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Old 11-01-2011, 02:31 PM
 
9,091 posts, read 19,248,663 times
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i make less here than I would in other places ... i also spend considerably less

my quality of life is very good ..... much better than what my family in the north east has ..... it's why I, along with many of my peers, have left for places like AZ, NC, etc
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Old 11-01-2011, 03:13 PM
 
160 posts, read 374,975 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertZone View Post
Higher wages don't always make for better quality of life. I make less than my brother does in SOCAL, but I have much more than he could ever have there.
That's because CA has triple the cost of living and only double the pay. My position pays $28/hr in CA, here I only get $14, but I can stretch $14/hr much further here.
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Old 11-02-2011, 01:24 AM
 
Location: East Central Phoenix
8,046 posts, read 12,295,458 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Highpointer View Post
I see that the northeastern USA is expecting a big snowstorm this weekend, and it is still October.

In Arizona, we have outstanding weather, with daytime temperatures right now in the 80's F with no chance of snow. However, the economy in Arizona is very poor, with high unemployment, low wages, and declining home prices.

Why can't our economy, and other aspects of our quality of life, be as good as our climate in Arizona? What causes places like Arizona that have a great climate to have a poor quality of life in so many other areas, while places that have terrible climates have higher per-capita incomes and superior qualities of life in other areas?

Perhaps if an area has a bad climate, then this encourages people to work harder, and they achieve more in their careers and earn more money. On the other hand, if the weather is great, this encourages people to become lazy and less motivated to succeed. Could this be true?
The outstanding weather is certainly a matter of opinion. I really don't think Arizona's weather is all that great. On the other hand, it's not really all that bad in the big picture because of the diverse climate/geography variations of the state. We have it pretty good compared to other parts of the country, but still hell on earth from June to October ... and not enough moisture this year, resulting in a prolonged drought, a record hot summer, and lots of dust which many people have complained about. Overall, a pretty mediocre climate (my opinion).

With that said, the climate is not the reason I stay in Arizona. My family, career, and home are the reasons I live here, which I consider far more important than the so called "oustanding weather". Maybe if more people would relocate for these essential reasons instead of the climate, the economy would be better, and people would be more motivated to succeed.
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Old 11-08-2011, 09:26 AM
 
861 posts, read 2,194,056 times
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Having lived in AZ for most my life, it is my opinion that folks that live in snow country have lost their minds......

I lived in Colo for a short time....it got down to -20 at night for a time, I promised the Lord if He would let me get back to AZ I would nail my feet to the ground...(stole that phrase from Lewis Grizzard) ...I have never been so cold.

It was beautiful....but snow works best in postcards and maybe on Christmas but that is enough for me.

If I really get a hankering for snow, (which is VERY seldom) I can just drive up Mt Graham and get all I want.
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Old 11-08-2011, 12:12 PM
 
Location: Arizona!
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There is a light dusting of snow on the four peaks right now... but look fast cuz I don't think it will last!
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Old 11-08-2011, 12:19 PM
 
Location: Northern Arizona
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Snow in Flagstaff doesn't bother me too much. Its usually gone within a week.

Hot as it may get in the summertime down in Phoenix and Tucson, at least it doesn't have the humidity you get back east. Might be subjective, but I need/prefer dry air.
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Old 11-08-2011, 12:21 PM
 
30,906 posts, read 37,029,473 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Highpointer View Post
Perhaps if an area has a bad climate, then this encourages people to work harder, and they achieve more in their careers and earn more money. On the other hand, if the weather is great, this encourages people to become lazy and less motivated to succeed. Could this be true?
Yes, I think you nailed it. Just look at Europe. The further north you go, the more solid their economies are. The Scandinavian countries have low debt and generally a high quality of life. Even Iceland, which whose banks went crazy, admitted they screwed up, defaulted quickly, and got back to normal. Go further south to Italy & Greece, and you get better weather, but entrenched corruption, weaker economies, etc.

You see the same pattern in the US.

The only exceptions for the northern countries seem to be Russia, China, & Mongolia, and for the warm countries, Australia, Hong Kong, & Singapore.
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Old 11-08-2011, 12:43 PM
 
30,906 posts, read 37,029,473 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertZone View Post
Higher wages don't always make for better quality of life. I make less than my brother does in SOCAL, but I have much more than he could ever have there.
That is true for SoCal but not the Midwest. A lot of places in the Midwest offer the same or higher wages as AZ with a COL that is the same or lower than AZ.
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Old 11-08-2011, 09:44 PM
 
Location: Michigan
1,217 posts, read 3,279,999 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by saffordpastor View Post
Having lived in AZ for most my life, it is my opinion that folks that live in snow country have lost their minds......

I lived in Colo for a short time....it got down to -20 at night for a time, I promised the Lord if He would let me get back to AZ I would nail my feet to the ground...(stole that phrase from Lewis Grizzard) ...I have never been so cold.

It was beautiful....but snow works best in postcards and maybe on Christmas but that is enough for me.

If I really get a hankering for snow, (which is VERY seldom) I can just drive up Mt Graham and get all I want.

Hey there, me again Although I can understand a lot of what has been said, the dry heat, low humidity etc. I had to reply that no, we have not lost our minds. lol Here in Michigan we have our bouts with the below zero weather. But it never lasts for months at a time. In this forum and from my own family and friends mouths they say the summers there can and do get so hot that many people avoid being outside between 11am and 5pm for months at a time? That's just plain crazy. Even with the humidity here I can tolerate being outside, and even though it does get very cold.....I can dress for cold. How do you dress for 115 degree oven like days?
When you lived in Colorado were you there long enough for your body to adjust? My brother who has been in Az for 30 years has come home and froze when it was 70 here and we were all wearing shorts. Same brother cries it's too hot when it hits mid 80's here with the humidity. It's hilarious.
I really liked my visit to Az. There was a lot to the beauty of the desert, 95 in Sedona was easy to take. But I'll continue to deal with the snow and a few cold months so I can lay in the grass or under a nice tall pine on it's bed of needles. The green's of summer and all of our wonderful water we have here to enjoy. There are lakes and streams you can visit here where you will never see another person. Crazy? Maybe to you western living people. But to me being cooped up because of extreme heat sounds a tad more crazy.
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Old 11-08-2011, 11:19 PM
 
861 posts, read 2,194,056 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JGatti View Post
Hey there, me again Although I can understand a lot of what has been said, the dry heat, low humidity etc. I had to reply that no, we have not lost our minds. lol Here in Michigan we have our bouts with the below zero weather. But it never lasts for months at a time. In this forum and from my own family and friends mouths they say the summers there can and do get so hot that many people avoid being outside between 11am and 5pm for months at a time? That's just plain crazy. Even with the humidity here I can tolerate being outside, and even though it does get very cold.....I can dress for cold. How do you dress for 115 degree oven like days?
When you lived in Colorado were you there long enough for your body to adjust? My brother who has been in Az for 30 years has come home and froze when it was 70 here and we were all wearing shorts. Same brother cries it's too hot when it hits mid 80's here with the humidity. It's hilarious.
I really liked my visit to Az. There was a lot to the beauty of the desert, 95 in Sedona was easy to take. But I'll continue to deal with the snow and a few cold months so I can lay in the grass or under a nice tall pine on it's bed of needles. The green's of summer and all of our wonderful water we have here to enjoy. There are lakes and streams you can visit here where you will never see another person. Crazy? Maybe to you western living people. But to me being cooped up because of extreme heat sounds a tad more crazy.
Where I live it doesnt usually get that hot....105 at the most occasionally 108 to 110...highest ever is 114, but usually 95 to 100...quite comfortable actually, and we have a mountain about 8 miles south of town that rises to almost 11000 ft...from my house I can literally be in the pines in 15-20 min.

Most of the year is very comfortable here....I love AZ.

I really like the green, but colder states too...just dont know if I could handle the cold.
Today it was in the 50's and my feet were freezing all day...I really do prefer hot weather to cold.
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