Born and raised here-it is not a good place
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7/10/2009
Unfortunately, all the reviews about the poor quality of life in Phoenix are correct. Unless you are very wealthy and can segregate yourself from most of the community, this is not a good place to raise a family, buy a house, go to school or start a career. The school system is terrible and when there are budget issues (as there usually are since the AZ government is overall incompetent) they first place they cut is the school budget. The president of the only major public university in the city has managed to bankrupt it. The housing market is overpriced and the sense of community is non-existent. People are rude and selfish, just drive here once and you will be able to see that. It is crowded, hot, and so spread out, its almost impossible to "get out of town" for the weekend. The West side is nothing but crime and the east is not affordable. For such a large city, its downtown lacks character or substance. This might get better with an ASU campus down there (if they can stay in business) and the lightrail, but its pretty sad for a down town. I've been trying to leave for years, but have been stuck for various reasons. If you really want to be in Arizona, look outside of the phoenix metro area at some of the smaller cities (payson, greer etc). You'll be better off. Good luck.
Stephanie | Tempe, AZ