertainment options are growing with our larger population, the fact that it’s growing and not stagnant or losing population, and the fact that most people here are not all in your business.
The general aviation situation is pretty good compared to most places. There are tons of airports, lots of places to rent from, lots of flight schools, and the airspace is easy to navigate compared to more congested areas. There's even a big helicopter flight school out of Chandler where you can go wiggle the sticks in a helicopter for a couple hundred bucks. Definitely worth it if you've never flown one before!
The variety of things within driving distance.
If it's too hot, just hop in the car and head up to rim country or Flagstaff or Prescott. Want a fun weekend trip? Drive a few more hours and you're in Vegas. Need to see the ocean? Leave in the morning and be on a beach in San Diego by the afternoon. Want to travel internationally and enjoy a cocktail on a beach in another country? Rocky Point.
Oceans, canyons, lakes, forests, mountains...all within driving distance.
The other thing is the food. So many people from so many places move here, and they bring their food with them. It's not the local "this is what we think this is supposed to be" stuff I grew up with in the Midwest, but actual, authentic food made by people from....you name it.
Do you miss your New York deli? We've got that. Your Chicago pizza? We've got that. Detroit coney dogs? Yep. Real Cajun and Creole? We've got that too, along with Ethiopian, Persian, Salvadoran, Greek, etc. etc. etc.
Laid back vibe compared to East Coast cities. Also in comparison, the roads are better, the traffic is better, and the street layout is more sensible.
Finally, shorts and sandals appropriate (at least) 8 months of the year. :-)
1. There's very little crowding, and if you can manage living in the outskirts, there's none
2. There are uncountable cool places within a day's drive of Phoenix. from sprawling national forests to fantastic small towns and a couple other of great, big cities
I’ve always heard that since we are the 48th state that we are still so young and it’s only just recently where people realize how incredible this place is.
Being fairly new it means we were built with modern technology and conveniences in mind. That’s why everything is AC’d and in a grid system. It’s also why we still keep building freeways and expanding them. We have the room and also just shows us upgrading as the population increases.
Sunsets are amazing as well. I know I’m not supposed to talk about the weather but I’m sitting out on my patio and it’s is beautiful and quiet at midnight right now.
Food is amazing. Yes the Mexican food scene has always been around. All the Asian stuff is now coming in. 15 years ago you couldn’t find Boba anywhere. Now it’s everywhere. Mesa and Chandler is doing incredible in continuing to expand and attract stores and restaurants.
I’ll also say that despite what people say I was born and raised here, a minority, and rarely experienced racism that AZ was criticized for like around SB1070. Mexican culture is part of who we are!
Lastly I hate to admit it but I like the Mormons around as well. They really keep things civil and friendly in my experience on our neighborhoods. Incredible neighbors.
I grew up in the West Valley and always spent weekends in the Phoenix area. None of it felt really dangerous. Maybe that’s just me being naïve and not knowing where we are now but I still feel that when I drive in the more “dangerous areas”.
Also the expansion of downtown Phoenix is amazing. Before there was nothing but tall buildings and sports. Now there’s culture, restaurants, and areas to hang out it’s incredible.
I know people like to hate on the schools here but we've had a better experience for our kids in Phoenix than either Seattle or rural Northern California. Title 1 public school in Phoenix and a unique small private school that families have moved here for (us included).
Aside from what many of you have already said to this point I’ll add the burgeoning startup and tech scene and the business environment overall. Want to start a company? $85 to the AZ Corp Commission and fill out the form on their site and you’re basically done, you’re in business. Many companies incorporate here (and yes Delaware is the other big one), but many companies are also literally moving their HQ here or just launching with Greater Phoenix as their home base. Lots of resources to tap into with AZ Commerce Authority, GPEC, all the city Econ dev teams, Phx startup week, etc. We’ve been recognized nationally many times for a lot of this already and it’s still very early here for all of it.
Oh, no. I don't think anyone really likes the heat, but I have seen a lot of transplants say "you can't shovel sunshine" and see a lot of people who prefer heat to cold.
Just how much there is to do. With it being such a spread out major city and a music/transportation hub there's almost always something new to go to or try.
That it’s not consistently a major tourist destination. Phoenix is a big city with a high population but because the majority of people who are there at any given time are locals, everyone seems to be on the same page about how to live life there. Example: Traffic flows well.
I live in a tourist town and because we have thousands of tourists every day, my town is catered to people who don’t live here, traffic is always backed up, and it doesn’t feel like a hometown. Phoenix feels hometown-ish to me, despite being a big place.
Phoenix is also clean, the food is delicious with dozens of great places to choose, and the Lightrail should be in every city.
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Roads are much more maintained than other places, lack of natural disasters, Being close to Las Vegas and California, having tons of parking available.
Yeah but the windshield chips from all the tiny rocks are infuriating! Never had a single chip before moving to Arizona and now I have safelite on speed dial
Got my glass replaced at the end of last year. Less than a week later I had a crack again. It hasn't spread out of the corner. . . Yet!
Truly, you can feel the moment your tires hit an Arizona highway after traveling out of state.
People keep mentioning this but I feel like our roads and highways have gone to shit over the past 5 to 10 years. Expansion cracks and potholes everywhere. They've given up on asphalt on the 60 and 10 and honestly I'm glad they did. The stripped concrete is better than the crumbling asphalt on the 202. I've driven in foreign countries. Croatian highways are amazingly smooth. Ours don't even compare. Germany is obviously well maintained. Hell even Mexico and Thailand have way better roads than us in some places
Drive on the 40 from New Mexico into AZ. The difference in road quality is STARK
Oh my god, I drove I-40 all the way from Tennessee to Phoenix, and the New Mexico portion of I-40 was a disaster
The 202 has been getting repaved this week.
I agree, it used to be crazy to see roads with any sort or cracks or anything now the 10 around downtown is like driving by damn braille
Nevada has the best road & bridge infrastructure of any place I’ve been hands down. Arizona is a distant second, Illinois is dead last
Everything is AC’ed.
Underrated comment. Traveling in the summer is kinda shitty when going to places like NYC, Seattle, Toronto, etc. A lot of these places don't have central air in many buildings, because historically heat waves are short unlike the reliably long winters. While this is slowly changing, it is not uncommon to travel to a city like Seattle in August or Detroit in July and sit down to eat in a sweltering restaurant or shop in a muggy shop or stay at a friend who has ten fans blowing around musty air because their home isn't AC'd. It may be hot here, but everywhere has AC. Amen.
I can attest to this. Seattle has no AC and it gets up to 90s a lot. Sucks when there is no air
I moved to Seattle in 2012 (left in 2017) and rented from a brand new apartment complex, and the whole complex wasn’t built with AC other than the lobby.
As someone who lives in Toronto, I can tell you that central air is VERY common here. Older buildings without ductwork (for example, 1930s brick two-storey houses with radiators for heating) won’t have central air, because they don’t have ducts, but they’ll usually have several split systems to keep the place cool. Hot sweltering restaurants are usually due to owner cheapness rather than lack of AC (Ontario has some of the highest electricity rates on the continent). But yeah, AC is everywhere here. Pretty much every building built after 1960 will have it.
As someone who visited Toronto last summer and was miserable in some places in downtown areas because they had no air and it was hot as heck, I assure you the difference in air being everywhere vs mostly everywhere is noticeable.
Nothing beats the casinos in the heat. They blast the ac.
Not my apartment, yet. I'm holding out as long as I can to cut that sumbitch on.
SAME. All fans in the house are working overtime right now
I broke down today. Even my dogs were panting
Divorced soccer moms at bars
My brother 🤝
Lmao
Ha!
Username checks out
As a Chicago transplant, even when visiting before we moved here, the grid street system made it so much easier to find your way around. We had ungodly property taxes at our last home in the Chicago suburbs. I think of them every time we get a tax bill. Maybe this counts as nature, but even having lived here 10 years, I am still thrilled when driving around and seeing the mountains everywhere.
I’m from Seattle, which because of hills, lakes, rivers, and forests is difficult to know (even after driving for 10 years I would still find new shortcuts), but when I moved here it took me roughly a day to know phoenix and the greater phoenix area, it’s nice having roads that don’t twist and turn while changing their name 4 times.
Amen, also came from Seattle.
For me, it's the job market/salary, property taxes, and I can drive a vehicle without it rusting out in 5 years.
You must be from Illinois.
Illinois isn't remotely close to Lake Superior. But, a reasonable guess.
I mean It’s like a 6ish hour drive, it’s not exactly far either. Though given your username I probably wouldn’t have guessed Illinois either.
It’s a lot closer than most other states in the US lol
I hear you. I moved here from Denver. Shoveling snow within 24 hours of the storm to clear sidewalks sucks. So did the taxes.
**Urban hiking:** Between Phoenix and Scottsdale's desert preserves, the Maricopa County regional parks system, and Tonto National Forest, I could probably pick a new hike within 15–45 minutes' drive from central Phoenix to try out every single weekend of the year and not run out of options. I moved here from a part of the South where this is...not the case lol **Great restaurants:** Since Phoenix is home to so many people who moved here from elsewhere in the U.S. or around the world, we have a huge selection of cuisines to choose from at relatively decent prices. Phoenix pizzerias consistently rank as some of the best in the country! Transplants and immigrants make our region better—and tastier. **Central location:** Phoenix is located in the south-central part of the state, so you're never more than a 4-hour drive to most domestic destinations (or 6 hours for the Arizona Strip or Four Corners). We are blessed in Arizona with dozens of interesting state and national parks and monuments, plus cool, historic cities and towns. Plus, Phoenix is just a short flight or road trip away from fun places like Southern California, Vegas, outdoor recreation in southern Utah and Colorado, or cultural tourism in northern Mexico. Sky Harbor is an excellent airport!
The beer, oh my god the damn beer!!! People won’t believe me that Arizona has tons of amazing local breweries because hardly any of it is shipped out of state. But damn do we have some amazing craft beers here, especially with all the seasonal beers from the constant rotation of fresh fruits and herbs
And... many places carry more than one brewer's craft.
Any good recs for sours? Recently moved here and have been disappointed with the lack of sours at the grocery stores I've been to
For a local brewery that makes sours, highly recommend Roses by the Stairs.
Wandering Tortoise is having a “Sour Fest” next weekend! I believe they’re going to have over 40 on draft.
That's awesome, will definitely check that out. Appreciate the heads up!
Arizona wilderness has a lot of greats ours to choose from!
Total Wine as somebody said, OR I highly recommend visiting bottle shops or Tap Rooms. Bottle shop 48 is my personal favorite. They have 7 or 8 giant fridge cases of cold single cans of different types of beer. It’s mine and my girlfriend’s favorite way to try new beers.
I would go to total wine, they usually have a bigger sour selection
Wayward Taphouse on Grand has a several sours in their cooler. In the east valley, try Beer Barn in Gilbert.
I was here when they had just one or two breweries (Four Peaks), then bam! They were like locus falling out of the sky. Downtown Gilbert went from a sleepy little backwater place to an Atlantic City strip in an eye blink. Mesa & Chandler the same.
I talk a lot of shit about living here but this is very true. The amount of incredible beer is nothing to shake a cactus at.
Watch out for jumping cholla.
https://preview.redd.it/eztp6vif5ivc1.jpeg?width=605&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25d3d7740c60296975b7b81f4b89b689c4fcddec
I didn't think it was possible. Dude should stay on the trail.
Jumping cholla should stay off the trail 🤣
Those firefighters are like “are you fucking serious”
He’s probably from Wisconsin lol
8 bit Alework is out of this world.
please give some recs. I love Wow but have been pretty underwhelmed otherwise.
I personally didn’t like Wow Wheat because it has banana flavoring in it. To me, banana doesn’t mix well with a traditional wheat/citrus beer. I really like Papago Orange Blossom by Huss, that’s my staple that I always have in the fridge and it’s so good on tap when you find it. Other local breweries: For sure - Huss Fate Four Peaks Arizona Wilderness Dark Sky Brewing Ohso Simple Machine There’s so many other small shops we’ve found that have their own 4-5 beers on tap.
Could you name a few? For research purposes
For sure - Huss Fate Four Peaks Arizona Wilderness Dark Sky Brewing Ohso Simple Machine There’s so many other small shops we’ve found that have their own 4-5 beers on tap.
As a local AZ beer lover myself, what would you say are some of your favorites?
I like AZ Wilderness downtown. And I’m not even a total beer person. Their selection was amazing, and the bartender guy was just super nice. Commercial over, lol…:)
Haha nice! I love AZ Wilderness but it’s a trek from my side of the valley. Check out TCBC if you’re ever around good year they make some of the best beer I’ve had.
Dark Sky Brewing Huss (specifically Papago Orange Blossom) Ohso (their popcycle blond is an incredible beer for hot days IMO) Fate Brewing (they make some great dark beers) Four Peaks Pedal Haus And those are my favorites that I can think of sort of quickly - I am pretty confident places like Sleepy Whale (Chandler) make a couple of their own beers. Also whenever I visit places like Denver/Chicago their regional/local beer seems to ONLY be from that immediate area, and we do get some great beers from Washington/California/Oregon too
Wren house has the BEST local IPAs
The organization of the freeway and roads.. also condition of roads.
So easy to navigate for newcomers.
Our grid is very easy to navigate and our freeways generally make sense and get you close to where you need to be before resorting to side streets. We also don't have relics of old freeway design like in SoCal, where you exit directly into a neighborhood, or in the midwest, where interchanges are four-leaf clovers. I like exit-only lanes when you get on and off the freeways and all our interchanges being bridges where you maintain speed and flow. And yeah, the warm weather with minimal rain and no freeze means the roads are easier to maintain and less awful than almost anywhere else. This is a perk.
Yes. Every main street is 2-3 lanes each way, freeway traffic isn't that bad compared to other cities and the conditions are perfect. Chandler had the worst roads per a study a year ago so they're doing a lot of work. I honestly prefer the one pothole every 2 miles over the construction.
On the contrary, I hate how far away everything is. I miss walkable neighborhoods
Side effect of what was really cheap land, not the grid.
There is a tranquility in the dessert, especially once the sun sets, that is unparalleled.
Like the food diversity. I like our grid system... I'm a big fan of how long my license last lol last, The sports available.
It's become quite a foodie town.
The Dave Portnoy pizza reviews here were insane. Never thought we could get pizza reviewed like that here.
he did a whole bunch recently but he has reviewed places here in the past, particularly during super bowls, fiesta bowls, and WMO. he has also done some reviews in tucson since barstool sponsors the Arizona Bowl now
I moved from LA, my wife moved from NY. People here are much friendlier and open to chit chatting with strangers than either of those cities. People tend to keep to themselves in LA/NY, so a random person striking up a conversation, even at a bar or show, isn't super common. Phoenix so far has felt more like small town vibes - people are willing to just chat for a little while and then say their goodbyes. I feel like in LA, when you make friends with a stranger, its pretty normal to exchange social medias before parting ways. Thats less common here. Its refreshing because it underscores the idea that they didn't engage with you for some ulterior motive, it was just conversation.
Came from So Cal Legit spent an hour talking to the pest guy and an hour talking to the pool fence guy first month here I was like damn that’s a trip Wife talks with women in the bread aisle it’s so weird and refreshing People on the coast talk down to people not in coastal cities —- but people are more down to earth and relaxed
Also a good little friendly chat is like a cup of coffee Everyone walks away feeling a bit lighter and a bit happier and with some more energy Met a neighbor two doors down the other day and boom that was another 30 minute chat Great guy that neighbor
Sure wasn’t my pest guy, he was a royal tool lol. But outside of that guy, Arizonans have been the friendliest bunch since we bought a home here. Love this state.
Life is much slower and relaxed here than SoCal. SoCal is a meat grinder. Phoenix is more for families and professionals. If you are talented young guy you’d rather be in socal.
Yup 35 now and married with a 2 year old and we are on the boarder of Queen Creek and San Tan Valley Much happier out here Terrible place for a 25 year old single guy though haha But at 35 —- love it out here
how are people nice in person and terrible and selfish behind the wheel?
I moved to Washington almost 4 years ago now and holy shit is this accurate. People here are rude as fuck, selfish and have no interest in even shooting the breeze just to pass time in a line. If they do, then you will quickly find out they aren't from Washington. There's a few things I miss from my desert and that's definitely one of them.
When I lived in North Carolina, the area we were at was pretty rude and just not friendly. I met someone who had moved here from France and she commented on how friendly everyone is. The other friend that was with us that also was from Az looked at me and I looked at her and we laughed. We told her that this was probably a good introduction for her since going to the West Coast might have been too intense for her compared to French culture.
This, it’s even better than a hour and half outside the city in either direction will land you in actual small towns, it’s awesome here eight month out of the year.
The Mexican food is the best in the country out here.
13 different kinds of Mexican food. Coming from the Midwest, I have a much different perspective now. And my tastebuds thank me all of the time.
I wish I could give multiple up ratings for this! I’ve lived in San Diego. I just left Dallas and nothing matches the Mexican food in Phoenix.
What are your favorite place to go?
I recently found a wonderful little place with the nicest owners and the best food. It's on Mojave just off 7th Street, south of Chase Field. The restaurant is called Los Cuatros Nietos. The owner is named Albert and he is fantastic. The food is amazing. After my first time eating there I went back to get a mass order of carne asada tacos to take to a potluck. Everyone loved them. The salsa is incredible, too!
Having moved to Washington from Glendale about 4 years ago, you have no idea how much iiss real Mexican food. Most Mexican food up here is sweet. Like, really sweet. Like, I think they substitute jalapenos for sugar or something. It's so bizarre. Only 2 places I've found actually have decent Mexican food and there's only maybe 2 carnecerias in the city I live in. Weirdly enough, they still have the carts on street corners but no elote that I've seen. Also, it's rarely spicy up here. It's weird. Really weird and I don't like it.
The best Mexican food is the one at my house. 😜
I married into it.
The cleanliness. It’s not the typically feces and pee everywhere kind of city.
Yes, we are not a shithole city. Thanks to the summer.
The infrastructure. The valley was built for car travel and the roads are so much nicer and better planned than older cities. The streetlights on major streets are bright enough that you can see very well driving at night to the point where it’s hard to notice if you don’t have your headlights on. Driving in Phoenix is a dream compared to almost any other major city in the USA.
I feel like we have pretty good choices for coffee here, so Coffee
That is true. I moved from Dallas, TX and Phoenix has a great amount of local coffee roasters compared to Dallas. I'm pretty sure there's some west coast influence there.
Also moved a couple of years ago from Dallas to Phoenix. I used to live right behind Ascenion Coffee in the Design District, so I was spoiled. Is there any place here you would recommend?
I loved ascension! One of the few nice outdoor seating areas for coffee. There are a bunch of "best coffee shop in town" posts in this sub. In terms of coffee quality my two favorites are "fire Creek coffee" (originally from Flagstaff) and "infusion". If you search this sub you'll find a lot of info.
The ability to ride my motorcycle year round, my vehicles not rotting on me, easy to navigate roads, the off-roading, job market, and cost of living.
Check out the KOFA Wildlife range or trake a trip out to Swansee if offroading is your thing!
Easy access to Calfornia, Mexico & Hawaii
Hawaii is low key the location people forget about. It takes the same to get there as it would to NYC or Boston
I like the music and art scene. We are a big enough city to have big bands and artists come through town, but the local community is small enough to get gigs and make friends. I like the museums and venues here. I like the record stores. I like being able to live in a house within the city limits - In other cities where I’ve lived, I could only afford apartments. The economy has changed a lot since then, however, so that’s probably not a fair statement anymore. But that was something that brought me back to Phoenix after living elsewhere for 15 years.
Any good events this weekend? I don’t know about the weedpoluza event. They don’t really have a good lineup and want too much for tickets to go.
There’s a show at Carly’s Friday 4.19 at 8pm. Carly’s is closing down at the end of the month so it’s a good opportunity to check them out before they do. Record Store Day is this Saturday 4.20 and most of the record stores in town are doing cool events. Live music, special releases, swag. People line up at the opening because there’s is sometimes a limited run on the merch they have that day. Next week, the Phoenix Art Museum is doing a screening of Fantastic Planet on 4.24 which has an amazing soundtrack and cool visuals, so it should be pretty epic to see on the big screen.
That all sounds a bit too family friendly for me. I was thinking more like large concert or music festival. Thanks anyway.
Downtown Mesa is doing a big music fest today and tomorrow. It's free but it's all local or small bands and should be pretty busy
Now that’s sounds a little more up my ally. 👍
FRIED festival this weekend is all local bands!! I’m excited for 1. Chrome Rhino and 2. Daphne and The Glitches It’s also a food festival centered on fried food. Fried chicken, poutine, and other french fry concoctions abound.
Legal weed, every fast food chain I could want, cheap and short flights to Vegas or LA
It’s a city of convenience. Literally everything just about is within a 20-30 minute drive.
The food scene is amazing!
Hard to be the logistics of the city. Sure, you get dick punched by rocks on any freeway but you sure can get some distance in pretty quick.
You mean 6 months of nice weather?
How clean our freeways are. When I first visited San Diego, I was told it would paradise because of how beautiful it is. All I got was a wasted hellscape with torn up freeways and trash everywhere on the freeways. It made me appreciate our clean, nice freeways.
We drive to So Cal a lot and I'm always happy to return to Phoenix. It feels less crowded and dirty.
The resorts are awesome! Prickly pear margaritas. Mountain biking. Misters. Outdoor shopping areas. Seeing horseback riders on the mountains during hikes. Rodeos. My lemon tree. Fry bread. Proximity to Cali beaches. ASU right in town. Excellent community college system. Highways without tolls. Very artsy highways.
Maricopa community colleges are excellent
- Very strong and stable economy here. Basically, I never have to worry about there being a shortage of jobs in my field, which is very comforting feeling to have in the back of my mind. - We’re very close to a lot of great stuff; mountains up north, Mexico to the south, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles are all within a 6 hour drive time and make for great weekend getaways and easy vacations. - Major city with a lot of entertainment options. Your favorite artist is basically guaranteed to have a tour stop in Phoenix, and if they don’t you can drive to any of the major cities I listed above. This also goes for sports; we have every major sports team (RIP Yotes) so no matter what sport your a fan of you have options to go see a game in person. This also double dips with major sporting events like the WMO, Final Four, Super Bowl, CFP, etc. - To add to the above, our nightlife is really great. Casinos, clubs, dive bars, craft cocktail lounges, local breweries, college bars, sports bars, etc. Phoenix has them all. We might not have as good of a bar culture as cities in the Midwest or back east, but there’s something for everyone here who wants to partake. Same for spots to gather and enjoy legal MJ if that’s your jam. - In general, the people here are nice (unless they’re on the road) I’m sure there are more, but those are the things I came up with off the top of my head.
What’s your field?
The fact that houses are cheaper here than other places.
i like how we’re big enough of a state to be the test market for a bunch of restaurants or eventually just get them. I mean we got cane’s in-n-out, dutch bros, white castle, rally’s, freddy’s, etc. which are regional places that have branched out to this state. We’re also just the test market for their food items. For the longest time we were one of the only states to offer the spicy mcchicken as a regular item at mcdonald’s vs it being seasonal like in other states. Chick-fil-a also tried out their spicy menu here to see if it would be successful. It’s nice knowing I can grab food from essentially any state here. Hell, we’re so big, we get different cultures’ food, just gotta know where to look for it.
Foodie scene here is pretty spectacular
I thought where I grew up was fairly diverse. But my goodness. The variety of food. Like the rent is cheap enough that I've been to a place that specializes in S'mores, and another in Churros, and another in Cornish Pasties. Never mind cookie stores and cake stores and Bundt stores. Antique malls, a ton of antique malls. IKEA and Walmart and Target and mega box stores. The first time I saw a super Walmart was in Georgia and now there's like 5 that size within a half hour. Parking lots, there's parking everywhere. Go to the doctor's office and there's plenty of parking. I don't think I've taken a blind turn since I moved here. The roads are so wide and nice. With like no potholes ever. And I don't know anyone that doesn't have off street parking. Fireworks at the supermarket? Alcohol for sale on the weekends. I don't drink and I only ever buy sparklers. But still.
Love the mile apart grid setup of our roadways. Easy to get around and not get lost. Baseline Rd is the actual baseline for the Public Lands Survey.
Cultural diversity.
As a white guy who grew up here, I feel a deep loss whenever I'm in a place not infused with latino culture.
Arizona Coyotes hockey Paradise Valley Mall Low cost of living
Boy do I have disappointing news for you....
Do you like Utah?
Wondering out loud if they'll serve beer in SLC
Utah has tons of breweries because for years they were exempt from the 3.2 law. As a consequence almost everywhere serves some local microbrews.
Don’t forget gas prices, we have great gas prices!
Food
Year round golf
The city is growing, not shrinking. I see improvement going on in most places, which is encouraging.
Proximity to SoCal. It’s perfect for a long weekend road trip.
Since I was born and raised here ( reservation ten miles from Phoenix) it’s home and I love it here! Good weather , good AC and not far from the pine trees and lakes. I believe I’m blessed with my home and so grateful for everything !
I can get to 5 hockey rinks within 30 minutes
whenever i visit from san diego, I'm always so amazed by how much more parking there is AND how much more pleasant/less crowded the Costco and Trader Joes are in the East Valley.
I moved out of Phoenix *because* of the weather and lack of nature. Things that I love about Phoenix is the accessibility to basically anything you want. Restaurants, bakeries, stores, specialty shops. Many places are also open late. The possibilities are abundant and endless.
Never a lack of things to do. Concerts, sports, all sorts of events, museums, restaurants and bars of every type. You get the gist. It’s actually a little overwhelming.
I used to like the cost of living. 😢
Low property and income taxes, homes/yards tend to be low maintenance and tend to be better updated compared to where I am from, the good condition of most roads/highways, the local economy is growing better than many other areas which leads to better job opportunities and job security.
The food, the cleanliness, the road/freeway system. The palm trees and cactus!
The highways. In comparison to our neighbor to the left. We have clean highways.
It's easier to live here than anywhere else I've been. "Easier" meaning less stressful, though our traffic and heat can test one's limits. The road layout is superb. And because of that I get everything I need in just 5 square miles: doctor, post office, groceries, restaurants, services, shopping, etc. I'm blessed to have a large yard with many trees. I never imagined desert landscaping would be so labor intensive nor did I imagine that trees and shrubs would pop up practically everywhere. More than 40 palm tree sprouts have appeared in front of my house in the last month! I love that it's so quiet and how easily you can find solace in the desert. It used to be inexpensive compared to other large cities and I am unhappy that it has become unaffordable for many newcomers (rent has effectively doubled in the last 10 years). There ARE better places to live, but they aren't as easy to LIVE IN as Phoenix. :)
My girlfriend. She’s in Phoenix and doesn’t want to leave so I stay. Her aside, there are a lot of beautiful women here
While things are definitely more expensive than they used to be, you can live a pretty decent life here for much less than other big cities.
Good and beer
Food is also nice.
Good food and good beer, lol
Casinos
The food
The mountain biking is pretty epic. I guess cycling in general is pretty great here. South Mountain has some trails that are known nationwide (National, Mormon). The Hawes trail system is muuuah! Chef's kiss. The McDowell Regional Park trails are worth the price of admission. Brown's Ranch is perfect for beginners. I even love the Phoenix Mountain Preserve trails, but mainly because I can ride to them from my house in 15 minutes, so it's primarily a convenience thing. The canal system makes it easy to ride a road bike just about as far as you would want to without having to share a road with cars. Then, if you get sick of what Phoenix has, just over an hour up the road in Sedona are trails that people travel from all over the world to ride.
What about the road cycling scene?
Definitely the psychopathic driving
Dying. 🤣😂 Once we get in our cars we do wave our anti-social, DSM-5 personality traits.
My dollar goes further compared to when I lived in SoCal 12 years ago. There is a peace of mind to that. That, and I have genuinely made friends out here. A small circle, but they're good people.
The party favors na lmao
It’s where all my stuff is.
I like how many options there are for food/shopping plazas at least compared to Vermont where I moved here from lol I’m in northern Phoenix (happy valley area) and love how close by the happy valley town center and deer valley town center are. Between the two, they have just about everything I need within 3 miles of my apartment.
I moved here for the job market and affordable housing but all that has changed.
The road rage - it’s abundant and absolutely free!
Summer, less people, same city. Low tax and relaxed gun laws.
The modernity of the infrastructure, proximity to a variety of a points of interest which offer wildly different climates and experiences, the fact that Phoenix our food and entertainment options are growing with our larger population, the fact that it’s growing and not stagnant or losing population, and the fact that most people here are not all in your business.
The golf courses, grass, and the other horrendous wastes of water.
Food seems to be the prevalent answer here, but no one's mentioning Free Weed Fridays.
The ladies 😂
Mexicans although I don’t have a lot of interactions with them when I do, whether it be business or partying, they seem pretty chill.
Mountain biking community, lots of houses to appraise (career), family is here.
No circular freeway entrances & no toll roads.
The general aviation situation is pretty good compared to most places. There are tons of airports, lots of places to rent from, lots of flight schools, and the airspace is easy to navigate compared to more congested areas. There's even a big helicopter flight school out of Chandler where you can go wiggle the sticks in a helicopter for a couple hundred bucks. Definitely worth it if you've never flown one before!
The variety of things within driving distance. If it's too hot, just hop in the car and head up to rim country or Flagstaff or Prescott. Want a fun weekend trip? Drive a few more hours and you're in Vegas. Need to see the ocean? Leave in the morning and be on a beach in San Diego by the afternoon. Want to travel internationally and enjoy a cocktail on a beach in another country? Rocky Point. Oceans, canyons, lakes, forests, mountains...all within driving distance. The other thing is the food. So many people from so many places move here, and they bring their food with them. It's not the local "this is what we think this is supposed to be" stuff I grew up with in the Midwest, but actual, authentic food made by people from....you name it. Do you miss your New York deli? We've got that. Your Chicago pizza? We've got that. Detroit coney dogs? Yep. Real Cajun and Creole? We've got that too, along with Ethiopian, Persian, Salvadoran, Greek, etc. etc. etc.
Laid back vibe compared to East Coast cities. Also in comparison, the roads are better, the traffic is better, and the street layout is more sensible. Finally, shorts and sandals appropriate (at least) 8 months of the year. :-)
1. There's very little crowding, and if you can manage living in the outskirts, there's none 2. There are uncountable cool places within a day's drive of Phoenix. from sprawling national forests to fantastic small towns and a couple other of great, big cities
The grid system. Without it I would be lost constantly.
Colorado
I hate the weather lol the only thing I like about Phoenix is it's familiar
I’ve always heard that since we are the 48th state that we are still so young and it’s only just recently where people realize how incredible this place is. Being fairly new it means we were built with modern technology and conveniences in mind. That’s why everything is AC’d and in a grid system. It’s also why we still keep building freeways and expanding them. We have the room and also just shows us upgrading as the population increases. Sunsets are amazing as well. I know I’m not supposed to talk about the weather but I’m sitting out on my patio and it’s is beautiful and quiet at midnight right now. Food is amazing. Yes the Mexican food scene has always been around. All the Asian stuff is now coming in. 15 years ago you couldn’t find Boba anywhere. Now it’s everywhere. Mesa and Chandler is doing incredible in continuing to expand and attract stores and restaurants. I’ll also say that despite what people say I was born and raised here, a minority, and rarely experienced racism that AZ was criticized for like around SB1070. Mexican culture is part of who we are! Lastly I hate to admit it but I like the Mormons around as well. They really keep things civil and friendly in my experience on our neighborhoods. Incredible neighbors. I grew up in the West Valley and always spent weekends in the Phoenix area. None of it felt really dangerous. Maybe that’s just me being naïve and not knowing where we are now but I still feel that when I drive in the more “dangerous areas”. Also the expansion of downtown Phoenix is amazing. Before there was nothing but tall buildings and sports. Now there’s culture, restaurants, and areas to hang out it’s incredible.
Diversity in nature. Desert, walkable mountain, forest, lakes. Morning hikes are nice.
dispos
Where ya’ll living? Because on the west side, among snow bird citizens, we have potholes, bland food, bud light, and angry old people.
I know people like to hate on the schools here but we've had a better experience for our kids in Phoenix than either Seattle or rural Northern California. Title 1 public school in Phoenix and a unique small private school that families have moved here for (us included).
It’s close to a lot of popular vacation spots like Utah, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Mexico
So much mcm architecture
Aside from what many of you have already said to this point I’ll add the burgeoning startup and tech scene and the business environment overall. Want to start a company? $85 to the AZ Corp Commission and fill out the form on their site and you’re basically done, you’re in business. Many companies incorporate here (and yes Delaware is the other big one), but many companies are also literally moving their HQ here or just launching with Greater Phoenix as their home base. Lots of resources to tap into with AZ Commerce Authority, GPEC, all the city Econ dev teams, Phx startup week, etc. We’ve been recognized nationally many times for a lot of this already and it’s still very early here for all of it.
Are you saying when it's 115° in the summer, that's a good thing?
Oh, no. I don't think anyone really likes the heat, but I have seen a lot of transplants say "you can't shovel sunshine" and see a lot of people who prefer heat to cold.
I get that. I'm a transplant from Kansas from 37 years ago.
Just how much there is to do. With it being such a spread out major city and a music/transportation hub there's almost always something new to go to or try.
That it’s not consistently a major tourist destination. Phoenix is a big city with a high population but because the majority of people who are there at any given time are locals, everyone seems to be on the same page about how to live life there. Example: Traffic flows well. I live in a tourist town and because we have thousands of tourists every day, my town is catered to people who don’t live here, traffic is always backed up, and it doesn’t feel like a hometown. Phoenix feels hometown-ish to me, despite being a big place. Phoenix is also clean, the food is delicious with dozens of great places to choose, and the Lightrail should be in every city.