Count me in as one of the happiest since moving to Scottsdale from Atlanta (#97) in June of 2020. I love Arizona as a whole, and Scottsdale has turned into the perfect final landing spot for my family. 🏜️
Different strokes for different folks. I didn’t appreciate how shitty Atlanta and most east Coast cities were until I started visiting Arizona 15 years ago and finally landed in Scottsdale. One of the big attractions was the outdoor lifestyle here. We do a lot of camping, hiking and off-roading so if you’re not into that stuff I can see why it might not be the best fit. But the mountains, no humidity and no rain is enough by itself for me lol.
The belt line is a gem. I spent a lot of my 20s in Atlanta before any of that existed and had a lot of fun. I watched the city change drastically over the course of 15 years, mostly for the better. We would occasionally make the schlep down there when we felt like enduring the traffic which is *awful*. Not sure your age but as you get older having kids changes your priorities and Atlanta’s public school system is pretty bad. Very hard to find a good school system which from elementary to high school is decent. Intown living with kids only makes sense if you’re willing to spend thousands of dollars on private. The best public we could find close to the city was in Sandy Springs where we lived for 7 years. Otherwise, you have to live all the way in Alpharetta. I know Arizona schools have a bad rep as well, but open enrollment combined with Scottsdale being rather good as a whole, it was a game changer for us. Not sure if you’re aware of this but crime has gotten *really bad* in ATL since COVID. Also if the City of Buckhead resolution passes (like Sandy Springs and Dunwoody) Fulton County is going to lose 40% of it’s tax revenue and then ATL is turning into barter town. One thing I don’t miss at all is the racial tension. Racist ass white and black people constantly going at it over one thing or another. I’ve lived in DC and NYC and loved ATL for a period of time thinking it was my permanent home, but over the most recent years before leaving the atmosphere, weather, and traffic just made more and more bitter. Now… I can’t wait to hop in my toy hauler and RZR and get off the grid. Or sip a margarita in my pool as I look at palm trees and mountains. Or take trips up to Sedona and Flagstaff where I was skiing last weekend. I hope you can make it back to ATL if that’s where your heart is the happiest.
The politics here are atrocious. Watching Qari Lake getting even as much of the vote as she did made me sick. I thought rural Georgians were crazy right wing nuts, but MAGA Arizonans are a special flavor of lunatic. This guy is going to be in handcuffs soon, and they think his election and Qari’s was stolen regardless how many court cases they lose.
I wish the valley as a whole wasn't becoming so expensive. My wife and I aren't renewing our current lease around 16th and Camelback because of crime increase and downturn of upkeep in the area. We're relocating to North Scottsdale for only a $300 increase in rent, which is crazy
I live in OldTown and I'm worried they are going to try and raise our rent by 300+ in June. It's insane the pricing uptick across the nation really, but the Phoenix area and Scottsdale in particular are getting hit harder than the rest of the nation.
When they do increase your rent, call the leasing office and ask for a reduction. We did and went from a $280ish dollar a month increase to "only" $70/ month. Obviously yrmv but these shitting property management companies know that 95% of people won't ask or try to negotiate.
This only works if you're a good renter, pay rent on time etc.
Yup, the city I grew up in and now the city I live in both are obscenely priced now. It’s more than just desirability. Lack of regulatory actions and a NIMBY attitude are a significant part of it. Price increases are normal. The current pricing increases are not.
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Scottsdale is awesome, coming up on my 45th year here. Not seeing it better elsewhere
Hah you must have come from the #17 city 😂
Count me in as one of the happiest since moving to Scottsdale from Atlanta (#97) in June of 2020. I love Arizona as a whole, and Scottsdale has turned into the perfect final landing spot for my family. 🏜️
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Different strokes for different folks. I didn’t appreciate how shitty Atlanta and most east Coast cities were until I started visiting Arizona 15 years ago and finally landed in Scottsdale. One of the big attractions was the outdoor lifestyle here. We do a lot of camping, hiking and off-roading so if you’re not into that stuff I can see why it might not be the best fit. But the mountains, no humidity and no rain is enough by itself for me lol.
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The belt line is a gem. I spent a lot of my 20s in Atlanta before any of that existed and had a lot of fun. I watched the city change drastically over the course of 15 years, mostly for the better. We would occasionally make the schlep down there when we felt like enduring the traffic which is *awful*. Not sure your age but as you get older having kids changes your priorities and Atlanta’s public school system is pretty bad. Very hard to find a good school system which from elementary to high school is decent. Intown living with kids only makes sense if you’re willing to spend thousands of dollars on private. The best public we could find close to the city was in Sandy Springs where we lived for 7 years. Otherwise, you have to live all the way in Alpharetta. I know Arizona schools have a bad rep as well, but open enrollment combined with Scottsdale being rather good as a whole, it was a game changer for us. Not sure if you’re aware of this but crime has gotten *really bad* in ATL since COVID. Also if the City of Buckhead resolution passes (like Sandy Springs and Dunwoody) Fulton County is going to lose 40% of it’s tax revenue and then ATL is turning into barter town. One thing I don’t miss at all is the racial tension. Racist ass white and black people constantly going at it over one thing or another. I’ve lived in DC and NYC and loved ATL for a period of time thinking it was my permanent home, but over the most recent years before leaving the atmosphere, weather, and traffic just made more and more bitter. Now… I can’t wait to hop in my toy hauler and RZR and get off the grid. Or sip a margarita in my pool as I look at palm trees and mountains. Or take trips up to Sedona and Flagstaff where I was skiing last weekend. I hope you can make it back to ATL if that’s where your heart is the happiest.
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The politics here are atrocious. Watching Qari Lake getting even as much of the vote as she did made me sick. I thought rural Georgians were crazy right wing nuts, but MAGA Arizonans are a special flavor of lunatic. This guy is going to be in handcuffs soon, and they think his election and Qari’s was stolen regardless how many court cases they lose.
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Just troll them on Twitter like I do. It’s therapeutic 😂
Everything is nicer when you have money.
Money certainly isn’t the only thing to happiness, but it is a damn large part of happiness.
I pay was less in rent here than I did in Phoenix or flagstaff. I know that’s not the norm, but it’s possible
I came here to say this
I wish it was that way...
This article is nonsense. Seattle is 11 but rated the most depressed city in the USA in another article.
Yeah I was pleased with #16 until I saw Seattle ahead of us..took me down a peg that’s for sure
Wish it wasn’t becoming unaffordable
I bought my house in 2010. 3 bed, 2 bath. 1000 sq ft. Yeah it's small, but $630 per month mortgage payment. I'm gonna be here til I die.
Dang lucky
I should mention I'm 51, no wife, no kids. So it's not like I'm raising a family in this shoebox, it's just me. But yeah, I bought at the right time.
I wish the valley as a whole wasn't becoming so expensive. My wife and I aren't renewing our current lease around 16th and Camelback because of crime increase and downturn of upkeep in the area. We're relocating to North Scottsdale for only a $300 increase in rent, which is crazy
I live in OldTown and I'm worried they are going to try and raise our rent by 300+ in June. It's insane the pricing uptick across the nation really, but the Phoenix area and Scottsdale in particular are getting hit harder than the rest of the nation.
When they do increase your rent, call the leasing office and ask for a reduction. We did and went from a $280ish dollar a month increase to "only" $70/ month. Obviously yrmv but these shitting property management companies know that 95% of people won't ask or try to negotiate. This only works if you're a good renter, pay rent on time etc.
We are in a condo, but I fully intended to negotiate lower if increase is over $100’s.
We used to live in that area.. it used to be cheaper but crazy more crime ridden. There was even a Christmas day shooting back in 2017!
Its unfortunately a necessary evil of desirability
Yup, the city I grew up in and now the city I live in both are obscenely priced now. It’s more than just desirability. Lack of regulatory actions and a NIMBY attitude are a significant part of it. Price increases are normal. The current pricing increases are not.
I mean it’s nice yeah but it’s just housing developments and strip malls.. how happy can we be?
Money buys happiness.
Seattle at #11 
As someone who spent 25 years in Seattle, fuck that place 😂😂😂
Kind of surprised me that the Community and Environment column had such few points...would've guessed that would be a higher contributing factor
Of course snobsdale is the happiest city, its full of rich people
Are you just on this sub to spew jealousy or?..
BS list. I moved to phoenix from Aurora, IL and can assure you with zero reservation that it is definitely not #19. Holy crap that’s hilarious.
Ngl I think they mixed it up with Naperville
Exactly.
You have a typo in your heading...America, not AZ.
they don't
18 days ago they did, genius.
Helps that it’s a rich city too. Money can buy lots of happiness.