If Phoenix is that hot, why do so many move there? (Tucson: real estate, how much)

[LocoAZnative]

Originally Posted by tina3219

They go up North to their cabins. They go visit Flagstaff, Pine, Strawberry, Munds Lake or Lake Mary (if it isn't dried up) They go to Slide Rock. They have numerous indoor water parks, movies theater, shopping mall, or they leave town and drive to Michigan for the heat and humidity, or Colorado. There is a whole culture evolved around the heat during the summer. Festivals, fairs ect at night, museums stay open till 10 or 11pm. Lots of things to do after the sun goes down. It is the sun. After it sets everybody is outside. Hotels with pools offer discounts.

This is the monority. Must people dont have cabins to flock to and most of us dont run up north every weekend to escape anything. Its you either deal with it or move on.

[Howard Roark]

If you have very good Air conditioning, I mean so good that you have to put on an extra blanket on your bed at night to stay warm enough, and you are in Phoenix, what is the problem?

My A/C in Phoenix is not good, unfortunately. It seems to only work in the living room and dining area. I have to have a fan in the bedroom to blow the air on me and it helps just a little. But the three uncomfortable months per year where the morning lows are 70 and above are so insignificant when you think of Pacific states' earthquakes, the tornados in the midwest, the ice storms in the midwest and northeast, and hurricanes in the gulf states.

[Chelito23]

I was just in Mexicali, Mexico, which is not too far from Yuma, very similar climate to Phoenix. I got there in May before the heat and just left. The hottest I believe it reached was 115 when I was there. To give some perspective, I´m from Miami, Florida, humidity capital of the country.

I found the dry heat tolerable up to a certain point. I was walking and crossing the border at different times, and yes, people are out and about at midday walking and playing under the sun and in the heat.
Up to 100 it is not that bad. Beyond 100 it is hell. I felt a difference between say 106 and 115. It is like a burning sensation on your skin to feel hot air. And to get into a hot car or bus without AC it is even hotter as you can imagine. Actually, the heat was inimagineable to me. It is like being in an over. But people DO acclimate aparently and no one was freaking out like I wanted to.

It is true that it cools off there nicely at night and in the morning...but the lack of shade really prevents you from being outside in a normal fashion during the day. The relentless sun with NO clouds or daily variation was what I didn't like ontop of the heat. At least in Floirda it coulds over and you get a break, but in the Southwest it is day after day of the same sun. The lack of shade trees and dry landscape of the dessert is another transition you have to make...but it is all doable.

Personally I find the climate to extreme. It gets very cold in winter and very hot in summer. THe excessive dryness forces you to use lip balm in the summer. My eyes were dry, I always woke up with a dry mouth....the extreme dryness takes a toll on your body.

I think it is more a question of what you are used to. People from humid regions will harder time adapting while people from the dry West Coast won't. To each his own, I wouldn't trade in my humidity for anything...

[Howard Roark]

I have the type of body where I am extremely sensitive to humidity. After I run on a treadmill for 30 minutes my t-shirt is soaked. But I see most people don't break a sweat at all. At least I can sweat out more toxins than the average person. I take after my dad. I also noticed in department stores or shopping malls, somehow it seems so hot in those places. If it's cold enough to wear a jacket (or even a heavy jacket) outside, I leave the jacket in the car and go inside in a t-shirt to the department store. I cannot stand the temperatures in department stores! I noticed this in all parts of the country. Not sure why they keep them so hot and the air stagnant.

So I am sensitive to heat and humidity. But if it's a dry heat like up to 100 degrees I have no problem. And I lived in hot areas most of my life!

Originally Posted by Chelito23

I wouldn't trade in my humidity for anything...

[twiggy]

Originally Posted by TootsieWootsie

What many don't realize is that the lack of sun causes aches and pains in your joints--especially as you age, so you end up taking 5,000 mg. of vitamin D all the time to counteract that. No vitamin D in your system you really ache and it's real, too. I saw that as one upside to living in a sunny climate. Just an small comment.

But everyone here where I am keeps saying it's so HOT in Phoenix and that the heat just killed them, etc.
They do have me concerned...

A lot of people get vit. D here too because they don't go out in the summer. Weird I know, but true.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by actinic

And the other 98% who work?

1. They enjoy their swimming pool
2. They play golf, run or walk in the morning and evening

The reason hot weather is better than cold weather is when you get home from work during a cold winter, the weather gets worse. When you get home from during a hot summer, the weather improves. When you are leaving for work in the morning during winter, the weather is at its worst. When you are leaving for work during a hot summer in the morning, the weather is at its best. Unless you 10 years old and staying home all day with nothing to do, you will likely be working in the day when it's at its hotest so you won't experience the heat unless you could that 2 minute stroll to your car

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by twiggy

A lot of people get vit. D here too because they don't go out in the summer. Weird I know, but true.

Well then they are idiots because you only need 20 minutes of exposure to the sun to get an adequate amount of Vitamin D. Most people are receiving enough Vitamin D in Arizona. A lot of people get Vitamin D because it's believed to help boost your immune system and potentially reduce one's risk of getting cancer (although there are no good studies to confirm that)

[Ritchie_az]

Q: If Phoenix is that hot, why do so many move there?

A: Because it's a great place to live!

For most of the country, the exact opposite question could be asked: If such-and-such-place is so cold, why do so many move there?

[Nanny Goat]

I read a good study somewheres and recent (past month or so, but don't remember who the researcher was?) that Arizonians' Vit D levels are no higher than people elsewhere. I remember it, cuz I was kinda amazed by it.To have the sun shining is one thing, but absorbing it is another. Smog, etc. I had my Vit D 25-OH level tested and I was low--deficient. And, I'm in the sun at least 1/2 hr day year round doing outside clean up things. And, taking 1000 of D/day. I had to increase my D to 2000/day.

[crunchtime]

Originally Posted by LocoAZnative

This is the monority. Must people dont have cabins to flock to and most of us dont run up north every weekend to escape anything. Its you either deal with it or move on.

It's still very hot outside even at night(90-100 degrees). Experts have predicted that in 20 years the summer low in Phoenix may stay at above 100 degrees.