Phoenix, Arizona And The Mentality of The City?

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Sharon F

I'm originally from central NJ and have lived in a city East of Phoenix since 1999.

As far as cultural ethnicities, I'm afraid you are not going to find the traditional ethnic neighborhoods like you might be used to back east. My parents & in-laws grew up in Newark, so you had the Italian neighborhood, the Jewish neighborhood, the Portguese neighbrohood, etc. and all the grocers and restaurants that were a speciality to that ehnicity. In Phoenix, you will find a smaller Asian population and a much larger Meixcan population. As far as Italian areas, you won;t find it out here. Of course you'll come across great Italian restaurants and people of Italian descent. But nothing like NYC/LI area.

I have a dear friend who comes to visit each year who is gay. There are some great gay friendly clubs in Scottsdale and in Phoenix. He bought a a travel guide through a gay friendly publisher that details each city's gay friendly establishments.

Don't put so much emphasis on your looks and appearance. Out here is much more casual than back east.

Good luck to you!

Steven C

The city is a great place to live. If you don't like it you can always move.

taking tiger mountain

i moved here from long island too (when i was 8 :)). i really don't think the way you look will make you stand out. the phoenix metro area is very large and very diverse. coming from LI and having the city minutes away you will notice the lack of culture. we don't have the museums and art scene like NYC. the art scene does exist if you look for it. Not everyone here is blond hair/blue eyes. In addition we have a large and ever growing hispanic community. i don't think there will be any reason for you to feel inadequate about the way you look. besides, no one can make you feel inadequate without your consent.

as far as the gay scene, there are a number of gay bars/clubs around the area. there are also certain restaurants that cater to the gay community such as hamburger mary's.

this link might help
http://phoenix.gaycities.com/bars/

westguy18

I lived in Phoenix over the summer and I must say it is a different city. To start, it is very large (in land area) which cheats it population. The population of Phoenix is about 1.5 million i believe but that is becasue the city itself is very spread out and doesnt have a lot of suburbs like most do so they cheat. You can have horses and not have a close by neighbor and still live in Phoenix. No, it does not have the diversity like the east coast (I lived in NYC for a year). There diversity in PHX is mostly between germans and cauasin americans and hispanic americans (those legal) and illegal aliens. There is not a high asian or african-american population! The valley is very nice though and houses are affordable! But its HOT! O and its not like L.A. at all! Not even close and it doesnt have the problems like Cali does. Except for the immigration problem! Personaly I wouldnt live there but other people might. I choose Denver cuz I love my seasons and the equal diversity the is here. Plenty of it and large Italian neighborhoods btw.

sam

I have mixed feelings about the other responses. I live in Scottsdale but not every single part of Scottsdale is stuck up and rich. South Scottsdale is middle class, and looks just like Tempe or Chandler or whatever else. There are much nicer areas than south Scottsdale like east Mesa and north Phoenix, so we can't generalize. As for cultural diversity, I think we have it all but yes, there is a high concentration of the hispanic population and as for cultural neighborhoods, there aren't really any except for large portions of the cities that are like little Mexico all over the place. You will be able to find great ethnic restaurants, they are just a little more hidden. I have heard that De Falco's Italian Deli on Scottsdale Road is phenomenal. And of course the BEST Mexican food. I tried getting Mexican food in NY, and it is almost non-existent, not to mention hardly authentic.

There is however, a large artistic community in Phoenix and Scottsdale. There are lots of places to go to be a part of the artistic community (art, bands, fashion, indie stuff in general). There is a gay scene and from what I've seen, the general population is tolerant. My gay friends come out with us all the time, the only gay bar I've actually been to is BS West, but I know there are both gay and lesbian bars downtown more and a bigger scene over there.

There are not really that many areas where you will find only the pretty people. Trust me. I live in Scottsdale and frequent both laid back bars like Dos Gringos where no one gives a crap, and more swanky Scottsdale clubs like Suede, Barcelona, and Six. Some of my friends are gorgeous and some, like me, are not part of that fabulously skinny, nip/tucked crowd. I am 25 and 5'3'' and over 200 pounds, and I still go to these places. No one has EVER given me a dirty look or said anything to me and I've never felt insecure about being there (like I do in Vegas). It's all about your confidence and the "I don't give a fck" attitude, and sometimes I wonder if that is even necessary because I don't get the vibe that anyone is bothered by me or anything like that.

So yes, there are a lot pretty people, but they don't saturate the place and ruin it for everyone like what happens in LA. There are tons of average people and though ethnicities don't really set themselves apart in a spatial sort of way, everyone meshes together, which is almost better in a sense.

That's my opinion and experience with that.

As for the weather, yeah summer sucks, but 80% of the year is fabulous. Summer sucks here just as much as winter sucks in the northeast. Also you are only about 5 hours from Vegas, a Mexican beach in Rocky Point, or San Diego which is amazing no matter how you look at it.

i wouldnt live IN PHOENIX like maybe a suburb here. im white and like there are plently white people here and there are also mexicans and other races. but to me downtown phoenix and the city of phoenix is kinda trashy. so id go for some suburbs like gilbert maybe. or chandler. =]

jumbos_mom

This state is as ethnic as can be, the only issue is that we don't have pockets of ethnicity. In other words, you will find Italians (my daughter's boyfriend is full blood Italian), but he probably lives next door to Mexicans and Germans and maybe someone that English-Irish...you get the picture? Everyone is here but there is no one place where you can say I'm going to go visit my Italian friends in the Italian part of town. I know a lot of people from Long Island that live here, and I think it is (this is going to be stereotyping...) in their nature to complain about everything that isn't New York. Phoenix isn't NEW YORK and it will never be, so if you really think you can't live without the little ethnic cities within the big city this probably isn't the place for you.
Everyone that read your concerns about LA thinks you want to be around the pretty people and suggested Scottsdale to you. I truly believe that is not what you want...you want to live where the normal people live, and anywhere in the valley that is NOT Scottsdale is normal, Scottsdale people have more money than they know what to do with and so the lifestyle is to make themselves pretty, the rest of us are normal and have no aspirations to look like movie stars.

Chiky

This is a very interesting question. The responses have been mixed. And some people seem paranoid or bitter.

I have lived here all my life as I am a second generation native. I am of mixed race (the simplest way to put it, 1/2 black and 1/2 white) and I've lived in different areas of the city. It's all in what you are looking for and what works for you.

When my mother moved here in 1973, she noticed that there were not very many black people here. The black population has incresed over the decades. But there are definitely people of all races and ethnic groups here. Other than that, Italian, Asian, Jewish, or whatever have no block or neighborhood that is predominantly known as such by race or ethnic group. Everyone lives almost anywhere. This is a good thing. People here are quite layed back and have no expectation of perfection on the looks of others.

There is an active gay scene here. There are a few gay establishments that are really fun but nightlife in general here is in no comparisson to the night scene of NY so don't expect to have the same nightlife.

By moving to Phx, the only way for you to feel like an outsider is if you draw back and allow yourself to be the outsider.

Live wherever you'd like in the city. Just know that driving is pretty much a must to get around and in a timely manner. People that have lived here for a while undersand that it takes 20-30 minutes to get almost anywhere in the city anyway so where you live doesn't really matter. Just have a car.

Don't worry. I think you are thinking too much about it. Just get here! Come visit and see what it's about first! If you like it, go home and get your stuff! It's not close enough to L.A. to be compared to L.A. So don't worry about L.A. or anyone who might compare you to the people of L.A.

Good luck!

orlundo

moonshine pretty much summed up phoenix very well. there isn't much of a community feeling in phoenix. Phoenix is slowly turning into a mini LA except without the attractions, beach, and sights. Also you HAVE to know how to drive to survive here. Summers here are absolutly depressing, except for people working you will not see a single person out during the day.

To be honest I have relatives in the NYC area (long island, bronx, and queens) and found people back east and in Cali as well to be far more friendlier.

Also I you really want diversity, phoenix has some, but many communities (such as the one I am from) are not very diverse. People here seem moderately conservative or libertarian so its not like blue state liberal San Fransisco but its not a racially and idealogically divided as some of the southern states. Also people here are overall nice, but not as outgoing as others.

Phoenix was a very well planned modern city so everything is in good condition and all the houses look alike. I kinda joke around that it has that new age soviet look to it. Phoenix is basically a collection of several suburbs (some wealthier than others).

At least Tucson seems to have more of a community sprit and alot more smaller businesses (but the infrastucture is far more runned down).

the reason why everyone moves to phoenix (most come from Califronia like my family) is because its increadably cheap to find good housing in a safe neighborhood. (just enjoy communiting to work everyday).

You get what you pay for, why do think san fransicso for example is so expensive becuase its an awesome and disarable place to live.

overall i consider phoenix to be an average place to live nothing awful, but nothing that great either.

Marc W

Phoenix is sort of an odd city in that it's a conglomeration of suburbs. There is a gay area called the Willow District, but like anything else in Phoenix, you can't really tell it's a specfic neighborhood, unlike, say, Boys Town in Chicago.

And yeah, Phoenix doesn't have the ethnic diversity of Chicago, but it is, nonetheless, a big city. There are Italians and gays of all stripes. I don't think you'd find that much difficulty. Phoenix also isn't like LA with its superficiality. There are pockets of the suburb Scottsdale like that, but Phoenix itself is not, in my opinion.

IncidentalJester

Phoenix is a big melting pot, so many different ethnic groups and not really separated in different parts of town as much as other cities. We have all kinds of people, with many different styles and personalities... People come from all over the country, I rarely meet people actually born here.

jennylk81

As long as speak English, and not Spanish, you will fit in just fine. It's not very ethnic, but that's a good thing. You will fit in fine.

Greasy Tony

Scottsdale would be a good place for you. Like someone else said, Phoenix doesn't have the different cultural neighborhoods like NY or LA, but I think that's what will connect you better with the people of your culture that are here. There are a lot of pretty people in Scottsdale, but the rest of the Phoenix area seems more laid back and casual when it comes to fashion and appearance. That doesn't mean everybody's sloppy, it just means looks aren't everything.

Tarpaulin

I think Tucson would be good for you.

moonshine057

I'm from Philly,PA but I've lived in PHX AZ for about 4 years..Well the weather is good for most of the year the summers suck, there are alot of pretty places to see in the state of AZ but I find it to be PHX bland. There is a ton of places to get Mexican food but that's about it. There is a bit of an LA look to it, the nice houses on the outskirts and beautiful but if your in the city is pretty ugly there are walls lining the streets...you can find this alot in Miami as well. Also there is alot of that fakeness and superficial people here..it's hard to explain but that's part of the mentality here thats alot different from the east coast.Another thing is most of those mom and pop shops are non existant here alot more corprate. The air is usually brown here and causes you to get sick during the dry summer days. hmm there is so much more to add but to close this, it's a great place to visit but I wouldn't suggest moving here. Oh yeah the gay scene..I have a couple gay friends here and it exists yes.

pugs5678

there aren't many gays here and Italians maybe not a big city of them but probably some stand out probably not I have lived here all my life that is nonsense about Scottsdale some places in the city have rich some places don't we are big city but simpler than most and for you that complain about phoenix why do you live here if you hate it feel free to move on

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