Great, If You're Not Racist
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5/6/2018
here's the thing: phoenix has a lot of mexicans, myself included. some of us are undocumented, some of us are migrant workers, and many are fully documented. if you're a racist weirdo who thinks "the illegals" are the reason the country is deteriorating, this is absolutely not the place for you.
with that being said, i actually really love phoenix. i've been here for 15 years, and central/downtown phoenix is probably my favorite place to live and experience. in my experience, it's substantially safer than other places in the valley (mesa is probably not a great place to be if you're looking for safety) & has a lot to offer people. people tend to be pretty friendly, but not engage you in unwanted conversation, which is the friendly sweet spot for me.
some quick facts:
- a lot of racists. a Lot of racists. there are racist people everywhere. it's wild. phoenix isn't usually as bad as some other, more-conservative states, so the racism tends to be pretty lowkey, but it's still there.
- public transportation is pretty great. we have a grid structure (numbered streets go north and south, and named streets go east and west) and valley metro makes it pretty easy to get where you need to go, especially with the 2050 vision for transportation. that being said, the greater phoenix area is Huge, so "where you need to go" might be an hour and a half on the bus.
- very undercover homophobic. similar to the racism, but way more toned back. i get a lot of comments yelled from cars when i'm walking with my wife, but i haven't been physically assaulted or confronted, which i count as a blessing.
- lots of things to do! first fridays, which is a day where lots of downtown art places open their doors to the public, pulls between 10k-15k people every month, there are unlimited kitschy restaurants and stores, and there are support groups for pretty much everything imaginable. it's a great place to be if you like the hustle and bustle.
overall, if you're not a racist, you'll probably have a decent time here. if you're not white or you're lgbt, you might have some issues, but as a swing state, it's a lot better than many more conservative states. keep your eyes and your ears open, take precautions to make sure you're safe, and you'll almost always be fine.
Rose | Phoenix, AZ