Anyone here move to MN from AZ? (Minneapolis: low income, home)

[Funnyguy1986]

Just wondering if there is anyone who has made the from Arizona to Minnesota or if you have moved to AZ from MN, but decided to come back? I am really looking for what your reasons were for coming back to MN. I am in a potential move situation right now from MN to AZ... my g/f wants to move there, but I am very reluctant! Just trying to see if I am just crazy or I really do have a reason to have the reservations I have. Thank you!!

[10,000Lakes]

Funny guy, we have lived in Arizona..really all over the US, as my husband is active duty military. Arizona is beautiful! The thing that makes us want to move back to Minnesota is family. But you seem young and assuming you have no kids you are in the perfect position to go for it.

[DallasJoseph]

I will be moving to Minneapolis in Jan. But I lived in Arizona for over 15 years. 10,000 LAKES said its beautiful. I tend to disagree. I love Northern Arizona by Flagstaff but absolutely hate Phoenix. I was raised as a kid in Phoenix and was thrilled when I moved away. I personally prefer the cold to the heat. Be prepared for a drastic change in climate. Phoenix can get up to 120 in the summer. Leather seats in your car, forget about it. But as 10,000 LAKES stated you seem young. My mentality has always been it's boring to live and die in the same place. I've lived in seven states and would never regret the moves I've made. If you have any specfic questions about az, you can pm me or post them. I'll try to answer as best as I can.

[mkdude_08]

My brother moved from Wisconsin to the Phoenix area and loved it back in the mid-90s. He came back for about ten years (against his will) and moved back out to Phoenix this past winter. He loves it - he was never really a Midwest type of guy. He loves the warm weather and the mountains. I lived in multiple parts of California for about 7 years total and actually prefer Minneapolis. As I've gotten older I can't handle 100+ degree weather which pretty much knocks out places like Phoenix, Florida, etc. I find Minnesota so beautiful and LOVE winter. My ideal day is when it's 20 degrees and snowing. Yes, it gets very, very cold but we seem to get less wind here than what they get in Milwaukee and Chicago (perhaps because there's no great lake nearby?). I'm very hopeful to live the rest of my life here but can understand that sometimes folks just need to try something different. I do agree with what Dallas said, though. Phoenix gets VERY, VERY hot and it can be a little shocking if you aren't used to it.

[awsun1980]

Funny you say that--I just moved back home here to MN from AZ in March after almost 8 years of not being here. HATED Arizona, lived there for 8 months with my now ex-boyfriend. We lived in Tucson, though, which is the absolute armpit of AZ. I don't miss it a bit, though living back home here has been a big adjustment. AZ is a HUGE culture shock & not just the EXTREME heat, but the people. No offense, but I often felt like the only white person there!

Before AZ, I lived in CO & before that, TX. Absolutely LOVE Colorado, it is by far my favorite state I've ever lived in. Would go back if I had the chance. The mountains in CO do not compare to the mountains in AZ.

In my opinion, I would avoid Tucson like the plague. It is dirty, boring, no good jobs & the pay is terrible. The heat is constant, doesn't matter what month you're in---weather never changes, no seasons & to me that is boring!! I did drive thru Flagstaff on the way back here (got to see the Grand Canyon, beautiful!) and that was great. The contrast between Tucson & Phoenix is so vast--they're so opposite! I liked Phoenix & Flagstaff was cool---there was trees & green, it was crazy, not like you're even in the desert at all!

Personally, why I moved back here was I broke off my relationship (the only reason I was there, so be careful there) & had never liked AZ from the start.

So to sum up, if you like the excessive heat, no seasons, dry desert & very low income & are willing to take that kind of plunge with the gf, then you may try it. But given what I've been thru, I would be a little cautious. Just my opinion, though.

Hope this helps.

[silverjet]

Arizona is a beautiful state with varying landscapes. It isn't all just ultra-hot flat desert as some people would like to think it is. I lived in Northern Arizona (in Flagstaff) for a short time and if I ever moved back to AZ, I would definitely return to Northern Arizona. It's beautiful, and if you like doing a lot of activities outdoors, there are a lot of opportunities available you can partake in. There are a lot of neat little towns up there too. Some of the downsides are that there aren't many jobs outside of the service industry or the government (in Flag and Northern AZ in general). The cost of living in Flagstaff is pretty high. Also, you'd have to go to Phoenix if you wanted to go to most major cultural events, concerts, etc. I personally don't have a very high opinion about Phoenix.

I guess you'd have to think about what's most important to you and what exactly you would be giving up here if you left. I think that if you go, you should do it because you want to. However, you're young and it's not as if you can't move back if things don't work out.

[DallasJoseph]

Originally Posted by awsun1980

No offense, but I often felt like the only white person there!

As stated I grew up in Arizona. I am white, my wife is hispanic. If you moved to Tucson knowing it was so close to the border of Mexico you should of anticipated a large amount of hispanic population.

But with that being said Arizona is still more populated with whites than hispanics. You said you lived in Texas and Colorado. Both states have a high population of hispanics as well.

[Funnyguy1986]

Thank you all for all of your responses!! I appreciate them greatly!! It's still up in the air for me right now.... Not sure what to do! I would definitely say that I'm in love and we have been together for close to 4 years now. But I am young, which helps and it hurts at the same time. See, I went to college, but decided to leave early... fast forward to now and I've worked my way up from the ground floor of my company to obtain a pretty good job with my current employer! Good pay, all the bene's, you name it... "Corporate America 101"! My biggest concern is that I would be taking a huge risk and a huge step backwards for myself if I made this move since it's not like I'm rolling out an MBA or even a bachelors degree to any interviews. And it would be Tucson because she wants to go to the UofA for med school. Not sure what to do, but at this point, it's either move with her or she's done with me....

[Funnyguy1986]

Stressing out today... hard to stay focused at the job.... Thanks again for all of the opinions, but more are surely welcome and much appreciated!!

[DallasJoseph]

Go visit Tucson in July-August. You'll experience the real Arizona summer. See how it feels and if you can deal with the heat. Tucson is close to Mexico as well. Be prepared for a different style of life.

Just ensure you are in a long term relationship. Had a buddy of mine leave Seattle to Phoenix and then get dumped by his long term girlfriend. She went to ASU. Long story short, he was miserable and it took him two years to move back to Washington.