South Florida to Phoenix Questions? (Gilbert: fit in, salon, real estate)

[autism360]

Moderator cut: snip

Phoenix is a Relatively Safe City - Low Risk of Natural Disasters in Phoenix Arizona

The dust storms(habbobs) are very few,do not last long and very little dust gets in the homes.

My wife is concerned with the remoteness, seems looking at Phoenix on Google maps via satellite imagery surrounded by desert is a little daunting coming from here.

I found this funny since in south Florida you are between the ocean and the everglades with only 1 way out 95.
We also have Sams Clubs and a new chain called Winco which is in between a Sams or Costco and a large grocery store.
We have lots of super Walmarts here. I live in Chandler and there are 5 super Walmarts within 15 minutes of me,2 Bashas,6 Frys,1Sprouts,3 Safeway,4 Albertsons,2 Whole Foods, 4 Fresh and Easy,2 Food City and many other stores.

[high_plains_drifter]

Originally Posted by autism360

Mexican people usually prey on those in there own communities and do not bother people of other races.
Phoenix is a Relatively Safe City - Low Risk of Natural Disasters in Phoenix Arizona

The dust storms(habbobs) are very few,do not last long and very little dust gets in the homes.

I found this funny since in south Florida you are between the ocean and the everglades with only 1 way out 95.
We also have Sams Clubs and a new chain called Winco which is in between a Sams or Costco and a large grocery store.
We have lots of super Walmarts here. I live in Chandler and there are 5 super Walmarts within 15 minutes of me,2 Bashas,6 Frys,1Sprouts,3 Safeway,4 Albertsons,2 Whole Foods, 4 Fresh and Easy,2 Food City and many other stores.

Well we have the turnpike to go north and 75 to go west then north to Tampa, we just don't tend to drive over there often.

It would be a big transition for my wife, she lived here longer than me. So I'm making sure it's the right move for both of us, she is open to the though, but I don't think she is totally sold on it yet. Being closer to CA may help on the once in a while ocean trips, but it won't be the same as here, 15-25 minute deal till your seated on the beach.

[autism360]

Originally Posted by high_plains_drifter

Well we have the turnpike to go north and 75 to go west then north to Tampa, we just don't tend to drive over there often.

It would be a big transition for my wife, she lived here longer than me. So I'm making sure it's the right move for both of us, she is open to the though, but I don't think she is totally sold on it yet. Being closer to CA may help on the once in a while ocean trips, but it won't be the same as here, 15-25 minute deal till your seated on the beach.

15-25 minute deal till your seated on the beach.

We do not have the ocean but we have lakes without alligators

[breakingbad]

I'm glad to hear your dog is a house dog- it is much too hot to leave a pet outside with just shade and water. There is grass and dirt in AZ so doggie will have a choice depending on where you live- she'll probably choose the rock anyways.
I am moving back to AZ next week and I'm looking forward to going to an Indian restaurant called Haji Baba's in Tempe soon. The best chicken kabab, hummus, tabouli, hand-tossed pita bread EVER! La Parilla Suiza and Guido's Taco Shop used to be really good Mexican places too. La Parilla is a chain and although I've never been to the PHX area locations, I loved them in Tucson.
I'm not sure what to do about the dermatitis, but a Neti Pot (?) has been somewhat helpful with my son's allergies (prone to sinus infections). I have him do it every night before bed along with the rx's.
I don't think you'll miss Disneyworld - if you don't mind the heat there is biking, hiking and lakes to enjoy!

[carrob]

To the OP: A couple of things to remember in PHX compared to FL:

1) Very brown, and the greenery that is planted in most areas (esp newer areas) is that pale green color. I did not realize how much I missed real vegetation, dark, green, and tropical.

2) very little water...no ocean, few lakes, very little rain. And people who say "California or N AZ are so close", hey, when you're busy in day to day life, how often can you just drive 8 hours to San Diego to go to the beach? ...And I remember when I moved to FL, the first rainy day I almost rejoiced. One day I was off from work and it was nice to sit in the house and actually watch movies and listen to the rain and thunder. I did not realize I could miss the rain so much.

3) Yes and I have seborrhea dermititis, asthma, and seasonal allergies. For me, ALL were worse out there. Make sure you keep your skin hydrated with natural remedies for this condition (coconut oil, aloe, tea tree oil, etc).

4) Rude people and drivers were discussed before. I think both are similar because both are large metro areas. (I live about 80 north of FT Lauderdale so it is less congested) I found people in AZ generally transient, aloof, and hard to crack. Out of my seven years there, I had very few relationships to show for it. Here in FL, I have many many more deeper/longer-lasting relationships...I actually find people friendlier here

Just my take.

[high_plains_drifter]

When I walk my dog outside here, I have to keep an eye out for Bufo Toads and other critters, I'm sure Phoenix is no different for Scorpions? I just wouldn't want my dog to get stung by one or be in the house and one get's in supposedly it happens out there? Bufos are bad here, along with coral snakes. Some dogs don't mess with them, my dog doesnt' seem to bother with them or lizards.

I see it's brown there, one thing that would be a hard transition would be going from a tropical climate/scene to a desert. I adapted before, so I probably could stomach it, just my wife I'm worried about.

What is the nearest lake? Havazu? That seems quite the drive. I know, in reality 6-8 hours to drive to the beach in CA is not realistic, both of us would be working and maybe it could be a vacation once year but not a drop of the hat deal.

The summer rains are starting now, have to admit it's nice but get's old too when you get a stationary front , the entire past week has been cloudy and periodic rain.

I'm worried about the dryness and dermititis issues, I do not know how my allergies would response I believe I'm allergic to something here because typically in the spring and fall I get something, feel like crap but never got an allergy test, I suspect Melaluca which is bad here. I take Clairitan, which helps. Fatigue though hits me regardless. I also have a deviated septum, ENT doctor told me I need a septoplastiy, but I have held off getting it. When I lived up north, the winters were brutal, my sinuses would be blocked often, hard to breath out of my nose. The humidity levels up north were low but it was often 15-30 degrees F on top of it.

I still have to use lotion on my skin here even with the dryness, just would probably be a daily routine out there as well.

I heard of people developing allergies and ashtma after moving to Arizona, would it be from the dust or ?

Where are people from on Arizona mainly? Here it's NY/NJ and the rest of the Northeast and of course the foreign born population is very high.

[imartin26]

You have Saguaro Lake, Canyon Lake, Apache Lake, Roosevelt Lake and a few others that are fairly close. I live in Mesa and Saguaro is about 15 minutes away.

I have allergies and they are pretty bad out here but I manage.

We have scorpions at and around our house, see them all the time and my dog has never had any issues with them.

As far as everything brown goes, yeah it is fairly brown in a bunch of places but you can drive not to far, Payson is an hour and a half and is surrounded by trees.

[ReadyFreddy]

A scorpion sting is about as serious as a bee sting. Your dog will be fine. You will be fine.

I think the most important factors in a successful move are (1) do you both have flexible attitudes and (2) do you have a job that will allow you to afford living here. Not that it's at all expensive. But if you can't run the A/C, you will be miserable. The rest just take the right mindset. Brown is just a color. Humidity can be reproduced in a house. Lakes can be found. Bugs are bugs.

[high_plains_drifter]

I'll have to check out theses lakes using Google Maps, are they all boat access only? Meaning no artificial beach with sand? These are popular up north in some state parks.

I'm not really concerned about Scorpions, though it's good to know Dogs don't typically have problems with them. We have the Killer Bees here as well and having lived in Florida long enough, we have become aware of insect, reptiles and other things yet we still see people walking their dogs near the water's edge of lakes and canals that have alligators in them. Coyotes are also here but I know they are more common out there.

The job details are materializing, it's not cut in stone yet. Salary is a TBD. My wife would be coming out there without a job, so I'm concerned that possibly she might have issues landing a job, I read some blogs on Arizona, and many are very negative on that aspect saying there is nothing there but fast food, call center and used car sales jobs. I know rents are lower there than here, I looked online and see what you can get, probably could rent a house for what I'm paying here for accommodations.

Our A/C here runs a lot now through October, the bill is often $150/month mid summer. Not sure if the utility cost are higher there than here or not? Sometimes we need the heat during winter, but usually it's the best time of the year here with low humidity and no rain.

[ReadyFreddy]

Your A/C bill will likely be over $150/mo. in summer.

Of course we other industry here than those. This is a huge city. We have all kinds of employers. People who are not qualified for anything but fast food and call centers probably say those things.

The lakes don't really have much in sandy beaches for walk-up visitors. More like dirt shoreline. They're much more fun with watercraft. A fun water day for people without a boat is tubing the Salt River.