--- Vaughn Treude <vltreude@deru.com> wrote:

[snip] 
> Some random comments:
> 1. Phoenix summers are miserably hot but you get
> used to them. (I'm from
> the Midwest, too!) The winters make suffering
> through the summers
> worthwhile.

I'm from Ohio, the shores of Lake Erie and a small
town.
Winters are pleasant here, but dry. I've been here
almost 8 years and I'm not used to it. I hate the
desert, but I actually like snow and am very warm
blooded. For me, it's too hot for 7 months of the year
and too dry the whole year. I love the outdoors, but
don't go outside much either because of the heat or
the air pollution. On the other hand, Sedona,
Flagstaff, and coastal California are fairly short
drives and make great vacations.

> 2. There are a lot of tech jobs but the big
> companies have had lots of
> layoffs, so there are a lot of tech people out of
> work.  On the upside,
> I hear that Google is planning to come here.  The
> state is also heavily
> into promoting biotechnology.

Personally, I think the tech market here is great.
Google is here, and is looking for people. You might
want to apply given your windows/linux skillset.

> 3. Most tech jobs are on the east side of the metro
> area (Scottsdale,
> Tempe, Mesa, Chandler.)

There aren't so many tech jobs in mesa, but definitely
the rest of the east valley. The last few years I've
noticed a lot more jobs in the north
phoenix/glendale/peoria area.

> 4. Housing prices are astronomical everywhere but
> historically a bit
> lower on the west side (Glendale, Peoria.)  To be
> fair, they're a lot
> worse on the west coast.

Yes, home prices are up a lot. There are probably
decent rental prices if you know where to look. 

> 5. I think wages here are lower than on the coasts,
> but probably higher
> than in Wisconsin.  I'm an independent contract
> programmer, and my rates
> have taken a bit of a hit since the tech downturn.

This I know. Wages here are a bit lower that the
coasts; Probably 10-15% lower than San Diego-Los
Angelos part of cali. Even less than New York wages.
But it's also a lot more expensive to live there. My
opinion is that wages here are pretty good, and I know
they are a lot better than most of the midwest.

> 6. Tucson has some high-tech businesses, but I don't
> know how well it's
> doing right now.

Basically, if you don't mind the climate (or even like
it) Phoenix is a good place to live. I personally have
trouble because I am very warm blooded and don't like
dry & brown; but I'm not like others here. Many people
like it a lot. Oh, and I'd recomend moving in the late
winter/early spring because it will make the weather
transition easier than moving here in August like I
did.


> 
> Whatever you decide, good luck!
> 
> Vaughn
> 
> > -Craig Meyer
> > craig@fdllug.org
> >


Shin zen ni rei
-j
Registered Linux user number 403109
  http://counter.li.org/
  


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