Where's a good place to live and teach in Arizona?

I currently live in Michigan (have lived here my whole life except for a semester in Chicago), and I am working toward an elementary education certification. I will be student teaching in the Fall of 2008, and looking for a job that December. The job market for teachers in Michigan is horrible, but everyone says that AZ is always looking for teachers.



(I really don't think the hot weather will be an issue for me...I hate Winter, and I definitely prefer to be too hot than too cold.)



I would like to live in a city that is relatively safe, and has a relatively low cost of living.Where's a good place to live and teach in Arizona?
Dave in Tempe gave a good answer. I just moved here six months ago from San Diego and live in Buckeye, which is the next town south of Surprise. Mostly everything here is new. For really detailed info checkout www.westvalleyview.com. It is the local newspaper for the west valley of Maricopa County. Check on cities like Buckeye, Surprise, Avondale, Goodyear and Litchfield Park. There are so many people moving here so schools and teachers are in very high demand.



Stay away from the east valley and central Phoenix. There are too many low lifes there. It's like any other big city...you have your good parts and bad parts.



Teaching opportunities are abundant here.
All areas of the valley have their pros %26amp; cons. I teach in a low socio-economic district in Glendale. They pay more than most districts. BUT the schools are primarily ELL with students constantly moving in and out. I started my class last year with 20 kids and 12 were still there at the end of the year. I think last year we had about 120 openings in our district and about 70 of them were people from Michigan!Where's a good place to live and teach in Arizona?
MESA Az
Try the teaching market now in Surprise, AZ. A faster growing suburb of Phoenix, but it's a very nice residential area. Not usually the problems of Phoenix or the East Valley (Mesa) etc.. They've recently built several (3-4) new schools in that area and will need new teachers quite often.Where's a good place to live and teach in Arizona?
Well you'll like it if you don't like cold weather. The high temp on the 4th of July is supposed to be 116.



The crime is real bad in Mesa, and I don't know a place to recommend here which has a low cost of living and low crime. That place doesn't exist in the Phoenix area. I moved her 2 years ago and the cost of living is high. I don't look for it to get any cheaper with Arizona becoming more and more crowded every day. Phoenix is now the 5th largest city in the nation.
I would not recommend moving here. The crime rate is up and we rank 50 with education. Its too hot like 122 and maybe hotter with everyone moving here. No trees, no green grass. Expect car to be stolen, or your house to be broken in to.

Learn Mexican because that's all they speak anymore.............
Tucson is the place for you! Don't expect great pay to go along with that relatively low cost of living. Pay there is lacking. East side of town is real nice and lacks high crime rate. Good luck.
Look into the teaching job market, located in the Verde Valley. There are three small town close together, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Camp Verde, and Sedona.



The Verde Valley is located in the center of the state, has three seasons, gets warm but not like Phoenix. Not sure about the teaching job market.



Good luck in your hunt.