Thinking about taking a job with Vanguard and I would be moving down to somewhere within commuting distance of Scottsdale, AZ. I was wondering how strong the mo presence is there and what life is like in general? Any comments? I am interested in any perspective on anything really having to do with the area.

I don't think you'll find metro Phoenix too bad as far as Mormons go. Plenty of Mormons about, but its a big city and Mormons are definitely in the minority. Mesa might have the highest concentration of Mormons, but its been a few years since I left Phoenix.

I'd live in phoenix again, but I hate having to drive everywhere, and the traffic can be awful. Amenities, recreation, etc are good. Outside of the city the scenery is great, with lots of public land. Within two hours you can be in the mountains (skiing, even).

In Scottsdale the Mormon presence will be pretty small. If you don't want a lot of Mormon neighbors avoid the Mesa and Gilbert areas where they can be more dense, but even there you probably won't be overwhelmed by the Mormon presence. The good thing about being in an area with a lot of Mormons is there are also a lot of cool ex-mormons you can hang out with.

Overall the Phoenix area is pretty nice. We have great weather for most of the year and there are lots of great places to go hiking. There are nature preserves all over the area. The one thing I don't like is how spread out everything is and having to drive everywhere. You can always just live close by your work if you don't like commuting.

I know two ex-mos who worked for Vanguard in Scottsdale. Both were males. Now I wondering if they actually seek out mos, which is obvious if the mission is on the resume. Scottsdale is one of the wealthier areas in Phoenix. If you like golf, biking, hiking or are physically active, you'll like it. About 5-6 hrs. to San Diego and 4-5 hrs. to Las Vegas. Great restaurants!! Summers are brutally hot. Lots of Jackmos is Scottsdale. Stay away from Mesa (little Utah) and you'll be fine. I lived there from 2005 to 2010.

The chapel and now mission office in Scottsdale is literally at the end of our street. I've been inactive for years. So far they haven't found me.

Fantastic community if you have kids.

Scottsdale is a wonderful place. I lived in one of the gated communities with my family when I was younger. Nobody in our family was Mormon. We had no problems. :)

I live near downtown Mesa and it's still not that bad. There are plenty of Mormons but lots are Jack. In phoenix in general, mormons are minority. They don't assume everyone around them is mormon. In UT where I grew up, the first thing a mormon wants to know when they meet you is are you mormon. Then they jump to a million conclusions about you which could be wildly inaccurate. In AZ, I find that people judge you based on normal standards. Whether or not you are mormon will rarely cross any ones mind.

Thanks for the advice. I am not necessarily looking for a place with a low mormon ratio, but it would be nice. I'm sick and tired of feeling like I have to pretend to still be mormon to get a fair shake.

You will be fine at Vanguard then. There are definitely a few Mormons that work there but they are a small minority. It is a very controlled environment so people tend to avoid talking about controversial topics like religion. If you don't bring it up no one is going to ask you about it. As far as the actual job just be sure you know what you are getting into. I'm not sure what you will be doing but I was working in a call center and after 2 and a half years I just had to get out of there. It is a pretty nice place to work, however, as far as call center go.

Scottsdale is a great place for just about everything.

Most people know about Mormons and respect them. The same way Pennsylvanians know about and respect the Amish.

If you move look around desert ridge or north Phoenix. It's affordable and close enough to Scottsdale your commute would be fine. Mesa and Gilbert are the heavy Mormon towns but even then it's in pockets only. Like Utah, it is less and less each year.

And remember... It's only hot for a few months of the year and A/C alleviates that.

She-has-nothing-but-fond-memories-ly yrs,

S

Is Scottsdale city government run by the Mormons?

Is it true that every city in Arizona is run by the LDS, except Scottsdale?

Interesting that The City uses only partially shielded dark sky bulbs.

Phoenix in many areas uses fully shielded dark sky bulbs (which are much darker).

I find it peculiar that in Mesa (and probably Gilbert as well) the Mormons are a minority but often govern like a majority. I think they still control the Mesa Police Department.

Scottsdale and Tempe are very nice, and also have far less Mormon influence than 30, 40, or 50 years ago. The apostle David Haight was a former mayor of Tempe. That would never happen in the 21st century.

I was in Phoenix recently, and really didn't care for the West Side at all. North Phoenix, East Phoenix, Tempe, Chandler, and Scottsdale are where I would look to live.

David B. Haight was the mayor of Palo Alto, California in the early 1960s (and also serving as a Stake President) when the church tapped him to become Mission President in Scotland.

Yes, of course you're right. I'm sorry, I was confusing David height with some very minor church official, probably a lesser GA.

I did some research, and all I can say at this point is that there have been some Mormon mayors of Tempe, along with some non-Mormons. I was obviously mixing up David Haight in Palo Alto with some other situation, simply because both involved mayors.

Two Scottsdale police officers told me that the force is not Mormonized. One Phoenix police officer said that they aren't either.

One of the Scottsdale police officers said that Mesa, Gilbert, Peoria, out near Buckeye, and also the Deer Valley Police in Phoenix are Mormonized.

Is the Scottsdale City Council Mormon?

The Phoenix officer wasn't sure if the Phoenix city council is Mormon.

Much of North Scottsdale such as McDowell Mtn Ranch and DC Ranch, and far North Phoenix (north of Desert Ridge ie areas near Tatum) uses dark sky fully shielded bulbs.

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/council

One member's bio (bottom row, middle member) could be consistent with being LDS (five children). It appears he went to community college and then opened an A/C business, so there is no tell-tale BYU credential.

In contrast, here is the Gilbert AZ city council:

http://www.gilbertaz.gov/departments/town-hall/mayor-town-council

The mayor is a BYU grad (and not reticent to list this credential in his bio----in Scottsdale, it might be wiser to list the degree/field and leave out the school, if BYU). THe vice-mayor has four kids, is a Boy Scout leader, and may very well be LDS (degrees are listed but not schools). Of the remaining five council members, Daniels (four children; "active in her church") and Petersen (four children) are likely LDS, which would make a 4/7 LDS majority.

Over in Mesa http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/mayor-council

the mayor boasts a BYU degree. Of the council members, Glover actually lists his missionary work in his bio*. None of the other five members appear to be LDS. A long shot might be the fireman; LDS affiliation could be hidden since normally fireman don't sport lots of undergrad/grad degrees (some do but most do not).



*"His family history ties directly to Mesa. His great-grandparents, Wilford and Ella Farnsworth, came to Mesa in 1948 from Mexico. His mother's parents, Dr. Eugene and LaVieve Swenson, followed and have lived in Mesa for almost all of their married life. His father's parents, Harry and Patricia Glover, came to Arizona in 1956. They fell in love with Mesa and its charm and decided to live here. Christopher's parents, Mark and Ann Glover, have lived in Mesa for almost their entire lives. Glover has lived in Mesa for his entire life, except the two years he spent in Argentina on a mission as a representative of his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

This appears on Yahoo. What do you think? Do they control all cities in Arizona, except Scottsdale?

Also they control Palm Springs! Even with the Gay Population! How did this happen?

Gay Mormons?

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090214233217AAF9fYU

Those Scottsdale police run their cameras and K9 units all over north scottsdale parks. There are cameras on all the parks. There were two assaults recently in McDowell Mtn Ranch which is unusual for the area.

I read stuff like this from the Scottsdale Planning Department and wonder if the are in control, or, if they control certain areas of town. Dark Skies, earth tones, no palm trees, very strict rules.

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/bldgresources/sfrprocess/sfr_notes

From shea boulevard north it is very conservative with mormon control, earth tones, sign ordinance.
The masons might run the city of scottsdale, i.e. Barry Goldwater.
What Scottsdale City Councilors, if any, are LDS?

Paul Basha is the City of Scottsdale transportation director, perhaps related to the Mormon Basha family of Basha's grocery stores. They are not unionized.

Haggen foods of Bellingham, Washington just bought out a lot of Albertsons stores in the west, including the one at Shea and Frank Lloyd Wright. Don't know if Haggen is LDS owned or not. Probably since they bought a Mormon company.

Big difference between Scottsdale north or south of Shea. South of Shea more liberal, most precincts vote Democrat. North of Shea, 99% vote Republican.

earth tones Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Paul Basha is the City of Scottsdale
> transportation director, perhaps related to the
> Mormon Basha family of Basha's grocery stores.
> They are not unionized.
>
> Haggen foods of Bellingham, Washington just bought
> out a lot of Albertsons stores in the west,
> including the one at Shea and Frank Lloyd Wright.
> Don't know if Haggen is LDS owned or not. Probably
> since they bought a Mormon company.
>
> Big difference between Scottsdale north or south
> of Shea. South of Shea more liberal, most
> precincts vote Democrat. North of Shea, 99% vote
> Republican.
One of Eddie Basha's sons converted to Mormonism during high school in order to marry a Mormon girl. The rest of the family is not Mormon. They are Lebanese Christian. The Basha's grocery store chain is not Mormon. Get your facts straight.

Sterling

https://www.facebook.com/purpleclvr/photos/a.375609882543951.1073741828.369508529820753/682455958526007/?type=1

Thanks for the info. I was informed that Bashas grocers were LDS owned and operated.

My niece, a nevermo, grew up in Mesa, can't stand Mos, now lives in Scottsdale with husband and baby and loves it. Her Dad, my brother, still lives in Mesa and also can't stand Mos, but he has a younger daughter with his second wife and the schools where they live are excellent. They even have a string orchestra and my younger niece is studying cello in 5th grade.

One thing I would say to anyone moving to AZ is check it out in the summer, it is ungodly hot, like goes up to 120 degrees. At that point it does not matter that it is "dry heat".

Where in Scottsdale? Lots of mos north of Shea Blvd especially outside the Frank Lloyd Wright boundary into McDowell Mtn Ranch and DC Ranch and related HOA's. All the buildings must be painted brown with a sign ordinance and dark skies. South of Shea it's not this way.

If you haven't experienced 100°+ heat for months on end, you will be stunned. I lived in PX 1 1/2 years (moved in April before another summer). The sound of the air conditioning on constantly trying to cool a four bedroom house drove me mad. My sports car air conditioning full blast could not keep up with the hottest months. People are literally rescued if their car breaks down in peak temps. There is a traffic exodus on weekends both directions, to mountains for slightly cooler temps, or to CA.

Car insurance for me was nearly double CA, due to uninsured motorists/theft? Traffic was crazy (when PX was ripped up to put in a train?) We had a cricket infestation, even crickets in our food at an Indian restaurant (owner claimed we planted them in the food to not pay the bill, right). There are dust/trash storms that are surreal-car accidents due to being unable to see. Water from the faucet was warm.

If you have kids, they must take swimming lessons early AM due to heat. Four kids inside constantly was crazy-making, too hot to be outside. The democratic offices were in disarray for volunteering... There were frequent police helicopters at night spot-lighting backyards for criminals.

If you don't mind constant air conditioning/all your activities dictated by the heat 6 mos of the year, brown desert terrain, traffic... You will be OK. I had a difficult time there, moving from idyllic San Diego temps, but many people like it.

Shortly after moving to S'dale 10 years ago (just northeast of Vanguard's office) our high school aged son was targeted for conversion. New kid, straight-laced, prime candidate for the date/dunk/dump scenerio. It was ugly, to put it mildly.

Fast forward: mission served, temple married, second baby on the way, and coincidentally, works at Vanguard's home office in PA. During AZ visits, he works at their Scottsdale office. For what it's worth, he prefers the work/social atmosphere back in PA.

As to ex/non Mo living in S'dale, I'm a bit jaded due to above, but as others have mentioned, they are a minority and you'll likely find they have little to no influence on your everyday living...as it should be. And you might enjoy the thriving exmo community.

I second the suggestion to target the Desert Ridge area - close to work, reasonable housing prices, lots of entertainment and activity options, easy access to many amenities.

I work in Scottsdale and I'm a member of 2 private Facebook groups for exmos in the area that each have 300+ members. There are a couple gatherings on average each month.

It's a nice place to visit in February and March.

I live in DC Ranch. Mormon presence is virtually non-existent. It's hard to notice mormons at all in Scottsdale/North Phoenix. If you have to live in this hell hole, it doesn't get any better than Scottsdale/N. Phoenix. The only problem is the unlimited number of ignorant, vapid, uninteresting, robotic white people.

WAIT A MINUTE!

I just realized that this place is basically Utah's slightly better looking twin sister only without an overwhelming amount of mormons. No matter, I'm just counting the days until my wife finishes her doctorate and we can return home to San Diego. By the way, the educational system in all of Maricopa County is an absolute joke. My son attends the best public high school in the entire county and gets A/B's with virtually no effort. Parents here are either too busy getting tattoos and driving lifted trucks or attending these silly jesus freak megachurches that are far too succesful because some guy with bleached white teeth, a trophy wife, hair plugs, and trendy clothes is remarkably efficient at convincing them that donating money to the church will make them successful and rich just like he is. Don't even get me started on the politics.

Be sure not to buy a black car...it's hot!!

Wondercat, who's lived here for 53 years.

Don't worry about the Mormons you'll love it... From November 1st until May 31st.

Then, you will melt.

:)

Don't come, Phoenix is beyond capacity...