Thinking about moving to AZ.

[MN_Bass]

So, I'm thinking about moving to AZ from MN. Sick of the cold, and want to see what is out there. Married but no kids yet, so free to explore. I've visited Phoenix three times and really dug it, I'm looking at the El Mirage /Buckeye areas. What is the scene like down there and job market. I'm a graphic designer by trade but have worked at Wal-Mart etc. Any help/advise would be great.

[NickInMesa]

Originally Posted by MN_Bass

So, I'm thinking about moving to AZ from MN. Sick of the cold, and want to see what is out there. Married but no kids yet, so free to explore. I've visited Phoenix three times and really dug it, I'm looking at the El Mirage /Buckeye areas. What is the scene like down there and job market. I'm a graphic designer by trade but have worked at Wal-Mart etc. Any help/advise would be great.

You would be THE FIRST guy from the Midwest moving to the Valley

Seriously, last year I looked at the last names of all the kids in the softball league I was coaching for and 2 thirds of the names were German, Swedish, Dutch and Polish, all typical Midwestern names.

As for IT jobs, we have more than applicants over here. We can't hire fast enough software engineers, especially database (my specialty).

Life is cheap but the culture life is dead, so you know. All we have are the big air-conditioned movie theater multiplexes where we take shelter in the summer.

Oh, yeah, the summers: they will make you regret moving

So yes, come over here and let me know when you're here, we'll do lunch.

[MN_Bass]

Cool, I've visited during July back in 05, it was like walking around in an oven. I plan on coming down to check out houses in late March. I tried hitting up all the guitar stores - apparently Guitar Center sucks no matter were it is jk The job thing sounds pretty cool. Thanks

[Selta]

You'll have to change your TB handle, and revoke your club membership.

[standupright]

i posted in a thread -http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=617561&highlight= - about this same question.

Originally Posted by standupright

i've been living in Phoenix for 16 years now. here are my views / opinions.

the summer is a KILLER. hate it. it's horrible. the rest of the year makes up for it. and by hot i don't mean that crap that happens on the east coast. i mean blinding, heat stroke, don't leave anything in your car, can't touch anything with bare hands, your AC runs nonstop hot. but, like i said, the rest of the year makes up for it. i'm currently on the patio in my back yard in shorts and a t-shirt enoying a beer.

if you are into food culture, you'll find none of that here. not even our mexican food has cultural variations. it's good. but it's all the same.

depending on what you do for a living, phoenix has a terrible job market right now. although before this, our market was EXTREMELY strong.

housing. right now is a good time to buy (as i'm sure that's the case in a lot of other places). if you are looking for a house, and you want one built after 1975 most of your opportunities will be in master planned communities where every third house looks the same but a different shade of brown. if you do get a house, please don't plant grass. this is the desert. all of the wonderful golf courses we have here have screwed up enough of the pristine desert with grass.

golf courses. if you play golf, you'll be in heaven.

music scene. i am mostly in blues and jazz. there are a lot of extremely talented blues / jazz guys here. regular circuit pay per group depends widely on the establishment. i won't play for free unless it's a friends party, or a non profit benefit. lots of places will expect you to play for free and charge at the door, or just play for free to get your name out. one of our last weekly gigs we had we were paid 350 per gig (total for the group for 3 hours). a good friend of mine makes his living playing several nights a week plus has 20 some odd students. i can't speak for other genres. there are lots of really good open blues jams across the valley with a lot of really good players attending them.

your car will never rust.

you'll actually get excited when you see clouds and experience rain the 5 times or so it may happen each year. we have more dust storms than rain storms. if you miss the snow, it's only about 2 hours north.

we have been in a severe drought condition for about 14 years give or take.

[WalterBush]

Originally Posted by MN_Bass

Cool, I've visited during July back in 05, it was like walking around in an oven. I plan on coming down to check out houses in late March. I tried hitting up all the guitar stores - apparently Guitar Center sucks no matter were it is jk The job thing sounds pretty cool. Thanks

Make sure to check out The Bass Place in Scottsdale, if you haven't already.

[standupright]

Originally Posted by NickInMesa

As for IT jobs, we have more than applicants over here. We can't hire fast enough software engineers, especially database (my specialty).

i am experiencing the exact opposite. i haven't been able to find a job for almost a year now.

[MN_Bass]

Interesting

[nortonrider]

Phoenix, Arizona in 3 words:

Hot
Concrete
Traffic

[standupright]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

Phoenix, Arizona in 3 words:

Hot
Concrete
Traffic

i can't believe i am defending phoenix....but here goes

Hot - only about 4 months of the year
Concrete - what major city doesn't have this
Traffic - see answer for concrete

[MN_Bass]

Anybody familiar with the Buckeye / El Mirage areas, when I visited Phoenix I was on Bell Road, so basically I adventured up and down that and I might be wrong Indian School Road or whatever GC is on, by 17? I'll tell you one thing, people drive FAST down there, no putting around

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

Phoenix, Arizona in 3 words:

Hot
Concrete
Traffic

i saw a thing on tv where folks had moved 20 miles frpm phoenix to get out of the city found the city had moved into their front yard in less than ten years

[DrSmaggs]

I live in Goodyear and my bandmates are in Mesa and Tempe (Versed in Grey) if you decide to come, let me know.

[nortonrider]

I have a true dislike for big cities.
I have spent more time in Pheonix than I ever wanted to.
I lived in Flagstaff, AZ for 13 years and had to get out of there because it got too big for me. Where did the growth come from???
People wanting to get out of Phoenix.

[MN_Bass]

I live in a town of 1,900, so it will be a big transition if and when it happens. You guys have IN/OUT burger makes up for the heat

[peabody]

My favorite line about that area was given to me by a friend of mine who moved from the Twin Cities to Phoenix several years ago. She said that when people commented that it was hot...they told her it was a "dry heat". Her comment back was that sticking your head in an oven is a dry heat too.

As much as I love WI, I can seen myself becoming one of the snow birds and living in that area in the winter. I was there a couple of years ago in March and I loved it. My only other trip there was in the early 90's and it was July....so you can imagine the difference.

Good luck with your move....

[NickInMesa]

Originally Posted by WalterBush

Make sure to check out The Bass Place in Scottsdale, if you haven't already.

They moved to Glendale or Peoria, I forgot, and I have mixed feelings about them. Last time I went the dude went into some political rant I don't need (I have my own opinions, don't try selling me yours, I am only here to buy bass gear, thank you) and another dude is into making money before all and if I want that I can hit GC.

Still the best place to test a well setup bass, though.

[NickInMesa]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

i saw a thing on tv where folks had moved 20 miles frpm phoenix to get out of the city found the city had moved into their front yard in less than ten years

Lol. Exactly what happened to me. Could ride my dirt bike in the desert right off my door. Now it's all cheap housing with regulatory Walmart/Home Depot plaza every other mile.

You don't move here for the landscape.

[TortillaChip520]

Originally Posted by DrSmaggs

I live in Goodyear and my bandmates are in Mesa and Tempe (Versed in Grey) if you decide to come, let me know.

Dude i live in goodyear too!!!
I didn't know there were other bassists in this town

Originally Posted by NickInMesa

They moved to Glendale or Peoria, I forgot, and I have mixed feelings about them. Last time I went the dude went into some political rant I don't need (I have my own opinions, don't try selling me yours, I am only here to buy bass gear, thank you) and another dude is into making money before all and if I want that I can hit GC.

Still the best place to test a well setup bass, though.

They're moving to peoria. Yeah the guys in there can be pretty, ahem, talkative, but i like have a more personal experience somewhere rather than strictly business like at GC. At the bass place, they'll give you their honest opinion (whether you like it or not)

[MN_Bass]

Well if you see a sasquatch walking around thats me