lived here my entire life. every neighborhood. let me break it down for ya...

west, east, and south phnx = extreme ghetto, alot of gangs, alot of violence, and noone can drive.
north = is ......ok, i guess. cost a lil more.
glendale = (see west, east, and south phnx)
peoria = some areas aren't too bad, falls in with north phnx.
mesa = ghetto (#1 stolen cars in the NATION, and noone speaks english), alot of old people that can't drive during winter.
tempe = ok...college chicks are cool, cops are d1cks, still alot of phnx problems, but it tries to keep the college town atmosphere. cops try to set examples out of everyone.
gilbert = not too bad, cops are a lil nicer.
scottsdale = richy city. expensive, alot of snobs. if you got money, scottsdale is pretty cool. alot of nice clubs/bars/restraunts.
sun city = 55+ community


the problem with "the greater phnx area", is everything is connected. driving down one street can take you through 6 different cities. so it's hard to get away from the ghetto areas. the futher you can get away from the "greater area", the better off you are.

the summers are extremely hot like said before, 110f+ for at least 30 days. if you have to work in the heat, you will lose alot of weight. in the winter time, all the snowbirds are here, and just a casual drive can turn dangerous if you're not carefull. i can't count how many times a lil tiny old lady (who can't see over her steering wheel) has pulled out in front of me, or nearly wrecked me off the road.

i just moved about 20 miles out of the city, and it's the first time i remember being happy about where i live, even if i have to drive 60 miles to and from work everyday. atleast i know my car is safe(r).

this is from my personal experiences, i lived in alot of shitty neighborhoods growing up, and i hung out with the wrong crouds. so i pretty much learned to hate this place.

results may vary.