Midwesterner moving to Phoenix Metro

[SusanIllinois]

We will be sure to check out NE Mesa when we are in AZ in April. Thanks for your input! We're from central Illinois (farm country) and love being outside. Unfortunately, our summers are humid/buggy and we don't like the cold weather from Dec.-early March!

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by SusanIllinois

Hello Everyone,
My husband and I have visited the Phoenix area several times and are considering moving there in a couple of years when I retire. I was hoping to get some input from midwestern transplants who have already settled there:

Considering the hot humid summers and cold icy winters here, we aren't too worried about the hot summers-did you adjust OK?

We want to live in a suburban area that is peaceful and safe, but don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a 3 bedroom/2 bath ranch-any suggestions on where we might want to consider? My husband works from home and will fly once a month for his job, so we are not locked into a specific area.

Were there any costs that surprised you? I know housing taxes will be a nice relief compared to Illinois, but what about electric, water, car insurance...?

And finally, do you feel at home? I've been told there are areas of Phoenix where people from other parts of the US tend to gravitate to. If so, where do people from middle America tend to move?

Thanks in advance for your comments. We plan a trip to Arizona in April to start scouting around!

I love the heat so the summer wasn't a big deal to me at all. It wasn't as bad as people kept saying it would be. you WILL NOT burst into flames if you walk outside at 2 PM in July, I promise. I love the fact that for the most part, I don't need to think about the weather. It doesn't change all that much and I can wear sandals/flip flops and dresses most of the year here. I have yet to wear a real coat other than a hoodie now and then or a cardigan.

I can't help with where to live in the suburbs as I try to avoid them if I can

Not a lot of costs really surprised me. I have felt like everything is pretty much the same as where I moved from (Des Moines) but property taxes and produce are really inexpensive here. Otherwise it's pretty much the same.

Feel at home? I suppose. I live here now, so it is home. When I move again, that will be home. I have never been one to feel a certain attachment to any particular place.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by SusanIllinois

We will be sure to check out NE Mesa when we are in AZ in April. Thanks for your input! We're from central Illinois (farm country) and love being outside. Unfortunately, our summers are humid/buggy and we don't like the cold weather from Dec.-early March!

Our summers starting in July get quite humid, too. Did no one tell you about that? Funny how no one ever mentions our soaring dew points and humidity at the onset of monsoon season. The "dry heat" thing you hear get tossed around ad nauseum is only true in May and June. The other hot months aren't very dry at all. Granted, its not Tennessee style humidity, but its definitely sticky. And depending on the area, be prepared for mosquitos, too. We have them just as bad here as we did in IL. You'll also want to make sure the area you're checking into doesn't have a large scorpion problem. And I would trade all the bugs in IL for the nasty, disgusting, gigantic, straight-from-the-pits-of-Hell palo verde beetles. And yes, those gargantuan beasts FLY!


Winters here are mild. Theyre not super warm, so bring a jacket for the nights, for sure. It doesn't have to be super heavy or anything, but there are nights that can be downright frigid. If you don't have a carport, keep an ice scraper, too. I left mine in IL and wish I would've brought it. Several nights of frost can occur and I could've benefitted from an ice scraper. But, winters here are MUCH sunnier than Chicago, which seems to help a lot of people. But if you're looking for truly warm winter weather, South Florida is the place to be. As soon as the sun goes down here in winter, the temps plummet fast. Ive seen a loss of 10 degrees in one hour before. Every year I question if all the sun is worth the weather we get. Its so hot for so long in summer, and the winters aren't super great (often rainy and damp more than you'd expect). Just like everywhere else in the nation, we get a few short months of picture perfect weather, then months of less-than-ideal weather. If it wasn't for our abundant sunshine, I don't think many people would live here. If PHX had its notorious high temps coupled with Seattle's overcast, this place would be a ghost town. Its the sun that attracts people.