Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

solar7647

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
1,218
I just found out this week that the solar company I work for hear in Ohio is opening our second US based manufacturing plant in Mesa Arizona, and I will have the chance to transfer there and even maybe get a higher position if I am lucky, so I was wonding what the area is like as far as schools housing and all that good stuff and most importantly the boating:D

I can see on google there are several bodys of water around like Apache lake, Theodore Roosavelt Lake and Saguaro Lake and they look like good lakes. I have a young family and we enjoy water sports and fishing, so I was wondering if these are good places for that stuff. I just completly rebuilt my boat so not having it is not an option:D
My boat is a 22ft runabout with a cudy, so is that large for those lakes? I am used to Lake Erie so in my area I am on the small side out there.

Thanks
 

angus63

Captain
Joined
May 20, 2002
Messages
3,726
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I visited Phoenix 3 years ago and loved all of the open space and cleanliness. Stayed with a friend in Chandler who moved there with a Lockheed job and a young family. Summertime heat took some getting used to for his Northeast roots. Presently he reports that the housing market is so depressed in the area that he is thinking of buying up real estate now in the hopes it turns around in the near future. Houses in his area dropped 50% in the last three years and a buyer's market for sure.
 

LippCJ7

Vice Admiral
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
5,431
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

Ok mind you I have not lived in Arizona in 20 years but I was born and raised in Tucson and lived in Tempe for 5 years. Your boat is fine for the lakes in AZ but you will be a bit out of place, Mostly hot boats and bow riders out there, the season is longer since the lakes do not freeze and most Arizona boaters don't like water under 60 degrees. Roosevelt is my favorite AZ lake followed by Apache, other lakes are Canyon, Saguaro and Pleasant, if I remember Roosevelt is the furthest away at 2.5 hours I believe but Apache is the hardest to get to since its alot of dirt road up the Apache Trail well worth it ONCE!!(not for the faint of heart). I think that it could be quicker to get to Roosevelt now up the Beeline Highway now but I'm not sure.

As for living there, for northerners it seems to be tough for the first few summers but you learn that days get shorter in the summer and the nights get longer as people simply don't go outside much in the summer during the day, but imagine going outside at 3 am and its 85 degrees, believe it or not 85 at night with no humidity is gorgeous. People that work outside in Arizona work at night in the summer. Look at it this way, would you rather have 8 months of bad crappy weather and 4 of beautiful or the other way around? your great summer is their winter, your winter is their summer, or you can just love it all.

Its just a different way of living, you get used to it
 

PiratePast40

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
1,734
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I did some work north of Yuma quite a few years ago. We did eveything we could to get out to the desert and working at sunrise so we could get the guys out of the sun before 1pm. One evening we were sitting out by the pool and I noticed that it seemed rather cool compared to during the day. Looked up at the thermoeter and saw that it was down to 100 degrees! That should give you an idea of how hot it gets.

Glad to hear that we're finally doing some manufacturing here in the US.
 

eavega

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Joined
Apr 29, 2008
Messages
1,377
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I lived in Tucson for 6 years, and moved away in 2007. It takes a little while to get used to the "beige landscapes", the lack of grass and green, and the wide open emptiness of a lot of it. That having been said, if it was not so far away from the rest of my family in Miami, I would've never left. We had mountains to escape the heat, rivers and lakes where you could catch anything from LM Bass to rainbow trout. We could use out swimming pool from March until November. In the summer months, you could even go swimming in the middle of the night without getting cold. The skies out there are a sight to behold; stars like you have never seen. I don't know about the Phoenix/Tempe area, but in Tucson the people were for the most part friendly, the attitudes very laid-back. Don't get me wrong, two months of daytime temperatures in excess of 105 degrees can be somewhat oppressive, but I think I'll take the 105 degree dry heat of Tucson over three or four months of freezing temperatures and winter precipitation. I can't tell you much about boating, as I didn't have a boat when I lived there, but I did note that there were several reservoirs that were large enough for a day of boating on a cuddy, even around Tucson.
Housing should be on the super-cheap side. I remember the incredible amount of construction that was going on in Tempe, Chandler, and Mesa. I never thought they would be able to fill all that housing, but they just kept building them.
I am not sure about the schools in Phoenix. I have a good friend of mine in Chandler who is very happy with the schools his kids are in. His wife is a teacher, so I assume they know a thing or two about what is and isn't a good school.
If you get the chance, go for it. You can always move back east if it doesn't work out.

Rgds
 

hrdwrkingacguy

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 9, 2010
Messages
368
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I live in Mesa, and have lived in AZ my whole life...This is only the start of my second season owning a boat of my own...Saguaro and Canyon lake are kinda small...Saguaro is only 15 minutes from my house so its where we go almost every weekend...Roosevelt if on my to-do list...We just went to pleasant yesterday...Its on the northwest side of the valley but only like 10 minutes west of the i-17 freeway...So its really easy to get there...We saw a lot of gofast boats yesterday and a lot of sail boats...As far as schools go...Our kids go to Las Sendas elementary in mesa...Like everywhere the schools range from great to horrible depending on where you live...The mesa district is generally good...Glendale and Phoenix are a different story...I moved to mesa for the schools...Our girls play softball and Red Mountain HS seems to win state every year or so...I have seen everything from a 10' outboard fishing boat to a 40' pontoon boat to a huge house boat at saguaro, so anything is possible here :eek:
 

solar7647

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
1,218
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

This is great stuff! Thanks alot! I think I am really going to go for this one. the plant that is being built is in Mesa so if I can get the transfer I will most likly live in Mesa. I checked out houseing there online and it looks great and good prices. My only worry is my house now, i will have to sell it to move and that will be a pain!

My familly is all about it, just trying to keep them from getting their hopes up its still a year away and a lot can happen.
 

solar7647

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
1,218
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I did some work north of Yuma quite a few years ago. We did eveything we could to get out to the desert and working at sunrise so we could get the guys out of the sun before 1pm. One evening we were sitting out by the pool and I noticed that it seemed rather cool compared to during the day. Looked up at the thermoeter and saw that it was down to 100 degrees! That should give you an idea of how hot it gets.

Glad to hear that we're finally doing some manufacturing here in the US.

Yea the solar market has starting to get going in the US so we need another plant to keep up with production. We have plants in Germany, Mylasia, Vietam and offices all over the place. Our Corp world headquarters is in Tempe and some testing sites so I think they just wanted to keep this one near by. I tell you if the solar market could get the same Gov. kick backs the Oil insudtry does you would see manufacuring all over, hear in NW Ohio we have five manufacturing plants run by differant solar companies.

Maybe the single good thing to come from this crazyness in japan will be the down turn of Nulear and the up swing of solar, wind and so on, stuff that needs a production plant as well as the instalation and up keep once they are up.
 

aspeck

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Staff member
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May 29, 2003
Messages
18,588
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

My only worry is my house now, i will have to sell it to move and that will be a pain!

My familly is all about it, just trying to keep them from getting their hopes up its still a year away and a lot can happen.

My uncle lives south of Tucson and he loves it! We always enjoy visiting.

Since the move is a year away, put your house on the market awhile, then you don't have to be in a hurry to move it and can get the best price possible. Stretch out the closing date, if possible, and plan on renting a place till you make the move, putting aside what would have been your house payment into an account for your down payment.

Good luck, Solar!
 

clanton

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Messages
4,876
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I have been there twice this year, and will be back this winter. look at HUD and Fannie Mae repo list. Thousands of houses for sale. Drywall should be certified US made, lots of problems with Chinese drywall.
 

produceguy

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Sep 30, 2010
Messages
1,243
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I've lived here pretty much my entire life. I love it. The landscape and summers you get use too.

Hard to find a job out here but it's a buyers market, so good for you.
A home that was going for 200,000 is now 100,000 or cheaper.
Lakes are great out here and everyone should drive up fish creek hill to get to Apache lake at least once. :D

Your boat will fit right in. Good luck.
 

nrf414

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 16, 2008
Messages
573
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

Solar,

I moved to Chandler from the Harrisburg PA area last summer June 1st to be exact. THe first summer was interesting as it stayed in the triple digits for several months. I quickly found a job and bought a house. I can't wait to use my pool in the summer to come. I'm due for a bonus check in which I plan on being able to buy a boat outright even if it is a little smaller than the last one. The mountains are beautiful and the scenery is like no other. Aside from the Ocean which was roughly 4 hours away, there are more fishing and boating opportunities for larger boats here than where I previously lived. So far so good. Going to the Sportsmans Expo today outside of Lake Pleasant on the NW side of Phoenix.

Good luck to you, may your journey be fruitful.
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

Ok mind you I have not lived in Arizona in 20 years but I was born and raised in Tucson and lived in Tempe for 5 years. Your boat is fine for the lakes in AZ but you will be a bit out of place, Mostly hot boats and bow riders out there, the season is longer since the lakes do not freeze and most Arizona boaters don't like water under 60 degrees. Roosevelt is my favorite AZ lake followed by Apache, other lakes are Canyon, Saguaro and Pleasant, if I remember Roosevelt is the furthest away at 2.5 hours I believe but Apache is the hardest to get to since its alot of dirt road up the Apache Trail well worth it ONCE!!(not for the faint of heart). I think that it could be quicker to get to Roosevelt now up the Beeline Highway now but I'm not sure.

As for living there, for northerners it seems to be tough for the first few summers but you learn that days get shorter in the summer and the nights get longer as people simply don't go outside much in the summer during the day, but imagine going outside at 3 am and its 85 degrees, believe it or not 85 at night with no humidity is gorgeous. People that work outside in Arizona work at night in the summer. Look at it this way, would you rather have 8 months of bad crappy weather and 4 of beautiful or the other way around? your great summer is their winter, your winter is their summer, or you can just love it all.

Its just a different way of living, you get used to it

Ditto!
 

hrdwrkingacguy

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 9, 2010
Messages
368
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

Its supposed to be in the mid 90's this weekend...When I see posts about "have you summerized your boat yet???" and people still have snow to deal with, it makes me feel a little bad that we have had ours in the lake 8 times in the last 2 1/2 weeks...

This is an awesome place to live if you don't mind spontaneous combustion and sweaty giblets in the summer time...:eek:
 

pablowest

Recruit
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
3
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I just found out this week that the solar company I work for hear in Ohio is opening our second US based manufacturing plant in Mesa Arizona, and I will have the chance to transfer there and even maybe get a higher position if I am lucky, so I was wonding what the area is like as far as schools housing and all that good stuff and most importantly the boating:D

I can see on google there are several bodys of water around like Apache lake, Theodore Roosavelt Lake and Saguaro Lake and they look like good lakes. I have a young family and we enjoy water sports and fishing, so I was wondering if these are good places for that stuff. I just completly rebuilt my boat so not having it is not an option:D
My boat is a 22ft runabout with a cudy, so is that large for those lakes? I am used to Lake Erie so in my area I am on the small side out there.

Thanks

It is not that large. But you can get around 18-to 20 feet for sure. Good luck in your new position. :D
 

lowerjon

Recruit
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Messages
3
Re: Hey anyone from the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area out there?

I just found out this week that the solar company I work for hear in Ohio is opening our second US based manufacturing plant in Mesa Arizona, and I will have the chance to transfer there and even maybe get a higher position if I am lucky, so I was wonding what the area is like as far as schools housing and all that good stuff and most importantly the boating:D

I can see on google there are several bodys of water around like Apache lake, Theodore Roosavelt Lake and Saguaro Lake and they look like good lakes. I have a young family and we enjoy water sports and fishing, so I was wondering if these are good places for that stuff. I just completly rebuilt my boat so not having it is not an option:D
My boat is a 22ft runabout with a cudy, so is that large for those lakes? I am used to Lake Erie so in my area I am on the small side out there.

Thanks


I work in mesa at mesa rv rentals, lived here for 10 years not much has changed
 
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