Many people have recently been moving to Goodyear, Arizona in the past few years. However, is it a good place to live, and what are some aspects of the city that would make it so that you shouldn’t move there?
To find out about 17 reasons why you shouldn’t move to Goodyear, Arizona, keep reading, as we have listed them below.
1. Crime
Goodyear, Arizona has a crime index of 24 out of 100
, which isn’t good at all, especially when you consider the fact that a city that has a rating of 100 is considered the safest city in the United States. Goodyear is among the 25 least-safe cities in the country, which isn’t comforting if you want to stay safe while in the city.
Every year, about 199 violent crimes and 1,922 property crimes are reported in Goodyear. That doesn’t count the unreported crimes that happen in this city. This means that per every 1,000 residents, about 2.09 of them will be the victim of a violent crime, and 20.17 of them will be the victim of a property crime.
2. Climate
The climate in Goodyear is extremely hot and dry. It can sometimes be humid, but it is typically the most humid in December when the heat isn’t that bad. At least the humidity won’t make the heat worse in the summer in this city.
However, that doesn’t mean that the heat of Goodyear is easy to deal with. In fact, during the summer months, it can get up to about 113 degrees Fahrenheit in Goodyear. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like fun to deal with, even if you have a really good air conditioner and a pool.
Luckily, the temperature is relatively cool during the fall and winter in Goodyear, as it typically stays between 43 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
When it isn’t sunny in Goodyear, it is raining. The rainy season lasts for more than 8 months. If you don’t like the heat or the rain, you don’t want to move to this city. Also, if you enjoy the snow, you don’t want to move to this city, as the only type of snow that you will likely see is fake snow, which isn’t as good as real snow. If it does start snowing in this city at some point, it will quickly melt before you can fully enjoy it.
3. The City Smells Bad
Certain parts of Goodyear smell bad, especially when it is extremely hot outside, as it often is during the summer. The main parts of the city that smell bad at times are near fields, as they smell bad because of the type of fertilizer that is put on most fields to help the crops grow, as most fertilizers have at least some manure in them. Hot temperatures and manure do not mix well, so if you don’t want to hold your nose at times because of the bad smell that is coming from the fields, you don’t want to move to this city.
4. The City is Quiet and Slow
If you enjoy living in a fast-paced city, you don’t want to move to Goodyear, Arizona, as the city is quite quiet and slow, even during the summer. Most of the people that live in this city either have families with children that need to go to bed at a certain time or are retirees, which leads to people wanting quiet streets sometimes before the sun even sets at the end of the day.
Loud noises are not welcome after 5 pm, so even if you don’t think that you are making a lot of noise or that your speaker isn’t playing music that loudly, you might get yelled at to keep the noise down.
5. Natural Disasters
If you don’t want to potentially have to evacuate your home or have to stay in your home for various periods of time to avoid a natural disaster, you don’t want to move to Goodyear, Arizona. While Goodyear doesn’t typically get hit by hurricanes or tornadoes, it does get hit by the following natural disasters.
- Dust Storms
- Extreme Temperatures
- Flooding
- Monsoons
- Flash Floods
- Earthquakes
6. Frequent Droughts
Because Goodyear is in Arizona, a state that regularly has droughts of varying severities every year, you will have to deal with frequent droughts. These droughts will influence you more than you may expect, especially when Goodyear is in a severe drought. When that happens, you won’t be able to water your plants or take long showers, and your tap water may start tasting weird or appear cloudy as the water reserves are depleted.
7. There aren’t Many Stores
If you enjoy going shopping, especially when you have a lot of free time, you don’t want to move to Goodyear, Arizona. There aren’t many stores in this city. There are a few chain stores such as Walmart and Target, but they are relatively far away.
You will have better luck at finding a variety of stores in Pheonix, but that means that you will have to drive for at least 30-40 minutes just to go shopping. It also means that after a full day of shopping, you will have to drive all the way back home, even if you are tired and don’t want to do so.
8. Stores are Often Out of Stock of Popular Items
When you have the energy to go shopping, especially grocery shopping, you will likely get extremely frustrated if you move to Goodyear, as the stores are often out of popular items such as creamer and yogurt, especially if you go to the store on a Saturday or Sunday, as they are notoriously busy days for stores of all types. If you move to this city, get ready to order a lot of things online or try to find alternatives to your favorite popular foods.
9. Lack of Nightlife
If you enjoy going out at night and partying, you will be extremely disappointed if you move to Goodyear, Arizona. There aren’t a lot of bars or clubs in the city, as most of the residents don’t want to go out and party at night. Because the city has a lot of families and a few retirement communities, there simply isn’t a large partying scene here, so there aren’t any businesses that promote partying. In fact, most restaurants and bars close around 10 or 11 pm, which is quite early when you think about it.
10. Residents Easily Get Bored, as there’s Nothing to Do in the City
If you move to Goodyear, you will likely easily get bored, as there really isn’t anything to do in this city when you have free time. Most residents in this city enjoy going on walks and hiking, amongst other outdoor activities, but if you don’t like or don’t have time to do said outdoor activities, you will be out of luck. There are only a few entertainment options in this city, and they are often very busy during the weekend.
11. High Taxes
Taxes and prices are rising everywhere, but the taxes in Goodyear are quite high, especially compared to many other states in the United States. Goodyear currently has a combined sales tax rate of 8.8%. It can be higher in some places near Goodyear, but you will typically be charged 8.8% in taxes when you go shopping for various items. If don’t like paying high sales taxes, don’t move to this city.
12. Bugs, Rodents, and Pests
Bugs, pests, and rodents can often be found in Goodyear, Arizona. Rodents, insects, and pests love Goodyear because of the warm climate and all of the hiding places that can be found in various places, including in your home.
The following creatures can be found in Goodyear.
- Scorpions
- Spiders
- Tarantulas
- Rattlesnakes
- Ants
- Cockroaches
- Bees
- Rats
- Mice
- Gophers
If you encounter any of these creatures, especially tarantulas, rattlesnakes, or scorpions, get away from them as soon as possible and contact a pest specialist. They may be able to keep them from getting into your home in the future.
13. The City is Growing Quickly
If you want to be able to recognize the city that you live in within the next few years because it hasn’t grown very much since you moved there, you don’t want to move to Goodyear, Arizona. This city is growing extremely quickly. In fact, in 2020, it was the 12 fastest-growing city in Arizona. It even grew by about 6,000 people within 1 year.
It currently has about 530 people per square mile, which is a lot of people in a small amount of space when you think about it.
14. Everything is Spread Out
If you move to Goodyear, you won’t be able to easily walk or bike places because everything is relatively spread out. Instead, you will spend a lot of time in your car driving to various places. While you may be able to walk or bike to far-away places, it simply isn’t reasonable to do so in Goodyear because of how spread out everything is.
This means that you will need a car to get around the city. There is public transportation, but it mainly goes through Goodyear towards Pheonix, as there simply isn’t enough need for a public transportation system that is solely dedicated to Goodyear. If you don’t have a car and can’t afford to buy one, you will need to get your groceries shipped to your house or become really good friends with a neighbor that is willing to drive you around sometimes.
15. Construction Sites are Everywhere
Because the city is growing extremely quickly, new buildings and homes are being built constantly. The city is trying to keep up with the growth and sometimes widens major roads as well. However, this means that the entire city is basically one large construction zone. If you choose to move here, be prepared to be delayed while driving because of construction zones, an increased amount of traffic, and forced detours.
In Goodyear, it seems like as soon as construction in one area stops, it starts up again in another area. Construction season also never ends because it almost never gets to temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that you will never get a break from construction.
16. Amount of Homelessness is Increasing
The amount of homelessness in Goodyear, Arizona is steadily increasing and has been doing so in the past few years. This is extremely unfortunate, especially if you feel especially bad for homeless people when you see them asking for money or food on the street.
The issue has gotten so bad that about 130 homeless people died in 2021 because of how hot it was outside, as they weren’t able to get any relief from the heat and likely had a limited amount of access to clean, drinkable water.
The city and various volunteers regularly try to help prevent the rise in homelessness and help the people who are currently living on the streets. The city has even built multiple homeless shelters in the past few years. However, the issue still seems to be getting worse.
17. Traffic
If you enjoy driving and getting to where you need to be quickly or in the amount of time that you expect, you don’t want to move to Goodyear, Arizona. Partially because Goodyear is only 30-40 minutes away from Phoenix, there is a lot of traffic, especially on the freeways around Goodyear during rush hour. This is because the people who are visiting Pheonix often have to first drive by Goodyear.
It is also because many people live in Goodyear but work in Pheonix, which means that in the morning and evening during the week, a lot of people are driving at the same time, which causes roads to get congested and traffic to become really bad at times. People also often drive to Pheonix during the weekend so they can go shopping. If you do move here, try to avoid driving during rush hour in the morning and evening.
Overall, there are many reasons why you should not move to Goodyear, Arizona. However, it is ultimately up to you whether or not you end up moving to this city.
