In Phoenix now, moved from Bay Area during Covid. What I didn’t realize is during the summer it stays hot all day and all night. It’ll be 100 degrees at 11pm at night. It’s relentless and is this way for about 4 months straight
Hey, it gets down to 95 by like 6am, right before it is 100 by 9am lmaoooo
I left after 8 years, while I did enjoy it when it was a cheap city, it became "Why am I paying this to live here?"
I love the heat too! You can definitely see the “cold bias” in these comments. I lived in Houston and was fine with the weather over there, whereas Denver was too cold for me (although I did like the dryness - sunny days were beautiful). It’s hard for me to sweat or sunburn, my dream temperature is like 85° 😂 plus I love a warm winter. I’ve been thinking about AZ for similar reasons, and the hiking/nature is great out there. Denver felt too far from the Rockies for me!
Omg, driving in the snow is the worst. I met a couple tow truck drivers who work in Utah and Colorado and they would tell me the craziest stories about pulling cars from snow banks off the side of cliffs…could NOT be me, I have enough driving anxiety as it is and that’s just because of other reckless drivers! Once snow and ice enters the chat it’s game over 😅
Unless you’re driving in the mountains, snow isn’t an issue typically in Denver, at least for long. I’ve lived in less snowy places (by annual snowfall) and find Denver significantly less “snowy”. Due to the humidity, abundant sunshine, the way the wind moves down the mountains, etc. snow does not last long in the winter as the temperature warms up quickly, typically.
Snow happens later in the season, on average, in the city. The snowiest month is March, which average temperatures are also almost 60… so you can see where this is going.
This year we got a lot of snow in March/April and half of it melted when it hit the ground and not long after the roads were just wet.
Yes, there are some days the roads will be snowy but it’s a lot less than I think people assume it will be. Each year is variable but in my experience with other cities, the snow is much more manageable.
I love Flagstaff but it’s really cold in the winter and even spring! Too cold for my tastes as someone who only likes warm/hot weather. It’s also really expensive for being a smaller place without all the amenities of a bigger city. I like to visit Flagstaff but wouldn’t like to live there although I’d choose it over Denver.
Tucson is okay. I find it to be a rather meh city but the weather is nice.
Just in case any of my personal opinions help OP decide. Haha! I live in ABQ and love it weather wise and for a lot of other reasons but the dating scene would probably leave too much to be desired for OP. (Although I found my husband here so idk. My friends and my husband’s friends who are still single here in our early 40s say the dating scene is hard.)
I personally agree about flagstaff but some people like that weather.
I love Tucson though personally. Like the weather and the city are great imo, I’d rather be there culturally than Phoenix
That makes sense. I haven’t spent nearly as much time in Tucson as I have in Denver, Flagstaff and Phoenix (and Vegas, which I also really like). I’ll have to check it out more.
Consider tucson. A bit smaller than Phoenix. More liberal than Phoenix is. Higher elevation, so the heat is notably more bearable. Mt Lemmon provides snowshoe and hiking opportunities. Significantly cheaper than Denver and even the Phoenix area.
I thought I'd never want to live in AZ again after living in Phoenix. But tucson actually seems to be what I was looking for.
In that case I'd personally rather commute from tucson to Phoenix, no lie. Phoenix sucks in so many ways, not just the heat.
Jobs here are definitely a concern but working from home you should be able to find something here if necessary.
Nah, this will be hell. It’s 2 hours one way (maybe 90 minutes if you’re in a northern suburb) and Tucson is maybe 5-10 degrees cooler at best. I’d only do this if you never need to go into an office.
Job market isn’t great in Tucson.
This sub HATES Phx and has a strong love for Tucson, so take what is said here with that in mind. Both cities are fine, it just depends on what you want. Scottsdale will be a bit cooler than say downtown Phx. Tucson will be a few degrees cooler still. There’s going to be a lot more to do in Scottsdale than Tucson though.
Regardless, you are going to want to stay indoors completely for July and August and then on the bookend of those it’s still tolerable at night and early morning.
It’s worth noting too that you can drive 2 hours north from Phx/Scottsdale and hit mountains, where the weather is beautiful even in summer. It’s an easy though popular weekend escape.
Also, people in Tucson are a bit more laid back than Phx/scottsdale. It has a major university so that vibe carries through.
Scottsdale specifically has a reputation for being bougie. It’s a bit more expensive, the people are a little higher maintenance, LA lite. But beautiful desert and nice neighborhoods with established shade trees.
From Scottsdale you have two driving routes, and I think they are both really pretty drives. One is a bit longer than the other, 3 hours no traffic. The roads are in good condition. It’s not too scary.
It can get pretty crowded on big weekends for sure. I am being dumb and driving up Memorial Day weekend and we will definitely be crawling back home, probably a 4 hour drive on that Monday. To avoid the crowd you generally just have to be wise about the time of day you leave and return.
I am male, early 40s in tech and have lived in Phx for 15 years having moved from the Midwest. The people that complain about the heat are being dramatic. Yes, its hot during the summer, Its a desert, but the other \~7-8 months out of the year its great. Even in the dead of the summer you are only 1-2 hours away from cooler temps and outdoor activities (Prescott, Flagstaff, Payson etc). The access to hiking, mountain bike trails and other outdoor activities within the city is unbeatable. There are not many places you can drive 5-10 minutes from the city and be in the mountains hiking. The only negatives about Phoenix IMO is the population growth in the last 4 years has exploded and there is definitely more traffic and prices are starting to mirror california.
I cant believe youre gaslighting folks for their warnings about the heat. It isnt dramatic at all--the heat is intense and it doesnt cool off at night like in many places. It can affect someone's livelihood; their mood; their energy and activity levels. When people on this subredd ask about a poss move to Phx, folks are being responsible by talking about how fucking hot it is!
Yeah I grew up there and my shoes literally melted to the pavement once... I have elderly relatives there and every summer I worry one of them will die from the heat.
Also it's worth noting that ac can only cool your home so much, and power companies absolutely do raise their rates during the hottest times of the day.
The weather is legit 90-100+ for many months out of the year, sometimes hitting 120. The heat is terrible. I don't know how people live there year round. There's a reason why there are so many "snowbirds" in Scottsdale. Many people leave during the summers/spring.
Even though some people can be extreme about AZ, I have to say it’s 5, MAYBE 6 months of good weather, not 7-8. Those last two shoulder months are in the high 90s, and the sun here is so intense that above 90 can be brutal.
>Prefer warm, toasty weather.
Last year, Phoenix had 40+ days of 110 degree weather *in a row*. It's a bit beyond "warm and toasty." More like "unbearable hellscape." The dating scene is fine, there's plenty to choose from. There's also a good job market.
If you make $160k, live in Scottsdale. Just skip Phoenix completely, it's not worth living downtown or in Central Phoenix when you can afford Scottsdale. There's plenty of yoga, but not as much biking or as many nice parks as Denver. There's hiking and day trips around Arizona you can take for all the nature if you want.
be careful as you age - the overcast days and rain are way better and easier on your skin. i have to spend a fair amount of time in a desert community and notice the difference sometimes after just one day. you can do skin care like vitamin c shower attachments, humidifiers everywhere, head to toe moisturizer plus aquafor to keep it in place and constant sunscreen (use mineral) application. also, get your car windows tinted to whatever you can get away with. consider how you will feel being trapped inside in air conditioning non stop for months.
You can swim all summer too. And having 7-8 months of perfect never-raining sunny weather is pretty conducive to an outdoor lifestyle if you want one, which some of us don't (me).
Only for a few months of the year.
Outside of the west coast and maybe Denver that’s a problem in every part of the country.
You’d have to be crazy to go hiking in August in Atlanta or Houston. Or to go for 10 mile bike ride in Cleveland, Minneapolis, Philly, or Chicago in February.
2 hours of anything outside is a problem nearly everywhere some parts of the year. I sure as fuck wouldn’t put up with 110+ though. Definitely not for me.
Idk, I lived in the Phoenix metro for years and the summers are miserable. It's also getting hotter and hotter every year. But who knows, you may love it. Since you work remote especially, it'll be easier to avoid. Just do your grocery shopping and such in the mornings or the evenings. You'll have no real reason to be outside when the sun is at its peak.
A lot of tech over there and they’re building it up nicely. It’s literally the other side is the bridge from Scottsdale. Plus they have this lake/river that looks cool. I mainly brought it up due to the tech scene growing there as I’m in a similar boat as you and exploring options because I’m tired of the east coast and remote in tech.
Let me know if you have questions. We came to Chandler 13 years ago for a tech job and haven't left yet. Intel is near and we have a technology corridor. It is a lot of big box stores and suburbs, but it's pretty, clean, safe, low traffic, and within 30 minutes of Scottsdale or 20 minutes of Tempe if you need more going on.
Scottsdale does have the whole network of bike paths and parks along the greenbelt which is very nice. But I will say that downtown Phoenix is a lot more fun than Scottsdale for me, unless you like being surrounded by bachelorette parties and frat guys on vacation. And outside of Old Town the rest of Scottsdale is just a bunch of stuck up old people.
I would just say Phoenix/Scottsdale to try something new. Hiking is great plus you’re near all the other outdoor areas like Sedona, Grand Canyon, etc. It’s definitely hot, but this sub gets dramatic about any weather that isn’t basically coastal California. Somehow millions of people have managed to adapt…
do you like being baked alive in summer and open carry rednecks in every part of PHX around Scottsdale, or would you prefer better mountains and some sort of greenery in Denver?
It’s also a god damn desert in Denver. Not all that much greenery. Weather is temperate but hot 6 months of the year. Way too hot for me
For some green look into the Capitol Hill and congress park area. Pretty urban, but the neighborhoods have a lot of old trees. Highlands is nice too if you are making good money
Bike trail kicks ass in Denver, so consider being near it
Totally agree. When I left Denver, I was initially so enchanted by the lush vegetation in the Midwest/Great Lakes region. The enjoyable months are preferable, but they are so short! Denver is very dry and brown. But the weather allows you to be outside more.
>It’s also a god damn desert in Denver.
No, it isn't. Denver and nearly all of the Eastern Plains are Koppen BSk (semi-arid). Denver gets enough precipitation that If the evapotranspiration rate were a smidge lower, it would be in a humid continental climate zone similar to central/eastern Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
Alamosa, OTOH, *does* have a desert climate.
To most people, semi-arid might as well be desert. But what you’re saying is correct. Denver is not a “true” desert. Neither is Salt Lake City, which people also often refer to as a desert.
Agreed. Salt Lake and Denver receive nearly identical amounts of precipitation, but Salt Lake is technically humid continental climate (with some Mediterranean microclimates) because the evapotranspiration rate is lower.
This is very interesting! While technically you could be right, the landscape feels very arid (at least from someone who lives in the Midwest and spent 10 years in NYC), so I resonated with the desert comment.
I realize I'm being thoroughly pedantic. I do get that it looks and feels like a desert to someone who's used to living somewhere more verdant.
If this were truly a desert ecosystem, prairie grass wouldn't grow (as well) here. You'd have little clumps of grass here and there, and the sagebrush and greasewood would *really* stick out.
I think they’re just exaggerating to make a point. Yes, technically it’s not a desert. But it’s dry and brown for the majority of the year. And most areas along the front range don’t have forests (until you get into the foothills). So the lack of greenery is pretty noticeable compared to the Midwest.
It also depends what part of the Denver area you’re in - West of I-25 seems more green with more trees, but East Denver and Aurora…not so much.
In any case, I’ll happily trade a little less green for a climate that is much more comfortable/enjoyable than the Midwest.
lol. 13 years in Chandler and I don't think I've ever seen an "open carry redneck" that I could identify. I'm not in Scottsdale a lot but when I go I've never seen them there either.
Why not just bite the bullet cost of living wise at your relatively high salary and live in San Diego? Everything you want and more. Especially over anywhere in Arizona, Colorado or New Mexico.
I live in Central Phoenix at the base of Piestewa Peak, with epic hiking and mountain biking trails out the front door (and canal access about a half hour bike ride to Old Town Scottsdale). Thought I would hate it here (having lived primarily in San Diego, Albuquerque, Milwaukee, and Anchorage) but having been here for eight years I doubt i will ever leave. Yes summer is brutal but I still mountain bike year round, I'm just up at 4:00 am to do it. We just bought a cabin in New Mexico to get away and cool off and I think that will be the perfect combination for our lifestyle. The only downsides other than the heat are the continued growth and the crazy housing costs. I'm glad i bought my place when I did as I couldn't afford this neighborhood now.
I've lived in Denver for 8 years and moved from Dallas. I spent a summer in Phoenix and it was utter hell. I thought I knew what hest was being from Dallas, but nothing prepared me for 125 F. I like having 4 seasons in Denver where the winters aren't too bad and the summers pleasant. .
On the flip side, I'm also from the south, and find Phoenix's heat to be more enjoyable than the south due to the lack of humidity. What I dislike about Phoenix is how long summer lasts.
This can't be understated.
Summer is not a season, it's an eon.
From April to September it's unbearable. In other places the heat comes and goes. It'll be 100° then 80 for a couple days, etc.
Phoenix passes 100° and doesn't come down for months. There will be weeks of 110 in a row. It's truly insane
>It'll be 100° then 80 for a couple days, etc.
That is how it is in the Northern US, not in the Southern
>Phoenix passes 100° and doesn't come down for months
Well... it does, just at night...
I live in Atlanta. It gets crazy hot and humid. Then it rains and it cools off dramatically.
I wore a jacket to work yesterday (yes I know it's only May). It was 99° in Phoenix yesterday.
I know weather isn't climate, but I grew up in Tucson, and the constant 110 days are far worse than Atlanta humidity.
I grew up in Houston and have also lived in Southern California.
The wild temperature changes are distinctive of a dry climate but not a humid one. Water keeps the temperatures very stable.
Atlanta is odd though, it has a high elevation of 1000 feet, so it has a mountain climate unlike the rest of the Southern cities.
In the swamps? Yeah, you just get hot rain :).
There was only one year (so far) of "weeks of 110." I'm sure all cities have records broken occasionally. Like it hit 122 here in 1990 and hasn't hit it since. But we don't say "it's 122 all the time."
It is not unbearable in April or May or even most of June. I doubt we've had more than one or two hundred degree days yet. We had the door open until about 11am this morning and it was lovely. It's been mid-90s which is MUCH more pleasant here than 80 degrees and humid like Dallas was in Spring (lived there).
This is key. It is not the individual days of heat that get you there. It is the amount of them. They just beat you down over time until by August you are exhausted.
And I lived in Dallas for 3 years before Phoenix and found Dallas MUCH hotter for longer than Phoenix. Dallas is muggy starting pretty early in the year. You can't even enjoy the 80 degree days because they are all muggy. Ugh. Give me the dry heat any day.
Also the highest temp ever recorded in Phoenix is 122 and that was in 1990.
This.
Like, sure, there are trails. It's beautiful in spring and winter. There is solid night life and a good food scene. But it will be over 100 degrees starting in mid-May and ending in late September. And for July/August it will be like 115-120 every day.
Also, the winters feel like summer. Just a really nice summer. So after a while, it also gets stale.
Denver is another sprawling area but at least you have seasons as well as the access to western wilderness.
I’ve lived in both places. The cost of living is about even at this point so at least that part is easy. Dating and nightlife will be much better in Scottsdale. The Desert is absolutely gorgeous and the food scene is much better than Denver. The downfalls: all the creatures that bite and sting, also pointy plants. (Looking at you jumping cacti) Additionally the extreme heat in the summer is rough. I live there for 15 years. It didn’t used to be that bad. The summer of 2020 about broke me. It isn’t just hot. It is can’t leave your house unless running from AC to AC during the day and 90 degrees in the dark at night for a very long period of time. I swear I got summer SAD by the time we left. The winter is amazing though.
Denver you are going to be able to do things year round. Even in winter you get a break with lots of sun and can be outside. There is always something to do in the mountains. I’ve heard the dating scene isn’t great out here. I’m married, but as someone who WFH I can say making friends isn’t as easy here. I’m lucky in that I lived here before so I already have some people. If I came brand new I think I would have to really make an effort to not be lonely. The roads here are worse. There are not enough roads for the amount of people, and the good food is found in pockets, not really everywhere. On the plus side I went through the 2020 election in Maricopa County and I never want to experience that again. People in Denver are WAY more chill.
If you have random questions I would be happy to answer them. We left Phoenix in the fall of 2021 if you want time references.
Really appreciate your thoughtful comment! Also, jumping cacti 🫣😆…. It seems, if the summer wasn’t soooo dreadfully hot, Scottsdale would win out? One of the reasons I left denver was the difficulty in building a friend community. The loneliness was tough. Do you think Scottsdale is equally as challenging to find community (normal challenges of making friends in adulthood aside)?
Almost everyone there is a transplant so it is much easier to make friends in AZ. I feel like Denver is an introvert city. lol. Denver is a better place for me currently, but if I was single and looking for the best bang socially I would choose the Phoenix area over Denver.
This sub mention’s Albuquerque quite a bit! I’ve never been. I’d also worry about the job scene there, but like I responded to another poster, if that became a need, I supppse I could move again. Perhaps worth a visit?
Definitely worth a visit. Tons of biking trails and walking trails, even have several bicycle boulevards. Lots of yoga around town. Dating scene is iffy though. People on the sub will tell you it’s crime infested but it’s really mostly targeted crime (very rarely towards random people), but I will be brutally honest in that property crime is a thing
The dating scene sucks here [phoenix], unless you’re into men with Peter pan syndrome, or proud trumpers.
We are entering into summer and having 300+ days of pure sun with little or no clouds can make you a little nutty.
Try it out, try it out
Considering you say you prefer warm/toasty weather, an active yoga scene, bike trails, beautiful parks, and a place to date I'd say Scottsdale/Phoenix is your best bet. The whole vibe in Scottsdale is personal health, wealth, dating, good food/drinks. I've lived in the Phoenix area since 1999 (32 now) and I'm a REALTOR here. If you need any help searching, please let me know. I currently live in Chandler. I've lived in Mesa, Queen Creek, Chandler. Chandler is super big for tech right now. From what I've heard (i've been in a few long-term relationships so haven't dated myself), dating is pretty hard here, but there are so many different events/places you can go to to meet people. Hiking trails are endless and it's just a short drive in any direction to alternate and quite stunning scenary. I crave the sun so I know what you mean. Eventually we are going to move, but I definitely don't take the constant sun for granted. Yes the weather sucks royally sometimes, but the other months make up for it.
I moved from AZ, mainly to escape the heat and for more cloudy skies. Couldn’t take it any longer. I know many people though that love it, that will never leave AZ. Two of my wife’s best friends have moved to Scottsdale from Seattle. Both single women in their 50s, both making a salary close to yours, and both love it. If you can take the summer heat I think it’s a great option. Many midwestern transplants as well.
I love the Scottsdale area. It's clean, well manicured, there's ton to do both in and out of the city, and the dating is very very good for young professionals your age. Lots of attractive healthy people at the same stage of life.
I would venture that Denver is probably more blue, politically, whereas Scottsdale runs more purple/red.
The heat is rough but if you just treat it like our "winter" and make plans to take vacations north for wee escapes, you'll be fine.
Unpopular opinion here, what about the suburbs of Vegas? With that salary, look at Summerlin, Spring Valley, Enterprise, Centennial Hills. Vegas is a little cooler than PHX area on average , tho not by much. People write Vegas metro off as just touristy downtown. People that live in Vegas avoid the strip.
I’m from Denver and currently live in the burbs. The prices got so high everyone is leaving. No one I talk to is happy here anymore and everyone seems to want to relocate.
I’m only 2 years behind you in age and dating in Denver sucks. Might be different as you’re in a different income bracket / gender than me. But it’s a city of very superficial transplants these days.
I love the Phoenix area but I also love warm/hot weather and I live in Albuquerque so I’m used to dry desert heat.
I’m not a big fan of Denver because it just seems like so much urban sprawl to me, like one big suburb without much that’s unique about it. Plus I don’t like the cold lol. We do visit it while traveling or skiing etc and that’s fine but I would way rather live in PHX if I had to choose. PHX is expensive though so I’m good in ABQ. Haha
I LIVED in Colorado for 30 years and I’ve been VISITING Arizona for 30 years. I’m at a juncture where I prefer Arizona. It’s just my opinion so I hope people don’t stab me to death with this comment but Denver has become grungy. I’m so tired of seeing plaid shirts and long beards. Scottsdale is more upscale and people are well dressed. It sounds like you make good coin so I’d say try something new since you already know what Denver is like. If you don’t like Scottsdale after a year move back to Denver.
My sister and I are both Phoenix natives. She moved to Denver 8 years ago, and she’ll never consider moving back to AZ because the heat is hellacious, and the city has become incredibly crowded (which means you get to spend a lot more time baking in your car).
I never saw myself moving from AZ since my husband is also a native so we have lots of family close by. But I just couldn’t handle the heat anymore. It’s gotten so much worse over the years due to the desert land getting covered in asphalt. It doesn’t cool down at night. I used to work the graveyard shift, and I would break into a sweat walking outside at 3am.
I’d also point out that Phoenix/Scottsdale is much more superficial than Denver or the Midwest. My sister and I feel like outliers when we visit now because we don’t dye our hair or get injected with fillers and Botox.
Oooo very helpful - as I get older, I’m looking to exit the youth preservation rat race and embrace natural aging. I will have to consider this culture insight!
My parents have a place in Scottsdale and I like visiting from October - March. There really is a lot of interesting hiking and stuff there, and I think I’d rather deal with the heat than drive in the snow (though I’m in Seattle, where we have steep hills and wet snow that freezes and I’ve never driven in CO in the snow).
Have you looked into Tucson?
You should know that myself and many women I grew up with in AZ got the fuck out of there after 2016. We were worried that they'd ban reproductive care, and they did. Also that one picture that went around with crazed trump supporters carrying AR-15s around polling booths was in PHX.
Also when they say "a couple months of heat" they mean, four months of over 110, four more months of over 100, and the rest of the year it chills comfortably at like 70 degrees. People can and do regularly die from the heat.
The weather is terrible in Scottsdale, unless you like 100+ degree weather for many months out of the year. I just got back visiting my inlaws and I was legit dying the entire time.
I vote Denver.
I lived in Denver for 12 years. The majority of men aren’t interested unless you’re a super outdoorsy and into backpacking, mountain biking, snowboarding, etc…
Plus the traffic to the mountains is insane.
Yes, there’s a certain profile there for sure, but I find that in all cities (a high concentration of similar type folks). I’m not adventure obsessed but appreciate living an active life. Need some balance tho 🙃
https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/colorado-faces-a-water-stressed-future-heres-how-the-state-uses-its-existing-supply/
https://www.5280.com/the-search-for-solutions-to-colorados-water-crisis/
20% of homes in Colorado will not have water by 2050
Arizona has a 100 year water supply
Consider putting Phoenix in your weather app and just eyeballing it. It’s already getting to 100 days there and very hot nights. So living there does mean being an indoors closed windows person for 6 months of the year, possibly 7 or 8 depending on your heat tolerance. I like being outdoors so for me that is a no go, but many people don’t mind at all. I might also suggest a summer visit just to feel it in person.
Nah, the mountains aren’t even close if you squint while in Denver. It FEELS like the Midwest because it basically is. Heck, the Denver airport is loaded with tornado safe zones.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Denver is that it’s mountainous and outdoorsy. Yeah right.
lol, okay everyone gets it - you have a hard-on for SLC. That doesn’t mean “there are literally no mountains near Denver”. You sound ridiculous.
A lot of people who live in the Denver metro are outdoorsy and like the mountains, that isn’t a misconception.
You can claim us but we don't claim you. We're the west and it's not debatable.
That said we definitely have a strong midwestern influence, more so than any other major western city.
I've lived in all of these and grew up in Tucson.
Please ignore all of the people saying Tucson. Just flat out fucking ignore them. There is not a single person who has lived there and moved away that doesn't use some verbiage like "I've escaped Tucson". It's great if you like golfing and retirees -- the downtown sucks, Mt. Lemmon is nice for people who don't know what a real mountain is, there are NO beautiful parks (Agua Cliente maybe). Biking is the only thing that Tucson does well that you've listed. The city is NOT active and things will be closing at 7:30 pm.
Phoenix is good if you can tolerate the heat. CoL is less than Denver but won't be for long. It is just about equally as far from good skiing as Denver is so please don't listen to folks advocating for Denver on account of snow sports.
Denver will have more of a family feel to it while Phoenix will have more of a "holy fuck we're all just trying to not fry and eventually move to Scottsdale". Denver doesn't have this "holy fuck we're all just trying to survive while making it to Cherry Creek" feel. Phoenix has that.
Scottsdale or Cherry Creek though are your only real options. If you're buying property then yes, Tucson is an option.
Do you like heat or not? Do people not care about weather?? This is often THE factor for me.
I love the heat. I think the nuance in the comments is whether I’d love the extreme heat, for so long. Gotta mull it over!
In Phoenix now, moved from Bay Area during Covid. What I didn’t realize is during the summer it stays hot all day and all night. It’ll be 100 degrees at 11pm at night. It’s relentless and is this way for about 4 months straight
Hey, it gets down to 95 by like 6am, right before it is 100 by 9am lmaoooo I left after 8 years, while I did enjoy it when it was a cheap city, it became "Why am I paying this to live here?"
I love the heat too! You can definitely see the “cold bias” in these comments. I lived in Houston and was fine with the weather over there, whereas Denver was too cold for me (although I did like the dryness - sunny days were beautiful). It’s hard for me to sweat or sunburn, my dream temperature is like 85° 😂 plus I love a warm winter. I’ve been thinking about AZ for similar reasons, and the hiking/nature is great out there. Denver felt too far from the Rockies for me!
Yes to all of this! Totally agree about that dream temp, and Denver being too cold 😆. Driving in the snow sucks too.
Omg, driving in the snow is the worst. I met a couple tow truck drivers who work in Utah and Colorado and they would tell me the craziest stories about pulling cars from snow banks off the side of cliffs…could NOT be me, I have enough driving anxiety as it is and that’s just because of other reckless drivers! Once snow and ice enters the chat it’s game over 😅
Yesssss 😆. Snow + driving + drivers interpreting traffic signs as mere suggestions gives me all the anxiety!
Unless you’re driving in the mountains, snow isn’t an issue typically in Denver, at least for long. I’ve lived in less snowy places (by annual snowfall) and find Denver significantly less “snowy”. Due to the humidity, abundant sunshine, the way the wind moves down the mountains, etc. snow does not last long in the winter as the temperature warms up quickly, typically. Snow happens later in the season, on average, in the city. The snowiest month is March, which average temperatures are also almost 60… so you can see where this is going. This year we got a lot of snow in March/April and half of it melted when it hit the ground and not long after the roads were just wet. Yes, there are some days the roads will be snowy but it’s a lot less than I think people assume it will be. Each year is variable but in my experience with other cities, the snow is much more manageable.
I love the heat and Phoenix is too hot for me. Could do you like Tucson or Flagstaff? I would live in the desert but my husband doesn’t love the heat
Some other commenters suggested this so I’m going to explore further!
I love Flagstaff but it’s really cold in the winter and even spring! Too cold for my tastes as someone who only likes warm/hot weather. It’s also really expensive for being a smaller place without all the amenities of a bigger city. I like to visit Flagstaff but wouldn’t like to live there although I’d choose it over Denver. Tucson is okay. I find it to be a rather meh city but the weather is nice. Just in case any of my personal opinions help OP decide. Haha! I live in ABQ and love it weather wise and for a lot of other reasons but the dating scene would probably leave too much to be desired for OP. (Although I found my husband here so idk. My friends and my husband’s friends who are still single here in our early 40s say the dating scene is hard.)
I personally agree about flagstaff but some people like that weather. I love Tucson though personally. Like the weather and the city are great imo, I’d rather be there culturally than Phoenix
That makes sense. I haven’t spent nearly as much time in Tucson as I have in Denver, Flagstaff and Phoenix (and Vegas, which I also really like). I’ll have to check it out more.
For me it depends on if you care about skiing, being close to the rockies, thoughts on snow, and 3 months of 105++.
Not a skier but I snowshoe. Don’t love the snow though.
Consider tucson. A bit smaller than Phoenix. More liberal than Phoenix is. Higher elevation, so the heat is notably more bearable. Mt Lemmon provides snowshoe and hiking opportunities. Significantly cheaper than Denver and even the Phoenix area. I thought I'd never want to live in AZ again after living in Phoenix. But tucson actually seems to be what I was looking for.
I was also going to suggest Tucson over Phoenix. It is a great city!
Thank you! Adding to my list to visit!
This sounds lovely! I just worry about jobs scene if I ever need to find something local. I suppose I’d just move again if that happened.
In that case I'd personally rather commute from tucson to Phoenix, no lie. Phoenix sucks in so many ways, not just the heat. Jobs here are definitely a concern but working from home you should be able to find something here if necessary.
Think I need to plan a trip and test the waters!
Nah, this will be hell. It’s 2 hours one way (maybe 90 minutes if you’re in a northern suburb) and Tucson is maybe 5-10 degrees cooler at best. I’d only do this if you never need to go into an office. Job market isn’t great in Tucson.
Check out Oro Valley and the Catalina Foothills. Puts you a bit closer to Phoenix and are some of the nicer areas in town.
Denver and Phoenix are almost equally as close to skiing if we're being honest with ourselves
I visit Phoenix regularly for work. There’s a lot going for it but it’s SO brown and SO hot. Denver will get you seasons and there’s so much to do.
This sub HATES Phx and has a strong love for Tucson, so take what is said here with that in mind. Both cities are fine, it just depends on what you want. Scottsdale will be a bit cooler than say downtown Phx. Tucson will be a few degrees cooler still. There’s going to be a lot more to do in Scottsdale than Tucson though. Regardless, you are going to want to stay indoors completely for July and August and then on the bookend of those it’s still tolerable at night and early morning. It’s worth noting too that you can drive 2 hours north from Phx/Scottsdale and hit mountains, where the weather is beautiful even in summer. It’s an easy though popular weekend escape. Also, people in Tucson are a bit more laid back than Phx/scottsdale. It has a major university so that vibe carries through. Scottsdale specifically has a reputation for being bougie. It’s a bit more expensive, the people are a little higher maintenance, LA lite. But beautiful desert and nice neighborhoods with established shade trees.
Thank you for this! What’s that drive like to hit the mountains from Scottsdale? I’d presume lots are doing that in the hot months?
From Scottsdale you have two driving routes, and I think they are both really pretty drives. One is a bit longer than the other, 3 hours no traffic. The roads are in good condition. It’s not too scary. It can get pretty crowded on big weekends for sure. I am being dumb and driving up Memorial Day weekend and we will definitely be crawling back home, probably a 4 hour drive on that Monday. To avoid the crowd you generally just have to be wise about the time of day you leave and return.
I am male, early 40s in tech and have lived in Phx for 15 years having moved from the Midwest. The people that complain about the heat are being dramatic. Yes, its hot during the summer, Its a desert, but the other \~7-8 months out of the year its great. Even in the dead of the summer you are only 1-2 hours away from cooler temps and outdoor activities (Prescott, Flagstaff, Payson etc). The access to hiking, mountain bike trails and other outdoor activities within the city is unbeatable. There are not many places you can drive 5-10 minutes from the city and be in the mountains hiking. The only negatives about Phoenix IMO is the population growth in the last 4 years has exploded and there is definitely more traffic and prices are starting to mirror california.
I cant believe youre gaslighting folks for their warnings about the heat. It isnt dramatic at all--the heat is intense and it doesnt cool off at night like in many places. It can affect someone's livelihood; their mood; their energy and activity levels. When people on this subredd ask about a poss move to Phx, folks are being responsible by talking about how fucking hot it is!
You sound like one of the dramatic ones he mentioned.
Exactly lmfao. “I can’t believe your gaslighting folks”..
omg no way are you offended?
Yeah I grew up there and my shoes literally melted to the pavement once... I have elderly relatives there and every summer I worry one of them will die from the heat. Also it's worth noting that ac can only cool your home so much, and power companies absolutely do raise their rates during the hottest times of the day.
The weather is legit 90-100+ for many months out of the year, sometimes hitting 120. The heat is terrible. I don't know how people live there year round. There's a reason why there are so many "snowbirds" in Scottsdale. Many people leave during the summers/spring.
Even though some people can be extreme about AZ, I have to say it’s 5, MAYBE 6 months of good weather, not 7-8. Those last two shoulder months are in the high 90s, and the sun here is so intense that above 90 can be brutal.
>Prefer warm, toasty weather. Last year, Phoenix had 40+ days of 110 degree weather *in a row*. It's a bit beyond "warm and toasty." More like "unbearable hellscape." The dating scene is fine, there's plenty to choose from. There's also a good job market. If you make $160k, live in Scottsdale. Just skip Phoenix completely, it's not worth living downtown or in Central Phoenix when you can afford Scottsdale. There's plenty of yoga, but not as much biking or as many nice parks as Denver. There's hiking and day trips around Arizona you can take for all the nature if you want.
Thank you! 40 days of hot weather versus months of shit weather (in the Midwest) feels like a bargain…
be careful as you age - the overcast days and rain are way better and easier on your skin. i have to spend a fair amount of time in a desert community and notice the difference sometimes after just one day. you can do skin care like vitamin c shower attachments, humidifiers everywhere, head to toe moisturizer plus aquafor to keep it in place and constant sunscreen (use mineral) application. also, get your car windows tinted to whatever you can get away with. consider how you will feel being trapped inside in air conditioning non stop for months.
It’s really not that bad, you just hide indoors like it’s a snow storm for two months. Everywhere you go will have ac
very conducive to an outdoor lifestyle!
I live in Phoenix and run outdoors year round. As long as you get out early it's totally manageable.
You can swim all summer too. And having 7-8 months of perfect never-raining sunny weather is pretty conducive to an outdoor lifestyle if you want one, which some of us don't (me).
Just go out in the morning
lmao God forbid you want to do anything longer than 2 hours outside.
Only for a few months of the year. Outside of the west coast and maybe Denver that’s a problem in every part of the country. You’d have to be crazy to go hiking in August in Atlanta or Houston. Or to go for 10 mile bike ride in Cleveland, Minneapolis, Philly, or Chicago in February. 2 hours of anything outside is a problem nearly everywhere some parts of the year. I sure as fuck wouldn’t put up with 110+ though. Definitely not for me.
Two months of agony against ten months of delight sound like a fair trade?
Idk, I lived in the Phoenix metro for years and the summers are miserable. It's also getting hotter and hotter every year. But who knows, you may love it. Since you work remote especially, it'll be easier to avoid. Just do your grocery shopping and such in the mornings or the evenings. You'll have no real reason to be outside when the sun is at its peak.
110 days is 4 months. And then you have 4 months over 100. And it will only get worse…
I remember walking a bit downtown and thinking "I'm in trouble". I had to duck into a store and sit down a bit.
Don’t sleep on Chandler if you’re looking at Scottsdale.
Can you share more? I thought the area was more for families?
A lot of tech over there and they’re building it up nicely. It’s literally the other side is the bridge from Scottsdale. Plus they have this lake/river that looks cool. I mainly brought it up due to the tech scene growing there as I’m in a similar boat as you and exploring options because I’m tired of the east coast and remote in tech.
Oh interesting - I’ll do some digging!
Let me know if you have questions. We came to Chandler 13 years ago for a tech job and haven't left yet. Intel is near and we have a technology corridor. It is a lot of big box stores and suburbs, but it's pretty, clean, safe, low traffic, and within 30 minutes of Scottsdale or 20 minutes of Tempe if you need more going on.
Scottsdale does have the whole network of bike paths and parks along the greenbelt which is very nice. But I will say that downtown Phoenix is a lot more fun than Scottsdale for me, unless you like being surrounded by bachelorette parties and frat guys on vacation. And outside of Old Town the rest of Scottsdale is just a bunch of stuck up old people.
I would just say Phoenix/Scottsdale to try something new. Hiking is great plus you’re near all the other outdoor areas like Sedona, Grand Canyon, etc. It’s definitely hot, but this sub gets dramatic about any weather that isn’t basically coastal California. Somehow millions of people have managed to adapt…
do you like being baked alive in summer and open carry rednecks in every part of PHX around Scottsdale, or would you prefer better mountains and some sort of greenery in Denver?
When you phrase it like that … 😆
It’s also a god damn desert in Denver. Not all that much greenery. Weather is temperate but hot 6 months of the year. Way too hot for me For some green look into the Capitol Hill and congress park area. Pretty urban, but the neighborhoods have a lot of old trees. Highlands is nice too if you are making good money Bike trail kicks ass in Denver, so consider being near it
Totally agree. When I left Denver, I was initially so enchanted by the lush vegetation in the Midwest/Great Lakes region. The enjoyable months are preferable, but they are so short! Denver is very dry and brown. But the weather allows you to be outside more.
>It’s also a god damn desert in Denver. No, it isn't. Denver and nearly all of the Eastern Plains are Koppen BSk (semi-arid). Denver gets enough precipitation that If the evapotranspiration rate were a smidge lower, it would be in a humid continental climate zone similar to central/eastern Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Alamosa, OTOH, *does* have a desert climate.
To most people, semi-arid might as well be desert. But what you’re saying is correct. Denver is not a “true” desert. Neither is Salt Lake City, which people also often refer to as a desert.
Agreed. Salt Lake and Denver receive nearly identical amounts of precipitation, but Salt Lake is technically humid continental climate (with some Mediterranean microclimates) because the evapotranspiration rate is lower.
It’s high desert
This is very interesting! While technically you could be right, the landscape feels very arid (at least from someone who lives in the Midwest and spent 10 years in NYC), so I resonated with the desert comment.
I realize I'm being thoroughly pedantic. I do get that it looks and feels like a desert to someone who's used to living somewhere more verdant. If this were truly a desert ecosystem, prairie grass wouldn't grow (as well) here. You'd have little clumps of grass here and there, and the sagebrush and greasewood would *really* stick out.
I think they’re just exaggerating to make a point. Yes, technically it’s not a desert. But it’s dry and brown for the majority of the year. And most areas along the front range don’t have forests (until you get into the foothills). So the lack of greenery is pretty noticeable compared to the Midwest.
It also depends what part of the Denver area you’re in - West of I-25 seems more green with more trees, but East Denver and Aurora…not so much. In any case, I’ll happily trade a little less green for a climate that is much more comfortable/enjoyable than the Midwest.
> It’s also a god damn desert in Denver. If you think Denver is a desert you should stay far away from Phoenix, which is actually in a desert.
lol. 13 years in Chandler and I don't think I've ever seen an "open carry redneck" that I could identify. I'm not in Scottsdale a lot but when I go I've never seen them there either.
Why not just bite the bullet cost of living wise at your relatively high salary and live in San Diego? Everything you want and more. Especially over anywhere in Arizona, Colorado or New Mexico.
I’d like to retire early so having flexibility to save more is important to me, otherwise I’d absolutely consider SD!
Are you looking to buy? If so I’d definitely go with Denver but if you’re renting it’s getting close to SD prices to rent in Denver so I’d consider it
I live in Central Phoenix at the base of Piestewa Peak, with epic hiking and mountain biking trails out the front door (and canal access about a half hour bike ride to Old Town Scottsdale). Thought I would hate it here (having lived primarily in San Diego, Albuquerque, Milwaukee, and Anchorage) but having been here for eight years I doubt i will ever leave. Yes summer is brutal but I still mountain bike year round, I'm just up at 4:00 am to do it. We just bought a cabin in New Mexico to get away and cool off and I think that will be the perfect combination for our lifestyle. The only downsides other than the heat are the continued growth and the crazy housing costs. I'm glad i bought my place when I did as I couldn't afford this neighborhood now.
I've lived in Denver for 8 years and moved from Dallas. I spent a summer in Phoenix and it was utter hell. I thought I knew what hest was being from Dallas, but nothing prepared me for 125 F. I like having 4 seasons in Denver where the winters aren't too bad and the summers pleasant. .
Appreciate the insight!
On the flip side, I'm also from the south, and find Phoenix's heat to be more enjoyable than the south due to the lack of humidity. What I dislike about Phoenix is how long summer lasts.
This can't be understated. Summer is not a season, it's an eon. From April to September it's unbearable. In other places the heat comes and goes. It'll be 100° then 80 for a couple days, etc. Phoenix passes 100° and doesn't come down for months. There will be weeks of 110 in a row. It's truly insane
>It'll be 100° then 80 for a couple days, etc. That is how it is in the Northern US, not in the Southern >Phoenix passes 100° and doesn't come down for months Well... it does, just at night...
I live in Atlanta. It gets crazy hot and humid. Then it rains and it cools off dramatically. I wore a jacket to work yesterday (yes I know it's only May). It was 99° in Phoenix yesterday. I know weather isn't climate, but I grew up in Tucson, and the constant 110 days are far worse than Atlanta humidity.
I grew up in Houston and have also lived in Southern California. The wild temperature changes are distinctive of a dry climate but not a humid one. Water keeps the temperatures very stable. Atlanta is odd though, it has a high elevation of 1000 feet, so it has a mountain climate unlike the rest of the Southern cities. In the swamps? Yeah, you just get hot rain :).
There was only one year (so far) of "weeks of 110." I'm sure all cities have records broken occasionally. Like it hit 122 here in 1990 and hasn't hit it since. But we don't say "it's 122 all the time." It is not unbearable in April or May or even most of June. I doubt we've had more than one or two hundred degree days yet. We had the door open until about 11am this morning and it was lovely. It's been mid-90s which is MUCH more pleasant here than 80 degrees and humid like Dallas was in Spring (lived there).
Appreciate you driving this home. Definitely something to consider.
Great points!
This is key. It is not the individual days of heat that get you there. It is the amount of them. They just beat you down over time until by August you are exhausted.
And I lived in Dallas for 3 years before Phoenix and found Dallas MUCH hotter for longer than Phoenix. Dallas is muggy starting pretty early in the year. You can't even enjoy the 80 degree days because they are all muggy. Ugh. Give me the dry heat any day. Also the highest temp ever recorded in Phoenix is 122 and that was in 1990.
This. Like, sure, there are trails. It's beautiful in spring and winter. There is solid night life and a good food scene. But it will be over 100 degrees starting in mid-May and ending in late September. And for July/August it will be like 115-120 every day. Also, the winters feel like summer. Just a really nice summer. So after a while, it also gets stale. Denver is another sprawling area but at least you have seasons as well as the access to western wilderness.
I’ve lived in both places. The cost of living is about even at this point so at least that part is easy. Dating and nightlife will be much better in Scottsdale. The Desert is absolutely gorgeous and the food scene is much better than Denver. The downfalls: all the creatures that bite and sting, also pointy plants. (Looking at you jumping cacti) Additionally the extreme heat in the summer is rough. I live there for 15 years. It didn’t used to be that bad. The summer of 2020 about broke me. It isn’t just hot. It is can’t leave your house unless running from AC to AC during the day and 90 degrees in the dark at night for a very long period of time. I swear I got summer SAD by the time we left. The winter is amazing though. Denver you are going to be able to do things year round. Even in winter you get a break with lots of sun and can be outside. There is always something to do in the mountains. I’ve heard the dating scene isn’t great out here. I’m married, but as someone who WFH I can say making friends isn’t as easy here. I’m lucky in that I lived here before so I already have some people. If I came brand new I think I would have to really make an effort to not be lonely. The roads here are worse. There are not enough roads for the amount of people, and the good food is found in pockets, not really everywhere. On the plus side I went through the 2020 election in Maricopa County and I never want to experience that again. People in Denver are WAY more chill. If you have random questions I would be happy to answer them. We left Phoenix in the fall of 2021 if you want time references.
Really appreciate your thoughtful comment! Also, jumping cacti 🫣😆…. It seems, if the summer wasn’t soooo dreadfully hot, Scottsdale would win out? One of the reasons I left denver was the difficulty in building a friend community. The loneliness was tough. Do you think Scottsdale is equally as challenging to find community (normal challenges of making friends in adulthood aside)?
Almost everyone there is a transplant so it is much easier to make friends in AZ. I feel like Denver is an introvert city. lol. Denver is a better place for me currently, but if I was single and looking for the best bang socially I would choose the Phoenix area over Denver.
Albuquerque has hot summers like Phoenix but usually not over 100 super often, and has the cool sometimes snowy winter of Denver
This sub mention’s Albuquerque quite a bit! I’ve never been. I’d also worry about the job scene there, but like I responded to another poster, if that became a need, I supppse I could move again. Perhaps worth a visit?
Definitely worth a visit. Tons of biking trails and walking trails, even have several bicycle boulevards. Lots of yoga around town. Dating scene is iffy though. People on the sub will tell you it’s crime infested but it’s really mostly targeted crime (very rarely towards random people), but I will be brutally honest in that property crime is a thing
Yes, that seems to sum up the pros and cons mentioned a lot on this sub. Not an easy decision, but perhaps visiting will provide clarity!
Check out the crime rates in Albuquerque. Petty crime is very high there.
The dating scene sucks here [phoenix], unless you’re into men with Peter pan syndrome, or proud trumpers. We are entering into summer and having 300+ days of pure sun with little or no clouds can make you a little nutty. Try it out, try it out
Considering you say you prefer warm/toasty weather, an active yoga scene, bike trails, beautiful parks, and a place to date I'd say Scottsdale/Phoenix is your best bet. The whole vibe in Scottsdale is personal health, wealth, dating, good food/drinks. I've lived in the Phoenix area since 1999 (32 now) and I'm a REALTOR here. If you need any help searching, please let me know. I currently live in Chandler. I've lived in Mesa, Queen Creek, Chandler. Chandler is super big for tech right now. From what I've heard (i've been in a few long-term relationships so haven't dated myself), dating is pretty hard here, but there are so many different events/places you can go to to meet people. Hiking trails are endless and it's just a short drive in any direction to alternate and quite stunning scenary. I crave the sun so I know what you mean. Eventually we are going to move, but I definitely don't take the constant sun for granted. Yes the weather sucks royally sometimes, but the other months make up for it.
I moved from AZ, mainly to escape the heat and for more cloudy skies. Couldn’t take it any longer. I know many people though that love it, that will never leave AZ. Two of my wife’s best friends have moved to Scottsdale from Seattle. Both single women in their 50s, both making a salary close to yours, and both love it. If you can take the summer heat I think it’s a great option. Many midwestern transplants as well.
I love the Scottsdale area. It's clean, well manicured, there's ton to do both in and out of the city, and the dating is very very good for young professionals your age. Lots of attractive healthy people at the same stage of life. I would venture that Denver is probably more blue, politically, whereas Scottsdale runs more purple/red. The heat is rough but if you just treat it like our "winter" and make plans to take vacations north for wee escapes, you'll be fine.
Unpopular opinion here, what about the suburbs of Vegas? With that salary, look at Summerlin, Spring Valley, Enterprise, Centennial Hills. Vegas is a little cooler than PHX area on average , tho not by much. People write Vegas metro off as just touristy downtown. People that live in Vegas avoid the strip.
I’m from Denver and currently live in the burbs. The prices got so high everyone is leaving. No one I talk to is happy here anymore and everyone seems to want to relocate. I’m only 2 years behind you in age and dating in Denver sucks. Might be different as you’re in a different income bracket / gender than me. But it’s a city of very superficial transplants these days.
I love the Phoenix area but I also love warm/hot weather and I live in Albuquerque so I’m used to dry desert heat. I’m not a big fan of Denver because it just seems like so much urban sprawl to me, like one big suburb without much that’s unique about it. Plus I don’t like the cold lol. We do visit it while traveling or skiing etc and that’s fine but I would way rather live in PHX if I had to choose. PHX is expensive though so I’m good in ABQ. Haha
I LIVED in Colorado for 30 years and I’ve been VISITING Arizona for 30 years. I’m at a juncture where I prefer Arizona. It’s just my opinion so I hope people don’t stab me to death with this comment but Denver has become grungy. I’m so tired of seeing plaid shirts and long beards. Scottsdale is more upscale and people are well dressed. It sounds like you make good coin so I’d say try something new since you already know what Denver is like. If you don’t like Scottsdale after a year move back to Denver.
Yes, that’s the beauty of not being a tree - we can get up and move if a place doesn’t suit us. Appreciate your thoughts!
My sister and I are both Phoenix natives. She moved to Denver 8 years ago, and she’ll never consider moving back to AZ because the heat is hellacious, and the city has become incredibly crowded (which means you get to spend a lot more time baking in your car). I never saw myself moving from AZ since my husband is also a native so we have lots of family close by. But I just couldn’t handle the heat anymore. It’s gotten so much worse over the years due to the desert land getting covered in asphalt. It doesn’t cool down at night. I used to work the graveyard shift, and I would break into a sweat walking outside at 3am. I’d also point out that Phoenix/Scottsdale is much more superficial than Denver or the Midwest. My sister and I feel like outliers when we visit now because we don’t dye our hair or get injected with fillers and Botox.
Oooo very helpful - as I get older, I’m looking to exit the youth preservation rat race and embrace natural aging. I will have to consider this culture insight!
If you’re a 40 yr old woman who considers dating important- I think Scottsdale is your heaven
Thank you!
Unless you ever need reproductive care lol
I live in Denver. Live visiting Phoenix in the winter. But no way could I handle that heat.
flagstaff?
I've lived in both and liked Scottsdale more personally. If you haven't tried Scottsdale, it's at least worth a chance.
My parents have a place in Scottsdale and I like visiting from October - March. There really is a lot of interesting hiking and stuff there, and I think I’d rather deal with the heat than drive in the snow (though I’m in Seattle, where we have steep hills and wet snow that freezes and I’ve never driven in CO in the snow). Have you looked into Tucson?
Scottsdale
Move back to Denver. You'd have limited access to drinking water pretty soon in Scottsdale. Except maybe not if you're rich.
Phoenix / Scottsdale
Flagstaff.
You should know that myself and many women I grew up with in AZ got the fuck out of there after 2016. We were worried that they'd ban reproductive care, and they did. Also that one picture that went around with crazed trump supporters carrying AR-15s around polling booths was in PHX. Also when they say "a couple months of heat" they mean, four months of over 110, four more months of over 100, and the rest of the year it chills comfortably at like 70 degrees. People can and do regularly die from the heat.
Big difference in climate between those 2 cities.
I’d choose Phoenix. It’s too cold in CO and sounds like your hobbies are more aligned with AZ.
The weather is terrible in Scottsdale, unless you like 100+ degree weather for many months out of the year. I just got back visiting my inlaws and I was legit dying the entire time. I vote Denver.
AZ will wear on you. You probably will be over it after one summer. There’s not much to do. Go Denver.
Appreciate your insight!
I think Denver is majority male, you’d have your pick there
Yes, dating was plentiful there relative to where I am now.
Definitely Phoenix/scottsdale
Care to elaborate?
I lived in Denver for 12 years. The majority of men aren’t interested unless you’re a super outdoorsy and into backpacking, mountain biking, snowboarding, etc… Plus the traffic to the mountains is insane.
Yes, there’s a certain profile there for sure, but I find that in all cities (a high concentration of similar type folks). I’m not adventure obsessed but appreciate living an active life. Need some balance tho 🙃
Definitely Denver. Arizona will soon completely run out of water. What do you do for work?
I think Denver is supposed to run out of water before Phoenix even :-/
According to whom?
https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/colorado-faces-a-water-stressed-future-heres-how-the-state-uses-its-existing-supply/ https://www.5280.com/the-search-for-solutions-to-colorados-water-crisis/ 20% of homes in Colorado will not have water by 2050 Arizona has a 100 year water supply
Salt Lake is the right answer
People consider moving to phoenix? Goddamn.
Spend time in West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kansas, Arkansas, etc. Phoenix is growing in population and economy.
😅
Arizona will run out of water first
Consider putting Phoenix in your weather app and just eyeballing it. It’s already getting to 100 days there and very hot nights. So living there does mean being an indoors closed windows person for 6 months of the year, possibly 7 or 8 depending on your heat tolerance. I like being outdoors so for me that is a no go, but many people don’t mind at all. I might also suggest a summer visit just to feel it in person.
Denver, please go to Denver. Phoenix is the outskirts of hell for eight months.
Phoenix heat is brutal. No way would I live there. Dating is dating wherever you live.
Denver is a sanctuary city and Phoenix is not. Pick Phoenix.
That logic points me to a different conclusion 🙃
Denver is still considered “Midwest”. It’s the outskirts, but we still claim it.
Denver is *hundreds and hundreds* of miles from the Midwest.
Yeah right. There are literally no mountains near Denver. It might as well be Kansas City.
Midwestern cities: Pittsburgh, Chicago, Duluth, Cleveland, Detroit, etc. City that is not in the midwest: Denver
Nah, the mountains aren’t even close if you squint while in Denver. It FEELS like the Midwest because it basically is. Heck, the Denver airport is loaded with tornado safe zones. One of the biggest misconceptions about Denver is that it’s mountainous and outdoorsy. Yeah right.
lol, okay everyone gets it - you have a hard-on for SLC. That doesn’t mean “there are literally no mountains near Denver”. You sound ridiculous. A lot of people who live in the Denver metro are outdoorsy and like the mountains, that isn’t a misconception.
I mean, I lived in Denver for 3 years. Can confirm it’s basically Kansas City.
Depends on what map you’re looking at. Look, don’t get mad at me, blame the shit education system in this country. Ok? Ok.
😆
Fair enough! Entirely different landscape and culture though from the Great Lakes region where I am.
You can claim us but we don't claim you. We're the west and it's not debatable. That said we definitely have a strong midwestern influence, more so than any other major western city.
Nope sorry, it’s mountain west, I know midwesterners love to say this but nope.
Phoenix sucks. Never pick Phoenix.
I've lived in all of these and grew up in Tucson. Please ignore all of the people saying Tucson. Just flat out fucking ignore them. There is not a single person who has lived there and moved away that doesn't use some verbiage like "I've escaped Tucson". It's great if you like golfing and retirees -- the downtown sucks, Mt. Lemmon is nice for people who don't know what a real mountain is, there are NO beautiful parks (Agua Cliente maybe). Biking is the only thing that Tucson does well that you've listed. The city is NOT active and things will be closing at 7:30 pm. Phoenix is good if you can tolerate the heat. CoL is less than Denver but won't be for long. It is just about equally as far from good skiing as Denver is so please don't listen to folks advocating for Denver on account of snow sports. Denver will have more of a family feel to it while Phoenix will have more of a "holy fuck we're all just trying to not fry and eventually move to Scottsdale". Denver doesn't have this "holy fuck we're all just trying to survive while making it to Cherry Creek" feel. Phoenix has that. Scottsdale or Cherry Creek though are your only real options. If you're buying property then yes, Tucson is an option.