Scottsdale is Actually A Nice Place ti Live - 7/1/2007

I spend the hot summer days in the pool - I'm getting a really good tan. I don't mind the heat - it's like being in a sauna! At night I sit outside and look at the sky. In Chicago for $550k you get an old house with 4 ft between houses, about 1400 sq ft, postage stamp yard, no pool, muggy summers with tons of mosquitoes and a flooded basement. In Scottsdale for that price I get a 1/4 acre, pool, spa, 2600 sq ft newer home with granite, stainless, and high ceilings! I can't remember sitting outside much at all in Chicago, but I'm outside most of the time in Scottsdale. People call it 'Snottsdale', but I don't really associate with anyone here anyway, just with my wife and her family. Maybe if I was single and trying to 'connect' with someone I'd have a different opinion. Customer service is much better here than Chicago -here they actually want to help. City services are much better - they will actually bring you a new garbage can! Traffic, crime and pollution is better than Chicago. But you might miss the vibrancy of downtown Chicago, and the Northside.

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Fairy dust and hypnotism - 6/28/2007

Lived in Scottsdale and NE Phx for over 20 years, now relocated. I'm a professional with an income many times the national average income and a lot of contact with the public. In my opinion, the quality of a place to live is related to the people who live there and the prevailing attitudes and influences. Scottsdale is a physically beautiful place-"Disney desert"-planned that way by the City of Scottsdale and developers to sell parched desert at absurd prices nicely repackaged into the aesthetically acceptable "Disney desert" to maintain the tax base and the only "industry" sustainable-selling real estate. Once you get past the physical appearance and the impressive show of dough ($) and live there a while, you know it's MUCH different than appears. Overall a crassness of attitude, centered around appearances, materialism and one-upsmanship. A lot of desperation, both emotional and financial caused by the above attitudes and everyone being over-extended financially to keep up appearances. One poster mentioned the noted pretentiousness of Scottsdale women. This is a prominent and prevalent characteristic of the place. Overall, character, values, sincerity, integrity are way down the list of importance as money (or a show of such, anyway), appearance, pomposity/pretentiousness-"flash"-are really what's important to the people there. It is absolutely the boob job capital of the world. Add to it the heat, the traffic, the cost of living, which is absolutely absurd, the surrounding out-of-control Metro and you have a mix which once you get past the fairy dust and mesmerism is a very poor place to LIVE-not visit-live. I've characterized Scottsdale (and Phoenix) as 10% Beverly Hills dough, 10% Hollywood glitz, and 80% Las Vegas trash and I think it remains a good characterization of the social influences there. Connecting with other people is low on the list of priorities of most there (it's all about the money, stupid!) and in general truly an emotionally and civically impoverished place. No sense of community with anyone for all the above reasons and the unmanaged growth and influx of people from everywhere. Especially the "nuvo-riche" who tired of So Cal, sold their over-appreciated real estate in CA and think having a few coins in their pocket makes them SOMETHING. They ruined CA, now they're ruining the rest of the inter-Mountain West and this is probably the root of the problem in Metro Phx and Scottsdale. It is a good place to VISIT with

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Weather - 6/27/2007

Absolutely beautiful all year round except June, July and August. It is brutal but just when you feel like you can't stand it anymore, it becomes beautiful

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Lots of Culture and fun - 6/5/2007

A great escape, lots to do but $$$$$$, FOOD, nightlife and relaxation amoung the best in the country. A great place to visit and relax but to damn hot 4 months a year and too many older people!

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No Critters Where I Live - 5/8/2007

When I first came to Scottsdale I lived in the Princess apartments in Scottsdale. A neighbor told me to keep my cat indoors because the coyotes go thru there and kill cats and small dogs. Since I've been here I've heard people who left the 'desert' areas of North Scottsdale to get into the city more. I bought a house by 56th St & Bell, and have never seen a coyote, scorpion, or havalina. There are plenty of birds, palm trees, fruit trees and grass in my backyard however. My front yard is crushed rock, like 90% of the other yards, and requires almost no maintenance. I don't notice the Scottsdale snobbiness - when I walk the dog people seem more friendly than back in Chicago.

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Recreation - 5/6/2007

It's wonderful living in a city with so many things to do. You're within minutes of great hiking. The variety of restaurants and shops are staggering. There's something to do anytime and anywhere within the Valley ranging from world class concerts, professional sports teams, broadway shows, art exhibits, etc. The highway system makes it easy to get places, but living in Scottsdale really places one in the midst of the fun.

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Love it here, but hate the critters - 4/23/2007

We've lived here 3 years now with 2 young daughters, relocated from SW Washington state, and 27 years in So. California prior to that. We live in "way north" Scottsdale, close to Carefree. Beautiful area, quiet and peaceful. Nice people for the most part. A bit further south in Scottsdale you run into the reason Scottsdale is nicknamed "Snobsdale". Where some of these retail clerk (no less) get the notion they have the right to put their noses in their air at you just GETS me. Hate the snob attitude here, and the fact that it's all about what kind of car you drive. BUT, we LOVE the weather - it's absolutely gorgeous 9 months of the year, and the other 3 we're in the swimming pool every day - so how tough is that! My major complaint about this area is the critters. Our daughter can't even play out in their own yard unsupervised for fear of rattlesnacks, scorpions, black widows, bobcats, coyotes, and mountain lions - and yes, we've had a mountain lion roaming our development! For that reason, we would like to move somewhere that we can have a green lawn and trees again, and where our girls can enjoy their yard without fear of getting stung, bitten, or eaten! Don't know where it'll be yet - that's why we're checking this website - looking everywhere. Probably will end up back in the Pacific Northwest!

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High cost of living - 10/4/2006

The cost of living in Scottsdale has risen so much that it is difficult for a first-time homebuyer to obtain a reasonable home for under $500,000.

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wages - 9/12/2006

wages for residential electricians suck! max pay licensed or not is $18 to $20 tops! a lot different pay scale than marthas vineyard!

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great schools - 8/27/2006

Good schools with good parent participation. One of the main reasons why we chose the scottsdale school district.

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Hot in the summer... - 8/12/2006

But you knew that. The rest of the year the weather is quite pleasant. And if you don't mind a lack of green the desert does hold some unique beauty.

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coct of living is high and it's HOT! - 8/6/2006

I want to chek out New Mexico and some higher ground because it is tooo hot and costs too much to live here. Does anyone have any comments where a disabled vet can find an affordable place to live in New Mexico. It needs to be in a moderate climate, within an hour of air transportation, and good medical doctors and hospitals.

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Nice Area - 7/26/2006

I like the area and would live in the vicinity if I could nail down a good job that is comparable to what I have now. The 2 downsides I saw as a visitor were the insane cost of housing, and the almost amusing excessive snootiness of some of the people. While in businesses I have seen some women who really seem to enjoy putting on the air of "I am so rich and so much better than you" that it is actually comical. I was dumbfounded by some of the antics and things that they said, but I'm just a lowly middle-class person so I guess I don't understand. Please bear in mind, this was not the majority of the people I encountered, but there were enough of them to make a definite impression. Otherwise, lovely city!

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Scottsdale still a liveable city! - 6/22/2006

The past few years have seen explosive growth in the Phoenix Metro area. Despite the astronomical rise in house prices, Scottsdale remains a relatively safe, clean and enjoyable community to live in. The weather is ideal all year round, if you don't mind hot summers! Overall crime is relatively low, but keep in mind that Arizona as a whole has among the highest rates of car theft, and some of the most aggressive drivers in the country. Health facilities are plenty, but many people with managed care insurance plans are finding it hard to obtain an available Primary Care Provider; AZ has been heavily penetrated by Managed Care organizations, so many doctors are finding they cannot stay in business or become too overloaded. Downtown or "Old" Scottsdale has become quite the hip, trendy area, with many young adults in their 20's and 30's who hang out at local clubs, restaurants and the Valley Ho hotel/spa. You'd be surprised at the number of good restaurants, and it's even harder to get into some of them than when I lived back in Los Angeles!

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Great Place to Live - 6/7/2006

Just need to get out of town in the summer!

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Scottsdale is great. - 6/7/2006

Love living here. Sunny and fun.

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North Scottsdale - 6/1/2006

north Scottsdale is nice and expensive.

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Way too hot - 5/28/2006

Summers are way to hot here starting in May-October, but then it is not so crowded here. Pollution is very very bad today. You can see the brown cloud everywhere here.

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WE NEED MORE CULTURE - 5/28/2006

I am hoping with the influx of people moving to scottsdale/phoenix, they will bring with them their individual interests and styles to create a more city feel instead of conforming to the plain boring style here.

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Cost of living - 4/19/2006

I would like to know the average cost of living in Scottsdale, AZ if I live in a small town house with 2 roomates.

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