Why we love living in the Phoenix area...

The SUN! We love the weather. With sunshine over 330 days a year and an annual average high temperature of 84 degrees, we get out and enjoy it. We have to find new ingenious uses for those car window scrapers brought from cold climates. Sure it gets hot in the summer, but it’s a dry heat!

And while we’re on the subject of weather, outside of the occasional flash flood warning, Phoenix does not have natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes or earthquakes. Helicopter-sized mosquitoes and snow are pretty rare, too.

We’ve got culture. And lots of it! From beautiful auditoriums filled for Broadway shows to museums to inspire you, from playhouses and concert halls to art walks and festivals. What will move you? ASU’s acoustically renowned Gammage Auditorium, the Heard Museum of Native Culture and Arts, the Phoenix Symphony, Childsplay Theater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s School of Architecture at Taliesen West, KBAQ classical radio and KAET-Channel 8 public television; the Phoenix area has cultural offerings for every taste.

Outdoor recreation. If you’re looking for it, you’ll find it: golfing, hiking, biking, fishing, rockclimbing, camping, swimming, waterskiing, skateboarding, tennis, and more. The nearby lakes, mountains with winter skiing only 2-3 hours away, the largest municipal park in the world right in town, 200 noteworthy golf courses (including ASU’s own Karsten Golf Course) and 1,130 tennis courts, along with miles of canal trails provide all the adventure you’re looking for.

Housing and cost of living. The median price of a new single-family house in the Greater Phoenix area is $218,000 and the resale price average is $203,000. That would buy a tiny condo in San Diego or Denver.

Sunsets. Mmmm. Some of us watch the postcard worthy sunsets from our back yards, others from the top of Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak in the north central Valley.

Job market. The Phoenix economy is strong and vibrant, and its continued growth has made it the 5th largest city in the country. The Valley cities have a total population of about 3 million people. With the continued growth, new trade opportunities, non-stop transatlantic flights and growing biomedical and technology centers, the Phoenix area has a wide and expanding range of job opportunities to offer.

Environment. Phoenix is in the middle of the beautiful Sonoran Desert, rich in biological and ecological diversity. Drive for an hour and you can be standing in the mountain pines. Arizona has just about every type of scenery you can imagine – sorry, though, no polar ice caps. Did we mention the Grand Canyon is less than 4 hours away?

Sports. We are huge sports fans and we love our teams! The ASU Sun Devils field 22 NCAA competitive teams, the second highest number of teams in the Pac-10. Go Devils!! We have professional teams to cheer on: The Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB), the Phoenix Suns (NBA), the Arizona Cardinals (NFL), the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL), the Arizona Rattlers (arena football) and the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA). The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the Insight Bowl (college football) are both played in town, as well. Not enough? Three pro golf tournaments make regular stops in Phoenix, nine major league baseball teams hold spring training here, NASCAR races at Phoenix International Raceway, dragon boat races at Tempe Town Lake and the annual Rock and Roll Marathon are other events to watch for. There’s more!

Entertainment. Tempe has an vibrant downtown and night life enhanced by ASU’s fine arts presence, and Scottsdale is renowned for its arts and resorts. Phoenix has a vibrant downtown corridor, historical neighborhoods and a revitalization project in conjunction with the ASU campus being built downtown. Each Valley city has a personality of its own and much to offer.

And, of course, because ASU is here!