Arizona desert vs. California desert (Strictly rural and geographic scenery, no urban talk) (Phoenix: houses, live in)

[funflyer99]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Arizona. Not even a contest.

I couldn't agree more. California deserts are drab and depressing compared to those in Arizona.

[CrazyManCrazy]

Why would anyone want to move to California? This state sucks. It is just....awful...Globe/Miami, Safford, Tonto Basin, Roosevelt, Mammoth, Duncan,and Clifton, are beautiful locations in Arizona. Taxes are low, cost of living is low and you get the real deal Monoon in the summer. I would stay clear of the Mexican border and stay clear of Mohave County. Arizona counties can be in bred and corrupt, especially Mohave County so mind yourself. Also be sure of your water rights, availability and any pollution near any of the mining communities. Best Mexican food on the planet may be in Miami at Guayos. Remember Burritos are called Burros over there. You also get a real feeling for the old west/southwest there. AND you can get the soft drink called Doc Holliday there....with your Burro!

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by I Love Buildings

If you were talking to a New Yorker who wants to purchase a retirement/vacation house, where would you recommend him for more eye pleasing scenery of desert? Which desert mountains get more green? Which state has more trees in their desert?

My personal opinion is that the mountains in AZ look more pointy and rocky, as if somebody pilled abunch ontop of eachother. CA is more hilly and the peaks are triangular. AZ looks more dry and brown (at least in Phoenix area). Riverside county is the most identical regional of California that looks like Arizona.

"More eye pleasing" is in the eye of the beholder. I personally love the starkness/uniqueness of the low desert with all the interesting/unique plant life. Seeing the detailed topography of mountains that aren't all covered/hidden with trees. Not sure if you are aware but the sonoran desert is one of the greenest desert in the world because we get monsoon rains and such. The Mojave is much more dry/less green overall(look at a map and you'll see the boundaries of both deserts). Remember, we are talking desert green, not fake man made lawns and such.

As for natural green, there are many truly greener parts of AZ. Flagstaff is much more green with Ponderosa Pine forests and such in that area. Same with many areas like the White Mountains in AZ(google it to see the towns in that area). Places like Sedona have lots of green with beautiful red rock formations that are stunning. I think you really need to search places on the web(start with what I listed), go from there, and most importantly, visit. It sounds like you've seen very little of AZ as the scenery varies greatly as do the temperatures in just a few hour drive.

Overall may I make a suggestion.....if you are truly looking for "green" as a major criteria, the desert probably isn't your place. Yes, you can make your backyard as green/tropical/lush as you want and it will thrive with native and non-native plants, but I think people who are truly happy in the desert appreciate a desert for what it is...sparse, unique/interesting plants that exist in few other places in the world. And the sparseness that has its own beauty that I truly love. Trying to look for a NY green look in the desert, especially the low desert, I think just leads to disappointment. And remember....NY and most of the country is very un-green/bleak/not so eye pleasing for a good chunk of the year in late fall/winter/early spring. Your green is a half year event at best. Just a little perspective for you.

[i'm not a cookie]

I drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix/vise versa multiple times a year and it's amazing how big of a difference it is. The ARizona desert is just waaaay prettier than the California desert, not even a contest in the slightest.

[elkotronics]

I drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix/vise versa multiple times a year and it's amazing how big of a difference it is. The ARizona desert is just waaaay prettier than the California desert, not even a contest in the slightest.

Thank you for that input, i'm not a cookie. I have only been to L.A. once, and it was when I was a teenager riding in my cousin's truck taking oranges from their farm near Fresno to downtown L.A. I remember large cloverleafs on the freeway, dark skies and the downtown buildings, from a distance.


So your comment on the desert gives me a little comparison insight in to who's desert looks best, when I don't really have much information ta go on regarding the same. Some day I may go to L.A. to visit. Then again, I may very well never visit L.A.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by elkotronics

I drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix/vise versa multiple times a year and it's amazing how big of a difference it is. The ARizona desert is just waaaay prettier than the California desert, not even a contest in the slightest.

Thank you for that input, i'm not a cookie. I have only been to L.A. once, and it was when I was a teenager riding in my cousin's truck taking oranges from their farm near Fresno to downtown L.A. I remember large cloverleafs on the freeway, dark skies and the downtown buildings, from a distance.


So your comment on the desert gives me a little comparison insight in to who's desert looks best, when I don't really have much information ta go on regarding the same. Some day I may go to L.A. to visit. Then again, I may very well never visit L.A.

The California desert has more Joshua trees, which are really cool looking. I'll give California that one. However, you can find lots of Joshua trees in Western Arizona, out closer to Kingman and Yuma. They start popping up on the way to Las Vegas, before Nevada, and at the California/Arizona border.

Arizona's deserts have a lot more plant-life going on. You could say that makes the California desert more "desert-like" than us... However human beings generally prefer greener areas, so this is a pro for Arizona.

Deserts are all different, just like forests are different. There are people out there who prefer the Sahara over the Sonora for aesthetics... A google image search of the two should justify your opinion between the Mojave and the Sonora. While neither of the two are dunes like the Sahara, both are rocky dirt grounds (in contrast to lots of sand like the Sahara), with lots of rocky ant hills (very brown mountains). Both are similar in structure, with lots of valleys and basins. The Mojave in California has taller mountains, but less of them it appears, while Arizona's are shorter and more rounded but more populous. Arizona has more varying plant life, a bigger variety of sharp plants, moreso than the California desert, and cacti are aesthetically pleasing though they do cause problems every once in a while (see jumping cacti). They both have those green shrubs that are everywhere and take up the majority of the landscape.

[elkotronics]

Thanks, :-D, for more good information. I have lived in Willcox, AZ, in SE Arizona, for 3 years and 8 months, before, and I am really starting to miss Arizona a lot. I have seen those Joshua trees up by Kingman. I thought they were really cool, the novelty factor.


Here's an off-topic bit of trivia for Arizona lovers. Know where you can find the single-highest climb in height from top to bottom in the lower 48? Answer: Mount Graham in SE Arizona. The climb is something close to 8,000 feet from the desert floor to the top of Mt.Graham. And if you take the road up to the top of Mt.Graham you're rewarded with not only outstanding views of the SE desert landscape below but also a beautiful alpine lake and evergreen trees! I could not believe my eyes. Where the desert meets the skies - Mt.Graham, Arizona. And it's right next to Safford, Arizona. Not all that far north of I-10 in the far southeastern side of Arizona.

[Jayman1974]

Mt. Graham is indeed an impressive mountain in southeastern Arizona but I respectfully disagree with your statement that the hike from bottom to top is the single highest climb in the lower 48. The Cactus To Clouds Trail from Palm Springs to the top of Mt. San Jacinto has it beat.

Skyline Trail (Cactus to Clouds) - California | AllTrails.com

[jamies]

Originally Posted by CrazyManCrazy

I would stay clear of the Mexican border and stay clear of Mohave County. Arizona counties can be in bred and corrupt, especially Mohave County so mind yourself.

Inbred? Who you calling inbred? I'm telling my wife about this...

"Hey Sis!"

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by elkotronics

Thanks, :-D, for more good information. I have lived in Willcox, AZ, in SE Arizona, for 3 years and 8 months, before, and I am really starting to miss Arizona a lot. I have seen those Joshua trees up by Kingman. I thought they were really cool, the novelty factor.


Here's an off-topic bit of trivia for Arizona lovers. Know where you can find the single-highest climb in height from top to bottom in the lower 48? Answer: Mount Graham in SE Arizona. The climb is something close to 8,000 feet from the desert floor to the top of Mt.Graham. And if you take the road up to the top of Mt.Graham you're rewarded with not only outstanding views of the SE desert landscape below but also a beautiful alpine lake and evergreen trees! I could not believe my eyes. Where the desert meets the skies - Mt.Graham, Arizona. And it's right next to Safford, Arizona. Not all that far north of I-10 in the far southeastern side of Arizona.

The desert near Kingman might actually be part of the Mojave as we all know it's not the Sonora, and it could be the Great Basin but I doubt it. The Great Basin barely extends into Arizona, as it does encompass Monument Valley and the Painted Desert, and probably the Grand Canyon. Not sure where Kingman falls there. However, the desert near Kingman is basically the same scenery as the California desert for the most part.

I don't believe that about Mount Graham. Not that it's not a giant mountain but there are other giant mountains in the mainland. I have yet to visit Mount Graham actually, as I usually go to Mount Lemmon due to its proximity.