Good, not great.
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5/28/2021
I have been in Phoenix for 5 years. I am not sure how much longer I'll be here, because it is a mix of some really good and pretty bad aspects.
The good: 1. the weather is amazing for ~7-8 months a year. Even in the summer when the weather can be brutal, it's not a huge drive to get up in elevation and escape the heat. The climate is also much less destructive to cars and homes; no snow, very little rain means no rust, less roof damage, all that nonsense.
2. There is also a lot of really easy access to public land and other recreation, from the mountain parks around the valley to BLM land and state/national parks, forests, etc all over the state.
3. It's such a big city that events are happening all the time. Concerts, sports, festivals, or even just groups with common interests, there is always something to do.
4. Traffic. If you drive (and don't live in the west valley) getting around is easy and quick. There is much less construction on the roads because the weather doesn't destroy them like in the Midwest. The highways are all over and there's a big surface road every mile or so, making traffic pretty mild (for drivers of cars).
5. Cost of living is pretty low for a city of this size. Compared to most major metros like Denver, LA, NY, philly, Minneapolis, Seattle, etc. It is very affordable. I live in a 4 bed, 2 bath house in a decent area with good (relatively speaking) schools. Getting that in most major metros is $100k more than what I got my house for.
The bad: the sprawl. It takes 20-30 minutes to get basically anywhere in the valley, minimum. There is basically no public transportation; the bus is extremely slow and there is only one light rail line. Further, because it's so spread out, walking or biking is much less feasible for most trips (and it's hot as balls). The sprawl only continues to get worse.
2. The aforementioned transit. There is only one light rail line. They are working on a couple others, but with the geographic size of the city it'll take substantially more and it is a slow process with lots of resistance.
3. The air quality: Phoenix has been ranked the 4th worst metro for air quality in 2021 by the American lung association. Everyone drives and we are in a big valley.
4. Summers are getting longer, hotter, and drier. Last year we nearly doubled the record for consecutive days above 115° to around 60 straight days. The last two years have been abnormally dry. I'm not a climate scientist, but I'd guess that'll be a continuing trend in the coming years. Phoenix is actually set up for better drought resistance than most cities, but it's still unpleasant going 50+ days in a row above 115°.
5. Character and culture: maybe this will be a good thing for some, but AZ and especially Phoenix has a very individualistic culture politically. While the city itself is still somewhat blue, it's among the most conservative major cities in the country. It's also a newer city with little character. I think of the whole thing more as one big suburb than a city. Most houses are basically the same, lots of strip malls and cul de sac, and not much of a shared identity. Maybe that comes with the transplant nature of the population, but it's pretty bland.
Overall, Phoenix is meh in my opinion. If you live in a more walkable area like Tempe, old town Scottsdale, downtown, or uptown it would be a lot less of a bummer. There's a lot to love (I personally love having mountain parks right in town and easily accessible) and, other than the climate, I think things are generally headed in the right direction, even if it's slower than I might like.
Robby | Phoenix, AZ