I'm trying to decide if I want to accept a job that is open to me.  I'm trying to weigh all the factors.

The office is located in downtown Phoenix at 3636N Central Ave.  Ideally, I would want a house with a 3 car garage, under $600K, but it looks like those options would be far from the office.  I'm someone who likes to be in the office everyday.  I always thought Litchfield Park was an OK area.  But I've only been there to visit Luke AFB for work.  

I tried to do more research on the office.  I know someone who had been a manager in that office and he doesn't recommend it.  He also doesn't recommend Phoenix because of the heat.  From people's comments here it looks like Phoenix is the new LA.  I also had people tell me that it was so hot last summer that some people tripped while walking and were burned by the hot ground enough to end up in the emergency room.  I was in Ajo AZ from January 2013 to May 2013 for work.  Even in April it was starting to get hot.

I like my current job, and I get treated fairly well. The problem is that the office is located in downtown Baltimore, and the cost of living here is higher than Phoenix.  I calculate I would save $600 a month minimum in personal income tax, property tax, and parking at work if I took the position.  Parking is included in the position in Phoenix.  Parking here in Baltimore is $185/mo.  I would also make $4k more a year. I live in Columbia MD which is a very nice city with a great park system.  But $500K will only get you a 1800 sqft townhome with a one car garage here.  For that much money I could get a new house in the outskirts of Phoenix based on Zillow offerings.  

I'm leaning on passing on this position based on my contacts comments, and to just keep looking for something else with my government agency in a different location.  But, I want to think of everything before doing it.  I really miss living out west, and I think about it every single day.  I was in Albuquerque area for 8 years before moving to Maryland.  I loved the nature in NM, but hated my job.  The office I was in was a revolving door.  People kept leaving, and people are still leaving that office.


Update.  I passed on the job.  I forgot I knew someone who had that job 5 or 6 years ago.  They hated it and said it was a grind.  I like my job, and get treated fairly well.   I just want to move west again and get out of this place.

Ahwahtukee, South Tempe, Parts of Chandler, Parts of Gilbert.. 30-60 min to Midtown PHX area, even with traffic imho.  I used to work in downtown, live in chandler, with no traffic I could be at my building in like 25min.  I used to light rail in mostly though, I didnt want to pay for my works parking permit... that was about 1-1:15 each way from Mesa station.

Excellent access to many ways out of town from those areas.

Your contacts didn't lie to you. Last summer was about the worst one I remember in about 20 years.  Traffic getting in and out of the Valley is a bitch, I'd lean towards the East Valley rather than the West Valley though. You could chance living south in Maricopa or Casa Grande, but it's going to be significantly different than what you're used to and the 10 between Casa Grande and the Wild Horse Pass exit is a bottleneck because it's been neglected by the state for widening for years.  Same with the 347 to Maricopa. You wouldn't think people could wreck on a perfectly straight highway in completely dry conditions with unlimited visibility, but they sure as shit do.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from moving here, honestly. But it really is more similar to LA than anyone here would like to admit

you're a member of ARFCOM and you're reluctant to move to AZ from MD???

southeast valley, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa should be close to your price range and commute tolerance.

as to shooting...

Ben Avery is in North Phoenix, Rio Salado Sportsman's club at the eastern edge each 45 mins from work, PRGC in south phoenix 25 mins from the office or left. A bazillion acres of BLM, state land and National forest to hunt and camp in frpm 1 to 4 hours drive....

constitutional carry.

State flag was designed at Camp Perry.... and the state team goes there every year.

see you soon!

Poole
(I will admit the same kinda political bigots who ruined MD want to ruin AZ too, my family history is MD, add "sville" to my last name and you'll know where).

I’m a west sider, I love it over here in the ghetto. I hate going to the east side. North towards Scottsdale and paradise valley is best if you can afford it. Litchfield park is nice area and around the wigwam resort is a nice well maintained community lots of new growth and reconstruction in the area. Traffic is getting insane on the west side, its always been bad on the east side it’s probably hell now. and really if your working  downtown your going to hit traffic no matter which direction you live. There is some historic house districts in central Phoenix that have been getting gentrified so it’s a pretty trendy area if you buy something to fix up, But crime is high downtown and I don’t see that getting better only worse.

It took me about 3 years to adjust to the heat. Now that I am it doesn't bother me. Yes it gets hot and we deal with it. Just like the NE gets cold and snows. You deal with that. Just one extreme for another.

As for what's within 30-60 mins of downtown, what are you looking for?

Hiking? Camelback and South Mountains, Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Papago Park. Even Flat Iron is within an hour.

Site seeing? Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona Science Center, Tempe Beach Park, Botanical Gardens, Phoenix Zoo.

Drinking/night life? Scottsdale and Gilbert both have "Old Town" areas full of bars, Tempe has Mill Ave and the ASU crowds.

Sports? State Farm Stadium for the Cardinals, not sure where the Coyotes are playing now, Diamondbacks at Chase Field, and the Suns are at the Footprint Center.

Shooting? Take your pic, ha. We're surrounded by desert. Sycamore Creek, Sugar Loaf, Four Peaks, Table Mesa, Maricopa.

Off-roading? Butcher Jones, Backway to Crown King, Sycamore Creek, Sugar Loaf.

Goodyear representing here, check out Pebble Creak also if you're older

The 'yotes play at the 4k seat Mullett Arena on the ASU campus in Tempe till they can get a new arena deal.

The OP should know that most new neighborhoods, in particular master-planned ones like Pebble Creek that have club houses, pools, pickle ball courts, etc., will have an HOA and with it, HOA fees.   Pebble Creek's are $1544 twice a year for houses and $1140 / year for townhomes.  HOAs in other parts of the metro area are higher so be sure to ask when looking at where to live.  

Not to mention living with an HOA.  We lived in one of the Arrowhead neighborhoods (75th Ave & Union Hills,) once and they'd be on your case (probably due to a nosy neighbor,) for garbage cans left out, cars parked where they shouldn't be or working on cars in the driveway, a dead tree in the back yard that was visible above the fence, bushes needing a trim, etc..  

There are some 1 acre horse property neighborhoods not too far out of downtown to the NW.  Some get flood irrigation, some don't.  There are also some flood irrigated neighborhoods in the north-Central Ave area.  That's a plus because it keeps big trees alive which = shade which = cooler.  There's usually a fee for the irrigation which may be 100-200 / month, part fixed part variable.  (it also = work but there's no free lunch.)  Having the space of 1 or 2 acres (or almost acres) is also a plus.  The easiest way to find these neighborhoods is to pull up a sat image of Phx on Google Maps and look for the green neighborhoods.  
Sunburst Farms in the NW is one, around 43rd Ave and Greenway.  Has both 1 and 2 acre lots.  Used to take me 45 minutes to get from this neighborhood to Thomas and Central Ave a couple of years ago.  Glad I didn't have to do it every day but it's possible.
There's a Sunburst Farms East but the irrigation may be defunct.  
Western Meadows is another 1 acre neighborhood in the NW but I believe the irrigation utility is defunct.
Sweetwater Estates around 67th Ave and Thunderbird
Northview Acres around Orangewood and 35th ave (a bit in the bario but the price might be right.)  Not sure about irrigation there.
There are other 1 acre neighborhoods in South Phoenix (up against South Mountain,) and out in Tempe, Mesa and Chandler.  I don't know anything about them but again, look on the sat image for green and then zillow for what's for sale and review the description (is there irrigation and what are the fees, is there an HOA, etc..)

I'll add that there are some 1 acre desert neighborhoods around.  North of the Carefree Highway, around Dynamite and Scottsdale Rd.  Might be getting a little beyond your 40 min limit though.

Good luck.

For some reason I can't edit the post above about 1 acre properties.  

Anyway, I see you turned the job in Phoenix down so it's a moot point for you but I'll leave the post above there since the question about where to live comes up periodically.