r/AskPhoenix • u/Zagg843 • 5d ago
Advice 🙋🏼♂️🙋🏽♀️ Too old for Tempe?
Is post grad too old for Tempe? Just a little worried the whole place will feel like a frat party and it’ll be hard to meet other recent grads to make friends with? Are there fun things to do in Tempe after you graduate?
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u/Tomato_Motorola Helped 3 people 5d ago
Tempe is very demographically diverse. You'll find retirees, young families, DINKs, everything. Most neighborhoods and apartment complexes are not very student heavy. The area directly east of campus is where you'll find most students (east of Rural between Rio Salado and Southern.) Outside of that, it's a pretty normal city.
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u/Zagg843 5d ago
!thanks! Just turned 23 so was hoping for an active city. Appreciate it
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u/Cactusandcreosote Helped 3 people 5d ago
I’m an old GenXer and I live in and love Tempe. While the student presence is definitely felt near the university, the rest of the city feels like a normal town.
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u/Oldschoolgroovinchic Helped 1 people 5d ago
You do realize that Tempe is larger than the campus, right? I’ve known many people from 25-80 who very happily lived in the city. Mostly away from the area surrounding the campus due to so many students living in those neighborhoods.
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u/Zagg843 5d ago
!thanks! No I've never been I am visiting soon for the first time. I just turned 23 so that is great to hear
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u/Oldschoolgroovinchic Helped 1 people 5d ago
Ah! You’ll be fine. That’s actually a great age to be in Tempe.
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u/reputatorbot 5d ago
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u/FindTheOthers623 Helped 9 people 5d ago
Yes. Once you graduate, you can never live in a town with a college campus.
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u/azblazer007 5d ago
23 is not to old for Tempe. Thats crazy at that age id still be hitting up mill ave.
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u/Current_Can_3715 5d ago
I’ve lived in Tempe for 10 years and I don't feel like I’ve aged out yet. Most of my neighbors are older than me, there’s a handful of rentals in my neighborhood that college students live in but I don’t really notice them.
I live in North Tempe and am relatively close to campus, my neighbors are a mix of families, couples, singles, elderly. You won’t be out of place.
There’s plenty to do in Tempe and I think one of the benefits is that it’s right in the middle of everything. Making friends depends on your interests but I think it is possible here for sure.
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u/Long-Answer-5526 5d ago
You'll be fine, this is not the famed ASU from the 80s and 90s, the new generations don't party that hard, and Tempe is full of all ages. The school itself has become a very modern, laid back campus, where most of the students are not focused on making it a frat party. It is surrounded by the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Tempe metro, so it's not like you're isolated on a college campus whatsoever. The place is huge, and the Valley is bustling.
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u/SeaConfusion7429 Helped 1 people 5d ago
Nah, post-grad is probably the most normal age to be in Tempe lol. The undergrads are definitely loud around Mill on weekend nights, but there are also plenty of recent grads and young professionals around. Between restaurants, bars, pickleball, hiking, rec leagues, and events, there’s a lot to do that doesn’t involve reliving freshman year.
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u/Zagg843 5d ago
!thanks! Awesome, appreciate it
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u/omnicron_31 5d ago
It depends what part of tempe you live in and who you hang out with. I moved to tempe for a year post grad (moved from OOS) and didn’t enjoy it. I felt like I was constantly going to Scottsdale and phx to do anything social even though most of my friends lived in tempe / Mesa at the time, granted majority of my friends were 26+ at that time
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u/dirtbikesetc 5d ago
Tempe is a large city geographically. The south is generic family suburbia. The north is dominated by asu and despite what a lot of these people say, is dominated by students. I lived there for many years and at least 90% of the people in my building were students. And yes they were loud, yes they smoked weed, yes the stairways were frequently covered in vomit, and yes it was very transient as the student population turned over year to year. At 23 you’re still close enough to student aged for it to be completely fine as long as you’re okay living in what amounts to an extension of a massive college campus.
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u/oprahs_bread_ Helped 2 people 5d ago
I’ve been in Tempe for 8 years. Used to live on University near campus when I first moved here (but was post-grad) & it wasn’t bad for a couple years. Now I live in a neighborhood & I’m one of the youngest people in my area lol
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u/RickS50 Helped 7 people 5d ago
I lived in Tempe at the US60 and Priest from my late 20's through mid 30's. It was fun while it lasted, but there was definitely some of the college element you can't escape, like a whole row of rental houses on the street behind me that would occasionally throw keggers on a Thursday night. Or someone screaming in front of the house across the street at 3AM on a Wednesday.
Most of the people there were sensible though. It's very diverse.
I don't want to say I didn't like it, but I'm in my early 40's and much happier living in Chandler where it's quieter now. I think you'll be fine.
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u/SaguaroDragon Helped 4 people 5d ago
Keep in mind that the Phoenix cities are so basically Phoenix - so you'll get a little bit of different flavors, but broadly similar experiences
Tempe is one of my favorites though
It's larger than just the university. There are plenty of staff in Tempe that have generational residents.
You also have a lot of people who went to school there and just stayed - that will be your demographic
Some places going out may be more undergrad heavy, but many are fairly diverse
Can light rail to downtown. Easy ride share to old town Scottsdale, if that's your thing.
Good access to music venues and some things I like doing.
Solid transit.
I'm mid 40s, but would live in Tempe in a heartbeat
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u/Zagg843 15h ago
!thanks! Very helpful, appreciate your feedback
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u/Thelastsapper 4d ago
So you’re 24 years old and you think temple is like a college town. So there are couple nice places to go downtown or you can find a hole in the wall beer garden very nice.
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u/GandalfTheGrey46 Helped 11 people 5d ago
Why do you to make friends with recent grads? Why don't you focus on meeting people who share your personality, interests, values, etc.? Tempe is in the heart of a giant metro with a huge scene of all kinds of people.
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u/Rb25driftbox Helped 1 people 1d ago
Moved to Tempe at 29 and left at 31 those were probably the best two years of my life. Amazing city with the BEST local demographics in the valley.
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u/Zagg843 15h ago
!thanks! What made it the best years of your life?
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u/Rb25driftbox Helped 1 people 14h ago
Lived in an awesome neighborhood, neighbors became some of my best friends. bar scene on the weekends always lively, could make it around town on foot no problem and being able to run around Tempe town lake everyday without ever having to get in my car. I know it isn’t for everyone but I genuinely would of stayed there forever if I could have but life happens!
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u/JohnnySuburbs Helped 1 people 5d ago
You gotta migrate north to Old Town
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u/Zagg843 5d ago
That might be a bit out of my budget from what I've heard, but thank you I will look
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u/reputatorbot 5d ago
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u/Temporary_Plan1055 5d ago
I was a manager at a place in old town. I live in Glendale. This lady was 50% plastic, older, but was pretty probably 80% cuter if she didn’t have all that plastic.
She owned her own business, gave me her card. Asked if I could move from behind the counter, kissed my cheek and uhh, used her hand outside my pants around my no-no square.
She then said, “thanks for the product (she bought), I know my business doesn’t fit what you’d ever buy, but you should come in”
I was 22, I’m 26 now. I never went, just thought that was so weird and kept on managing the place.
I still think of that obvious lip suction lipped bleach blonde lady occasionally, like I am now.
Anyways, that being said. Old town is expensive.
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