So Kathleen & I have been talking about pulling up roots here in Canada and this winter's record cold and snowfalls have us considering it even more seriously! We're of a mind to move someplace warm. Don't want the big city vibe and would prefer a place where our 4 kids will be safe and happy. She's a dental hygienist and I have my own business (which I'd sell) as I want to get back fully into architectural/interior design work. Would Scottsdale be a good place to start looking (or elsewhere?). Housing looks pretty affordable compared to here ($ 280K seems to buy a nice 3 bedroom bung with pool etc.) Insights appreciated!
You could also come to albuquerque is smaller than the Pheniox area, Prices are a little less, great weather 30s to 60s in the winter and 70s to 90s in summer, sunny almost all year round very little to no snow (except on the mountains), and you can give Ron a hard time for having purple flames on his car :fear::towel:
A'ight, Nevin, thanks a lot. lol Ron's flames...so cool, you know you want a derivative version on your skittle... So now I'm gonna google as much as I can on Albuquerque. Sounds like there might even be snow skiing available as that's one of the things our kids have already complained about missing! Kathleen's stoked and somewhat locked on making this happen eventually (and we all know how women can be once they've made up thier minds!).
Scottsdale and surrounding communities are absolutely beautiful, but it is FAR from a small city life. lol Did you know that Phoenix is now the 5th largest City in the U.S.? Albuquerque is definitely a 4 seasons state. Housing is very affordable and there is lots to do. You can even travel up to 5 - 6 hours in any direction to see other Large Cities. lol Remember this, Albuquerque sits at 5500 feet above sealevel so the air is thin and the boogers can slice a tomatoe. Bring lots of skin lotion. haha If you want to visit for a week or so, you are MORE than welcome to stay at our house. Ron
WOW. Now how's that for member support Joe! Ron...Joe is an awesome guy. That's all you need to know. hehehe
An unbelievably kind offer and most remarkable gesture, Ron. Thanks very much...I'll keep it in mind and look forward to the possibility...again, wow, you rock. Great insight too (Kathleen howled imagining how dry it could be based on your reference, lol)
Thanks, Steve. Which would you guy's say offers the most for active family life and best bang for the buck cost of living-wise? I'm assuming that all areas would generate boogers sharp enough to slice a tomato, yes? Cuz that's always something to look forward to...
lol The good news, she will not need to worry about those bad hair dayz. lol No frizzies from Humidity. lol
Texas probably, but I am not a fan. I lived there my last 8 months of the Army. The weather can be very unpridictable. Frozen rain in the winter and Tornadoes in the summer. And the Humidity SUCKS! Albuquerque would be next. Las Vegas and Phoenix area are fairly close. Depends on what you are looking for in a community. Phoenix and Las Vegas do not offer much in the way of winter sports activity nor does Texas. However, the Summer sports are fantastic where as NM you would have to drive a couple hours to get to a lake. lol My suggestion would be to fly out and stay a couple of days in each state. Do not get me wrong, when I have the opportunity to move out of NM, I will not look back. lol But NM does have lots to offer. Housing is quite a bit cheaper than Phoenix and Las Vegas. Do some serious research on these communities. Keep in mind that they are marketing for growth. hehe
i have a house in gilbert (my bad) which is about 30 minutes outside of phoenix. we bought it a few years back and already the home value has gone up 30%. its waaaaay too hot in the summer, cant go outside. i would only live there in the winter. i wish we bought in tucson, i would live there in a heartbeat. scottsdale is great as well if you want to go out and get drunk with college co-eds. my friends have a home in nevada just north of reno. they absolutely love it. very close to california and relatives and close to reno which is a good or bad thing... i would look on the outskirts of vegas. cheap housing and close to a big city. i would def go texas though. cost of living, jobs and a centralized local are all tops in my book. we have a house in katy which is just west of houston, but i would like to live around austin. thats where i love going when im down there. my mothers side of the family are all from corpus christi which is also very nice. my great uncle has a huge ranch out near lubbock but that is horrible country out there. i never go and visit that area, cant stand it.
We have boogers in Phoexnix too. DanRealtor works out of Scottsdale. Great guy. He sold my Gilbert home for me in 06. We have 2 year round 1/4 NHRA Drag Strips also.
Don't Move to Phoenix! Don't move to Phoenix (or Scottsdale) especially if you don't enjoy outdoor recreation year round (yes, even in the summer). On a daily basis I have to decide: Take the boat out, play golf, or ride dirtbikes! It really is a lot of work constantly having to choose. Oh, and the hotter it gets, the less the women wear! Oh yeah, and in north Scottsdale (where I live) i am stuck half way in between two lakes, 30 minutes each from my house. And, my daughters (13 & 15) go to great schools, including the #1 ranked public high school in AZ. Really, don't move here. It sucks. PM me for details!!!
bwahahahahahaha And Dan will give you his daughters as a house warming gift. Oh yea, Never EVER take driving lessons from Dan.
Phoenix is nice. Having grown up in Minnesota, I'm still not used to how hot it gets here, but having also lived in Atlanta, GA, it's nice that the shade here is actually cooler than the sun. I love the lack of humidity! Scottsdale has 2 parts. Old Town Scottsdale has lots of restaurants, bars, shopping, and college kids. Northern Scottsdale has more upper-end retail, housing, restaurants, and top-notch shopping. Housing has been notoriously high the past 2 years or so, but right now the market is in a slump, so it's a great time to buy. It's still one of the fastest growing cities in the US, so the slump won't last long. You can race at either Speedworld or Firebird all year long, although I wouldn't recommend it June-September, except after the sun is down. Firebird also has a great road course in addition to the drag strip. While Phoenix is a very large city, it doesn't have a big metropolitan feel to it. I was honestly shocked to find out it had the same population as the Atlanta metro region, as it felt much smaller. And you need to like Mexican food.
