Are there any pockets of the Phoenix metro area that stay cool during the summer months? (Mesa: home, to live in)

[ELOrocks17]

You can hang out at the northwest corner of city hall..its really nice there during the summer (3rd ave and Adams) Anyone who works near there knows what i am talking about

[azdr0710]

getting away from the "heat island"-effect of the central metro area could help (asphalt, concrete)...and living in a wash/low spot, where cold air sinks, helps....we've all noticed how there is a pocket of cooler air when we walk or drive with open windows thru a wash dip....

[jaredC]

Anywhere indoors.

[PlainWhite]

Originally Posted by LongNote

There are people who commute that distance who work in San Francisco and commute from various places around the Central Valley, North, and Southbay.

The people who work in San Francisco who do that are forced to by the high cost of living there. That's not a factor here in the valley, so nobody does that. The long and short of it is if you can't deal with the heat, don't move to Phoenix. Period.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

getting away from the "heat island"-effect of the central metro area could help (asphalt, concrete)...and living in a wash/low spot, where cold air sinks, helps....we've all noticed how there is a pocket of cooler air when we walk or drive with open windows thru a wash dip....

There was a study a couple of years ago that showed that older neighborhoods with more lawns/trees and less rocks/cactus were considerably cooler. Many of those were close to downtown.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by ajonesaz

Gilbert Riperian Preserve is almost 20 degrees cooler than surrounding areas. I use to jog there mornings in July and it really wasn't that bad.
Anywhere near shade or water will be a little cooler.

Unfortunately the shade/water will also attract the mosquitoes.

[cab591]

I would think the older historic neighborhoods, north of downtown Phoenix, and around Biltmore / Camelback are a bit cooler. In these neighborhoods, you typically have grass lawns (though they're EXPENSIVE to keep up) and larger trees.

In essence, look for vegetation, mature trees, and water. But as the above poster said, you'll definitely attract more mosquitoes.

As a general rule of thumb (historic areas aside), West Valley is warmer than East Valley. Outlying areas in the East Valley (East Mesa, Apache Junction, Queen Creek) are generally cooler than the built up areas. But you don't want to live in Queen Creek if work is going to be in Surprise. North areas (New River, Cave Creek) allow a relatively close commute to North Phoenix and North Scottsdale, and are generally a few degrees cooler due to elevation and less density.

[slowdude222]

hahahahahaha "pockets of cool weather in the phoenix summer" yeah six hour drive to the beach in California or the refrigerator at Costco

[LongNote]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm talking about places that have an average high 80's low 90's during their peek summer months. Any recommendations?

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by LongNote

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm talking about places that have an average high 80's low 90's during their peek summer months. Any recommendations?

Dream on!