Yuma, AZ (Phoenix, Tucson: taxes, living in, shop)

[jaada]

Originally Posted by Dannieb

Wow! I am a proud Yuma year round resident for over 60 years and dearly love it. The desert is a beautiful place, we have green farm fields and can grow just about any vegetable there is. We have a beautiful new out door mall with name brand dept stores and restaurants. We NEVER have snow and not much rain. Most people that live here for any length of time, move away but always come back, Yuma grows on you. Our sleepy little town has grown by leaps and bounds. If you want to know about Yuma, just email me and I will tell you whatever I can. We also have a lot of recreation, close to the sand dunes, just across the Colorado River. We have many new Hotels and more on the way. We were rated #1 for fastest boomtown last year and rated #2 this year. We have at least 4-5 months of very mild winter weather, sure it gets hot in summer but not like the midwest where you swelter in the shade, our cars, homes, stores, offices are all refrigerated. We have numerous golf courses and parks, lakes for your boats and fishing. Soon to be built a water park.

well dani i dont agree with your post cause its hotten than hell here for more than 4 months and the outdoor mall has no air conditioning except some water sprayer! yuck! it doesnt help at all on 121 days it doesnt help on 105 days! they should have built it indoors so people could enjoy it year round. and yes you swelter in the shade here too cause the air is soooo hot you cant breath. there is nothing to do as was said above nothing for families nothing for single people unless you like bars. or you have atvs or boats even then who is gonna boat in 121 degrees? when the water is like a sauna. however - i am curious on how you grow anything in the summer. i have tried to grow vegetables and they just wilt and die.

[jaada]

Originally Posted by MAB

He said"THE HISPANIC PEOPLE HERE ARE SO RUDE"
does that not include include every single hispanic in yuma?
He did not say the people of yuma are rude,he specifically said HISPANICS were rude.
Which I view as racist,not because Im hispanic but because its like saying all white people are crackheads,trailer trash or uneducated rednecks.
That would be ignorant of me to say something like that,just like it was ignorant saying that "THE HISPANICS ARE RUDE"
I dont appreciate the racismn and rudeness of SOME white people,but does that mean that I can say ALL WHITES are racist and rude?
Id be an ignorant moron if I did that.

see - racial tension in yuma!

[jaada]

Originally Posted by MAB

I pay on average $40 a month to southwest gas
and 105 a month to APS.
This is for a 4 bedroom house over 2000 Sq feet.
My commute to work 5 minutes compared to my sster in laws 1 1/2 hours in LA.
You have a right to not like Yuma,but when people have to make up lies to get their point across is when it ticks me off.

wow you must work for the power company or get a senior or welfare discount cause there is no way possible a power bill in the summer with air conditioning is 105. sorry no way. i have lived in this miserable town for far too long and have lived in several places my son has lived in town and the foothills and we both have power bills of at least 250-350 in the summer, my bill right now is 172. you have to keep your air on at least 80 degrees that is where mine is and that is my bill not just here but everywhere i have lived here. oh and we dont live in a 2000 sq ft home its way smaller and still expensive

[jaada]

Originally Posted by elfyum

I hear ya MAB! It's the same thing they do with Miami - whine & b*tch about the heat, the traffic, blah blah blah.
I say, if you don't like it, shadaaap & MOVE!!!
I'd like to visit Yuma one day. Seems like the Miami of AZ (but smaller ) - something like that...Nice HOT weather, but people don't have the cojones to take it so they whiiiine...

ROFLMAO! yeah ok the miami with no beach!!! come here and live to experience our wonderful town without a beach and things to do miami is what? yeah you have fun with that your cojones would shrivel up in our heat

[kyte15]

Originally Posted by jaada

wow you must work for the power company or get a senior or welfare discount cause there is no way possible a power bill in the summer with air conditioning is 105. sorry no way. i have lived in this miserable town for far too long and have lived in several places my son has lived in town and the foothills and we both have power bills of at least 250-350 in the summer, my bill right now is 172. you have to keep your air on at least 80 degrees that is where mine is and that is my bill not just here but everywhere i have lived here. oh and we dont live in a 2000 sq ft home its way smaller and still expensive

haha owned. yeah i dont ever remember my electric bill being below $150 and i didnt live in a house that was a 1,000 square feet

[JohnPag]

I agree with MarcoMartillo: when it goes below 80 deg F, I start getting cold. When it hits the 60s, I start thinking about long johns.

I have to tell you that the weather here in The Bronx SUCKS. It's way too cold for nine months out of the year. I want it hot, hot, HOT all the time. In didn't use my air conditioner this year, only my fan. Why? Because, when the air conditioner is on, I get as depressed as when it's cold out. Yep, I have SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and can tell you EXACTLY what chronic depression is all about.

So, it seems to me that all the negativity I read about Yuma is colored by people's dislike of the heat. Is that it?

And there's this:
1)If Yuma's so bad, then why has its population exploded?
2)Bad drivers? Come to downtown New York and I'll show you bad drivers.
3)The people are rude? Try riding the New York subway during rush hour.
4)High crime? You've got to be kidding me.
5)Gang activity? There's a reason why New York has Five Families and Yuma has none.
6)If there's "nothing to do," doesn't that mean Yuma's ripe for entrepreneurial development? So, what are you waiting for? They don't let you pee in your own toilet in New York without a license or permit.
7)I'm wondering if all the complainants are from small idyllic towns. Are you?

So, what gives? Is Yuma really THAT bad?

[kingofswords]

Yuma

The Good:
Hot the whole year around, dry during colder months, humid during colder months, usually mildly quiet with your basic amenities.

The Bad:
Snowbirds, slightly congested traffic from November until April, bad public education, uneducated and unsophisticated people (they are nice, friendly and honest though), other than the military bases they are no good paying jobs, isolated in the middle of nowhere (3 hour drive heading east to Phoenix or 3 hour drive heading west to San Diego), boring (no real nightlife,etc.), criminality is bad for such a small town.

If you are retired with some money (Yuma is not as expensive as California but it is not cheap) is probably not too bad.
If you are middle age and you are working is not too bad either while you are considering other options.
I read about a lot of the younger posters writing about how much they hate it here. Well, if you come from a happening place and you are really young you'll get bored here quickly. It is not a place for young, single people who want to go out, have fun, etc.
I've been here for 3 years, I'm middle aged and it is O. K. for now. I probably wouldn't mind retiring here or near this area but if you have some youth left in you is probably not the best place for you.
It is like any other place, some people will love it and some people will hate it. Hopefully, I was a objective as I could writing this post.

[haymann]

Originally Posted by albert

Hello, I am a small business owner looklng for work in Yuma. I have only worked for myself thr lasr 30 years. Any ideas? Thanks Bert

Ya, got an idea! Air Conditoning business.

Only place hotter that the river valley is DEATH VALLEY, which I believe is the hottest place on earth, but is 65-80 during the winter

[brodybro1]

Hi to All -

I've been reading through this thread and there seems to be a good balance here of people who either love Yuma or hate it. I expect one's appreciation of a place has much to do with their expectations for it, or how their needs are met - or not. I'm looking to move in the relatively near future - 2 yrs if not sooner - and was hoping maybe someone here can tell me if the Yuma area is a good place for me. And if not - where should I be looking?

Here's my criteria:

Most important factor - I require dry heat to feel good, so the winter low 65/summer high 112 degrees someone mentioned sounds like pure heaven to me. I can't do many more high-desert winters; I really enjoy the culture here in New Mexico but I am miserable for most of the year because I am too effin' COLD.

Ideally I'd really like to find some low-cost land just outside city jurisdiction to set up an off-grid self-sufficient homestead. Chickens, goats, dogs, cats and a garden, small and basic, just for me and assorted critters. Yuma is supposedly agricultural with a year-round growing season, sounds like there is water AND desert heat - could this be true?

I enjoy cultural balance and diversity wherever I live. Thats something I do enjoy about where I'm living now, and would require wherever I live in the future.

Considering New Mexico was rated Number One in Violent Crime for the whole country a few years back, is Yuma any worse than here? I mean, can't you stay out of trouble in Yuma (as in most places) just by being wise with where you take yourself, and how you interact with other people?

How does the cost of living compare with other areas of the country? Is it ridiculous like California? I saw people here commenting about expensive power bills but I kind of think I might need far less air-conditioning than most folks. Heating my one-bdrm apartment costs me $120 to $160 per month most of the year in ABQ - kind of like other people trying to stay cool in Yuma.

Lots of questions, thanks for your patience and I'd really appreciate any input anybody can give me.

Thanks!

Brody

[sfw1979]

Originally Posted by brodybro1

Hi to All -

I've been reading through this thread and there seems to be a good balance here of people who either love Yuma or hate it. I expect one's appreciation of a place has much to do with their expectations for it, or how their needs are met - or not. I'm looking to move in the relatively near future - 2 yrs if not sooner - and was hoping maybe someone here can tell me if the Yuma area is a good place for me. And if not - where should I be looking?

Here's my criteria:

Most important factor - I require dry heat to feel good, so the winter low 65/summer high 112 degrees someone mentioned sounds like pure heaven to me. I can't do many more high-desert winters; I really enjoy the culture here in New Mexico but I am miserable for most of the year because I am too effin' COLD.

Ideally I'd really like to find some low-cost land just outside city jurisdiction to set up an off-grid self-sufficient homestead. Chickens, goats, dogs, cats and a garden, small and basic, just for me and assorted critters. Yuma is supposedly agricultural with a year-round growing season, sounds like there is water AND desert heat - could this be true?

I enjoy cultural balance and diversity wherever I live. Thats something I do enjoy about where I'm living now, and would require wherever I live in the future.

Considering New Mexico was rated Number One in Violent Crime for the whole country a few years back, is Yuma any worse than here? I mean, can't you stay out of trouble in Yuma (as in most places) just by being wise with where you take yourself, and how you interact with other people?

How does the cost of living compare with other areas of the country? Is it ridiculous like California? I saw people here commenting about expensive power bills but I kind of think I might need far less air-conditioning than most folks. Heating my one-bdrm apartment costs me $120 to $160 per month most of the year in ABQ - kind of like other people trying to stay cool in Yuma.

Lots of questions, thanks for your patience and I'd really appreciate any input anybody can give me.

Thanks!

Brody

Brody,

If you can take the heat ( and you said you can) then I think you would really like Yuma a lot. I am sure there is some cheap land around, maybe on the outskirts of Yuma or Dateland or Welton area. I never felt the crime was bad when we lived there. Car theft was prob the #1 crime and the only crime that happened in my neighborhood. There is plenty of culture in Yuma and Mexico is not to far for a day trip. I don't know anything about raising goats and chickens, there seems to be a lot of agriculture like lettuce etc but I didn't really notice farms with goats, chickens and all that? So I'm no help there but like I said if you can tolerate the hot summer then you will like it! Good luck!