So You're Thinking About Trading Chicago Winters for Scottsdale Sunshine?

Let's be real for a second. If you've ever stood on a Chicago street corner in February, wind ripping through your coat like it has a personal grudge against you, and thought "there has to be a better way," you're not alone. Thousands of Chicagoans make the move to Scottsdale, Arizona every single year, and most of them will tell you the same thing: they wish they'd done it sooner. Illinois is among the top 10 states from which residents move to Arizona.

But moving from one of America's biggest cities to a desert resort town is a big deal. It's not just a change of address. It's a completely different way of living. So before you start packing boxes and Googling "how to ship a car," let's walk through what this move actually looks like — the good, the great, and the "wait, it's how hot?"

My Story

I grew up in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Every year, the family would vacation in Florida. I loved Florida and have many sentimental memories of our trips.

So years later, when my Father retired, I was shocked to hear they were moving to Arizona. I didn't even know they had ever visited Arizona. I was assuming they'd go to Florida. Needless to say, I wasn't happy. Arizona sure wasn't calling my name.

I didn't fly until I was 45. I only saw my folks the couple of times they came to IL for a visit every year. I had never visited them. But when I started dating my now husband, he said he was taking me there. I think it was my 3rd flight ever. My parents had been living here for more than a decade.

As we stepped outside the airport, I felt the heat hit me. But like my Dad, I liked heat. And this was so different than Illinois or Florida. No humidity! My Mom was right about her repetitive mantra, "But it's a dry heat."

I loved their house in Mesa, although their Illinois furniture, specifically the dining room set, didn't match Arizona decor. They purchased the house new, and although we had pools in Illinois, they were the typical above-ground pools. In Mesa, they had a built-in pool. Wow!

I was already falling in love with Arizona. I think one of our first scenic stops was Tortilla Flat. As we drove past a hill full of sahuaros, I actually had a tear in my eye. I realized I had never seen one in person. Only on TV and movies. It was all so beautiful, although the ride to Tortilla Flat was, and still is, very scary for me.

Then one day, we visited Scottsdale. Of course, it was the Oldtown area because that is where the tourists go. I loved it! I go there several times a year, although it's usually when we have guests. I never get tired of it.

I don't know what made me love the Scottsdale area over where my parents lived in Mesa, but it was the place I wanted to be. I'm sure I did some Internet studying, and that helped to make our decision. I have never looked back.

When we first bought our home in Scottsdale, it was a second home. We weren't snowbirds; we just visited when we could. I hated having to go back to Illinois. I was so jealous of people who were full-time residents. They got to live here while all we could do was visit.

Then finally, when my granddaughter (who lived with us) graduated from high school, we moved to Arizona full-time. I don't regret it one bit. I do miss my son and grandkids, who still live in Illinois (the granddaughter moved to California), plus the friends I grew up with. But I see them all throughout the year, and my youngest grandson is attending ASU this year.

The Weather: No More Scraping Ice Off Your Windshield

This is usually the first thing people want to talk about, so let's just get into it. Besides the beauty of Arizona, the weather was one of our biggest deciding factors. I absolutely hate winter.

Chicago has four seasons. Real ones. To me, Spring is when the snow turns slushy and dirty. Weather in Spring can continue being extreme with snow that turns into rain as the weather starts to warm up. But to me, Spring was as cold as Winter for most of the season. Once it got closer to summer, it felt cold and damp to me.

Oh, how we waited for summer. Sunshine and warmth - finally! But the humidity to me was worse than stepping out of my door here in AZ on a 115-degree day. And the mosquitoes were fierce. When we had our first place in Scottsdale, we didn't notice half as many bugs as we had in Illinois. There are little biting bugs (some call them no-see-ums) in AZ, but it seemed like they are worse at dusk. There are mosquitoes here, but they haven't bothered me as much as they did in IL.

With that said, life is different here in the heat of summer. We don't jog or walk during the day. Same with walking dogs. You either do that very early in the morning or after sunset.

But prior to moving here, I just figured we'd do everything in the evenings during the hot summers. Turns out, the only thing we do in the evening is walk the dogs. I still go out during the day to shop or go somewhere. And unlike the gray skies of Illinois, it's all blue skies and sunshine here.

Fall in Illinois? What is it? I swear, there might be one or two nice weeks, and then it's Winter - when it's supposed to still be Fall. I've taken the kids and grandkids trick-or-treating in heavy rain and cold, snowy blizzards. They'd usually have to wear coats over their costumes, or we'd have to buy large costumes to fit over their winter gear. I will admit that October in Arizona can be toasty. But we've still had kids come by in their costumes, and depending on the weather, they usually start coming around dusk and after.

Winter in Illinois has average January highs around 32°F. Wind chills that drop it to single digits. Snow, ice, gray skies for months. And I have to mention the black ice. I've seen head-on collisions because of it. I've nearly slid through a stop sign, and I drive slow on black ice. I pumped the brakes and tried everything, but the car couldn't stop. Thank goodness I wasn't hit by anyone.

I've witnessed head-on collisions on black ice. The good news is that the cars weren't going fast, so when they hit head-on, it wasn't the same as if speed was involved. But both cars were still damaged.

Scottsdale is a completely different planet

People dining al fresco at The R Bar at Scottsdale Marriott in March

Winters here are the stuff of postcards. December through February, you're looking at highs in the mid-60s to low 70s. People are eating lunch outside on patios, hiking in shorts, and playing golf in January. It genuinely feels like a Chicago May (although May in IL can have some cold days, including snow), except it's consistent. No surprise cold snaps. No black ice. No scraping your windshield at 7 am while your coffee goes cold.

Now, full transparency - Scottsdale summers are not for the faint of heart. June, July, and August regularly hit 105°F to 115°F. It's hot in a way that's hard to describe until you've felt it. The good news is it's a dry heat, which sounds like a cliche but actually makes a difference. 105°F in Phoenix feels more manageable than 90°F in Chicago with 80% humidity. You also spend most of the summer indoors or in a pool, which honestly isn't the worst lifestyle. If you have a covered patio, it makes a big enough difference that on nicer days you can still sit outside.

The real secret weapon Scottsdale has is October through April. That's seven months of near-perfect weather. Sunny, warm, breezy. The kind of weather that makes you want to be outside every single day. Chicago gets maybe two months of that per year if you're lucky.

Scottsdale also gets a monsoon season from mid-June through late September. Dramatic thunderstorms roll in fast, drop a ton of rain, and clear out just as quickly. It's actually pretty spectacular to watch, especially if you're new to the desert. Most residents, me included, love the monsoon season. However, that season has slowed down over the years. There aren't as many storms happening as in the past.

The Lifestyle Shift: From Deep Dish to Desert Trails

Hiking Tom's Thumb Trail in Scottsdale in November

Chicago is a world-class city. Nobody's arguing that. The food scene is incredible — deep dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches, some of the best restaurants in the country. The culture is rich. Museums, live music, theater, professional sports teams across every major league. The lakefront is genuinely one of the most beautiful urban features in America.
Scottsdale has a completely different energy, and it's one that a lot of people fall in love with fast.

The outdoor lifestyle here is unlike anything you'll find in the Midwest. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve sits right inside city limits and has over 225 miles of trails. You can hike Camelback Mountain before work and be back home by 8 am. Pinnacle Peak is another favorite — a moderate hike with views that make you stop and just stare. The Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt runs through the middle of the city with paved paths for biking, jogging, and rollerblading.

And we do have lakes. I've been to Lake Pleasant in the Peoria area, Sahuaro Lake in the North Mesa area, and Canyon Lake near Tortilla Flat. I still want to visit Bartlett Lake, which has a Scottsdale zip code but is in an unincorporated area of Maricopa County. Farther away (more than a day trip), is Lake Havasu in Mohave County. Arizona has over 100 lakes. Salt River is around 200 miles long, and runs through Phoenix, Mesa, and more towns. It's a popular destination for tubing and a view of the wild horses that hang out in and near the river.

Golf is basically a religion here. Scottsdale has over 50 golf courses, including some of the most famous resort courses in the country. The Waste Management Phoenix Open - one of the loudest, most fun golf tournaments on the PGA Tour — happens right here every February.

Old Town Scottsdale is the social hub. Think art galleries, rooftop bars, great restaurants, and a farmers market on Saturday mornings that's genuinely worth waking up early for. The restaurant scene has grown a lot in recent years — you'll find everything from James Beard-nominated spots to great taco shops to farm-to-table brunch places that have a two-hour wait on weekends. As far as pizza, we have a favorite place out here that I love more than any pizza I've ever had in Chicago.

For families, Scottsdale has excellent schools, safe neighborhoods, and a ton of kid-friendly activities. The Arizona Science Center, the Musical Instrument Museum, the Phoenix Zoo, and Wet 'n' Wild are all within easy driving distance.

One thing to adjust to: Scottsdale is spread out. You will drive everywhere. There's no hopping on the L train to get across town. Most people have two cars. The good news is traffic, while it exists, is nothing like Chicago's. A 20-minute drive in Scottsdale is a long commute. However, although I think there are aggressive drivers in Chicago, I feel there are more crazy drivers out here in AZ. If you look it up on Google, IL shows a higher amount of car accidents, but that could be due to the larger population in Illinois.

Housing: Goodbye Brick Cape Cods, Hello Stucco and Saguaros

If you've spent your whole life in the Chicago suburbs, you're used to a certain kind of house. Split-level style homes, usually with a brick and siding combination. Bungalows with small yards and neighbors close enough to hear their TV through the wall. Vinyl-sided, wood or brick Cape Cod homes that look like children's drawings. Basements, attics. and radiator heat that clanks at 3 am.

OK, there are a lot of brick homes in Chicago and the suburbs. There are also different kinds of siding - vinyl, old asphalt siding, aluminum, metal, and wood. There has also been stucco-like siding, and it doesn't hold up well in Illinois. Our last house in a Chicago suburb had a big backyard, and yes, we were right next to our neighbors. Here in Arizona, we are right next to one of our neighbors, who are snowbirds from Colorado. We love them, so we don't care that we're so close. We still have privacy with our block fence, unlike the open chain-link fence we had in Illinois. Our home is close to our other neighbor from the front, but the way our lots are configured, we don't hear or see them out in the backyard.

Basements aren't common here, but we have one. When we lived in Illinois, we always had gas forced-air heat. Here in Arizona, we have electric, although some homes do have gas.

Scottsdale housing is very different. The dominant style here is Southwestern and Spanish Colonial - stucco exteriors, terracotta or flat roofs, tile floors, and open floor plans designed to keep the heat out. You'll also see a lot of modern desert contemporary homes, which are stunning - clean lines, floor-to-ceiling windows, indoor-outdoor living spaces, and pools that are basically mandatory.

As mentioned, basements are almost nonexistent in Arizona. The soil and rock conditions make them impractical to build. Instead, homes tend to be single-story or have a second floor, with square footage spread out rather than stacked up. Yards are landscaped with desert plants - saguaro cacti, palo verde trees, agave, succulents — which look beautiful and require almost no water once established. Many homes have desert landscapes - rocks and stones, no grass. Others have areas of grass, like our place. Fake grass is becoming popular out here, but I've heard it can get hot and isn't the best thing for pets. I recently saw an ad for a cooler imitation grass, so if I ever decided to change over, I'd check that out.

Built-in pools are extremely common. In a city where summer temperatures regularly hit 110°F, a pool isn't a luxury - it's a lifestyle necessity. Many homes in Scottsdale come with them already installed. Some subdivisions have a community pool for residents only.

Neighborhoods vary a lot. North Scottsdale tends to have larger, newer homes on bigger lots with mountain views. Old Town and Central Scottsdale have more character, walkability, and a mix of older ranch homes alongside newer builds. South Scottsdale is more affordable and has a younger, more eclectic vibe. Some of the homes in this area remind me of ranch-style (one-level) homes like those in Chicago. There are even some brick homes. Some people love the "mid-century" homes and buildings in this area, and there are even tours you can go on.

The Money Side: Your Wallet Will Thank You

This is where things get really interesting for Chicagoans, and there is definitely give and take with this thought. Illinois has one of the highest property tax rates in the entire country, around 1.9% effective rate. On a $400,000 home, that's roughly $7,600 a year just in property taxes. Our prior home in Illinois is worth less than our current home here. The property taxes are almost $10,000. Our home here, which is worth more, has an annual tax bill of around $2,600.

State income tax tells a similar story. Illinois charges a flat 4.95% on your income. Arizona charges 2.5% — one of the lowest flat rates in the country. If you earn $100,000 a year, you're keeping an extra $2,450 in your pocket just from that difference.

Overall cost of living in Scottsdale runs about 2-4% lower than Chicago. Groceries are slightly more expensive in Arizona, and gas is just a little lower than in Chicago. Utilities will be higher in summer in AZ because of air conditioning - that's just the reality of desert living - but you'll save on heating costs in winter.

When we purchased our first place here in Scottsdale, prices were a bit lower or very close to Chicago area home prices. I am seeing people come here now who have sticker shock when they see what they can get in their price range. Scottsdale home prices have risen significantly over the past several years. You're not going to find a steal just because you're moving from a big city. North Scottsdale, in particular, has some very expensive real estate. But when you factor in the tax savings and the overall cost of living, the math still tends to work out favorably for most people making the move from Chicago.

The Things Nobody Tells You Before You Move

A few honest notes from people who've made this exact move - and my take:

• The sun is intense. Not just hot - intense. You will wear sunscreen every day. You will own more hats than you ever thought possible. Your car interior will get scorching hot in a parking lot in about four minutes flat. Tinted windows and a sunshade are not optional accessories.
  My take: I don't wear sunscreen or hats. I also don't sit outside for long periods of time in the hot summer. If it's really hot out we put sun shades up in the front window of our cars. We'll be purchasing a new car soon, and we're going to be looking into window tinting.
• You will miss Chicago food. There's no perfect Chicago-style deep dish in Scottsdale. There's no Italian beef that hits the same way. The food scene here is genuinely great, but it's different. Give yourself time to discover what you love about it instead of constantly comparing.
  My take: I've already mentioned that my favorite pizza is here in AZ. We have some Chicago-based restaurant chains out here, including White Castle, Portillos, Rosatis, Lou Malnati's, and Giordano's. Compared to where we lived in IL, we have many more choices here.
• The sunsets will blow your mind. Every single evening, the sky turns colors that look like someone spilled a paint set over the mountains. After years of gray Chicago winters, this never gets old. I agree with this one!
• You'll become an outdoor person whether you planned to or not. Something about having 300+ sunny days a year makes it hard to stay inside. People who never hiked in Chicago find themselves on trails every weekend within six months of moving here.
  My take: We're not hikers. We've taken a few short, easy hikes, but it's not a hobby for us. We do love how many more months we can walk our dogs since neither my husband nor I ever walked them in the Winter in Illinois, or the Spring or Fall unless it was nicer out. We always have small dogs, so that wasn't a big deal, plus we had a big fenced backyard.

The community of people who've moved from Chicago to Scottsdale is genuinely large. You will meet people at a dinner party, mention you're from Chicago, and immediately have five new friends who know exactly what you're talking about. We've been to multiple restaurants that are not Chicago chains that are run by prior Chicagoans.

And my final take, back to the weather, is that I only went out in the cold months in Illinois if I had to. And most of the time those trips were to show houses to my buyer clients. I would base grocery shopping or other trips around the property showings that were scheduled. So if I didn't have showing appointments, I hunkered down at home. I'm out and about much more in Arizona than I ever was in Illinois, all year round.

Is Scottsdale Right for You?

If you love the energy of a big city and can't imagine life without a subway system and a dense urban core, Scottsdale might take some adjustment. It's a city, but it doesn't feel like Chicago. It's more spread out, more resort-like, more focused on outdoor living and quality of life than hustle and density. But for many of us "Chicagoans" who migrated to Scottsdale, we've come from the suburbs, not necessarily the city of Chicago. So if you're used to suburban living, Scottsdale and other Phoenix suburbs should feel similar. In fact, Scottsdale might be a lot larger than the Chicago suburb you came from.

The other difference with Scottsdale and most suburbs of Phoenix is that most residences fall into an HOA. In Illinois, it was mostly condominiums and townhomes that had HOA's. Here in Scottsdale, I have to make a specific search to find properties that aren't in an HOA, and the choices are narrowed.

But if you're ready to trade gray winters for sunshine, high property taxes for breathing room, and a cramped city lot for a home with a pool and mountain views - Scottsdale has a way of feeling like home faster than you'd expect. The desert has a way of doing that to people.

If you're thinking about making the move and want to know what the Scottsdale real estate market actually looks like right now - what neighborhoods fit your budget, what's selling fast, and what to watch out for as a buyer coming from out of state - that's exactly what I help people figure out every day. Reach out and let's talk through it. Give me a call at 480-906-1500.

Tags

• Scottsdale (7)
• Arizona (2)
• Illinois (1)
• Chicago (1)