Is Tempe Arizona a good place to live?

With a location close to Phoenix and 330 days of sunshine every year, Tempe, Arizona is a great place to live! Tempe is a smaller city with a population of about 160,000, but close enough to a much bigger city to share its conveniences. What’s more, the average temperature all year is 85 degrees, making it ideal for those looking to escape the brutal winters of the north. Located in the shadow of Camelback Mountain, that beautiful mountain is visible from anywhere in town. Here, we present some more of our favorite reasons why moving to Tempe is a great choice!

1. Annual Msic Festival

   Tempe hosts a growing annual music festival; it has hosted Kid Rock, My Chemical Romance and Puddle of Mud, among others, over the past few years.

1. Casino Arizona

   There are over 900 machine games and gambling tables for your pleasure and maybe lots of luck!

1. Lots of places to shop

   Shopping abounds in the Arizona Mills shopping mall, the Mill Avenue shopping district and the biggest IKEA store west of the Mississippi.

1. Young and fun

   Tempe is a college town, home of Arizona State University, with all that entails– entertainment and buzzing nightlife for young adults.

1. Excellent economy

   Tempe’s unemployment rate is really low; nearly two points less than the national average and the economy is good.

1. Water parks galore!

   Tempe has two water parks, Big Surf Fun and Splash Playground, where you can cool off and relax– all year long.

1. Sunshine and more sunshine!

   Tempe stays warm all year and gets hot in the summer time. Temperatures in July can be as high as 105 degrees during the day. During winter, temperatures can drop to 38 degrees for a low in December. With its desert climate, Tempe sees only about 9.3 inches of rain each year.

1. The Fiesta Bowl

   Tempe is home to the annual college football bowl game, the Fiesta Bowl. As you can imagine, that game comes complete with lots of festivities.

1. Lots of neighborhood to choose from

   Dozens of distinct neighborhoods exist within the city, but North Tempe is the densely populated college area, with South Tempe having more of an open feel and being very family friendly.

1. It’s affordable

   Tempe is an affordable place to live. The cost of living is 3.3 percent lower than the national average, and 5 percent lower than the Arizona state average. The median home price is $130,000.

1. Excellent public school

   Great public schools with a good student to teacher ratio and high ratings.

1. Easy driving commute

   Transportation in Tempe is relatively easy; major freeways run through town with Loops 101 and 202, Interstate 10 and Route 60 being the paths most frequently traveled.

1. Even easier public transportation

   Public transportation is offered in the form of light rail and buses that offer comprehensive travel means around town. There is even a free bus service for residents; the Orbit system runs five routes through town that costs nothing at all.

1. Art and culture

   Tempe has cultural and art events regularly; you can also watch ballet or visit the planetarium at the Arizona State University.

Does Tempe sound like a place you’d like to live? Then start packing, check out Unpakt to compare moving companies in Tempe, get guaranteed prices and read real reviews. Then all you have to decide is which area of town is perfect for your family.

Digital platform Money, today announced its annual ranking of the Best Places to Live spotlighting 50 cities and towns with strong labor markets, affordable homes, and racial, economic and cultural diversity. Tempe is ranked No. 2 on the Best Places to Live in the U.S. list.

READ ALSO: Here are the Ranking Arizona Top 10 lists for 2022

This year’s list features Atlanta as the No. 1 selection due to the number of opportunities it affords job seekers, students and families. Home to some of the best universities in the country, including Georgia Institute of Technology which ranked 6th on Money’s 2022 list of Best Colleges, the city of Atlanta also boasts a flourishing start-up ecosystem fueled by a growing number of tech incubators and venture capital firms. Despite growing inflation, Atlanta’s housing costs are still lower than more than half of the cities and towns on the list — with a current median price listing for a house at $428,000 (less expensive than the U.S. average of $435,000).

For 2022’s Best Places to Live list, Money looked at towns and cities with a population of at least 20,000, and made its selection based on cost of living, economic opportunity, and diversity, among other factors. Tempe, Arizona and Kirkland, Washington secured the second and third places, respectively. These cities landed high on the list because of access to a growing number of employment opportunities and higher paying jobs in each area. Americans are also flocking to Raleigh, North Carolina (number four on Money’s ranking) for its artsy culture and relative affordability and Rogers Park, Chicago (number five on the list) because of its metropolitan feel and strong sense of community.

“This year’s Best Places to Live ranking highlights the amazing cities and towns the country has to offer — with a hard examine of what matters most,” says Executive Editor Mike Ayers. “Money hopes readers will find the places with the most opportunity for whatever’s next in their lives.”

Money’s Top 20 Best Places to Live in the U.S. include:

1. Atlanta, GA

2. Tempe, AZ

3. Kirkland, WA

4. Raleigh, NC

5. Rogers Park, IL

6. Columbia, MD

7. Somerville, MA

8. Ann Arbor, MI

9. Tampa, FL

10. Jersey City, NJ

11. Boise City, ID

12. Chapel Hill, NC

13. Irvine, CA

14. Fort Lee, NJ

15. Arlington, VA

16. Naperville, IL

17. Milton, MA

18. Fremont, CA

19. Carmel, IN

20. Rockville, MD

What Money says about Tempe

“Tempe isn’t just a delicious way to eat soybeans, it’s also one of the best spots to settle down in the Phoenix area. Home to Arizona State University, Tempe made our list for its active arts and culture scene, relative affordability and myriad employment opportunities in education, finance, health care and tech.

“While most residents of urban-suburban Tempe rent their homes and the average home sale price comes in at around $470,000, it offers affordability to those looking to leave larger metro areas like New York and San Francisco. What’s more, the city of 191,607 residents offers plenty of affordable ways to get around. Take the Valley Metro Light Rail to zoom past vehicle traffic on the way to Phoenix. Or if you’re trying to get to bustling downtown Tempe, the free Orbit Bus will shuttle you to a from a number of local destinations.”

For Money’s complete list of the Best Places to Live, click here. To learn more on the methodology of the ranking, click here.

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