Why is Arizona so cheap compared to California (Phoenix, Flagstaff: apartments, income)

[teddyearp]

Originally Posted by I Love Buildings

the rock formation in Arizona's mountains is too sharp and rocky. Not really hilly or sloped. The mountains around Phoenix always stay brown and look like endless fields of sand.

Since you love buildings I am going to respectfully and sarcastically ask the rest of the board to ignore any post you make regarding natural scenery and perhaps put you on their 'ignore' list, and then sarcastically ask the moderators of this site to delete same.

Seriously, for Bruce81, that road runs both ways. I was a native of the southern portion of the CSSR and had all those places and the beach at my fingertips as well. Got tired of it all over 20 years ago. One can only 'beach' so much and the rest of California got so full of Californians I found it hard to enjoy anymore. If you prefer to be in the 'midst' of all those people, then that it for you. Me, I do not. Got tired of trying to explore the back roads of the CSSR only to find someone's house overlooking it.

Arizona you can really get away from folks if you want. You can spend days on the back roads and not see very many people, and especially any one's home.

And then there's the gun laws, no comparison, hands down. Oh, and yeah, the cost of living is way cheaper than the CSSR and even where I live currently.

[I Love Buildings]

I guess the ocean wasn't a deciding factor for you then. Not a deal breaker for some but it is for me!

[Prickly Pear]

I don't think it has anything to do with politics. I don't know why people are arguing that. It has to do with amazing recreation, near perfect weather, and big cities with good employment rates (in a lot of it, anyway). It's like the trifecta.

When California was Republican it was practically nothing. LA and SF weren't the economic powerhouses they are today. It's not good enough argument. If California was Republican yesterday and suddenly became Democratic today then yeah, it would be worth talking about.

[Packard fan]

Originally Posted by I Love Buildings

I guess the ocean wasn't a deciding factor for you then. Not a deal breaker for some but it is for me!

Uh; it's well known we DON'T have any oceanfront property, griping about that would the same as 1 of us from Arizona griping about Minnesota not having decent weather. It is what it is.

[Quizillla]

because its obnoxiously hot, not as wealthy, and there is no ocean... also it's a desert -- I grew up in California and recently moved to AZ for grad. school, AZ is no where near as beautiful as Northern California. It's very dry and brown here... not a lot of green. Lots of chain stores... blah.

Sorry if this offends anyone

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by Quizillla

because its obnoxiously hot, not as wealthy, and there is no ocean... also it's a desert -- I grew up in California and recently moved to AZ for grad. school, AZ is no where near as beautiful as Northern California. It's very dry and brown here... not a lot of green. Lots of chain stores... blah.

Wow, you've seen the entire state of Arizona, huh?

Impressive. One wonders when you find time for school.

[autism360]

Originally Posted by Quizillla

because its obnoxiously hot, not as wealthy, and there is no ocean... also it's a desert -- I grew up in California and recently moved to AZ for grad. school, AZ is no where near as beautiful as Northern California. It's very dry and brown here... not a lot of green. Lots of chain stores... blah.

Sorry if this offends anyone

Arizona has the largest Ponderosa pine forests in the world, Palm Springs is hotter than AZ in the summer and is not green at all. I think you need to compare the entire state not just 1 area. I do agree that California weather is better than AZ weather but California is old, not maintained and has crazy liberals destroying what is left of it.

[Hschlick84]

Originally Posted by autism360

Arizona has the largest Ponderosa pine forests in the world, Palm Springs is hotter than AZ in the summer and is not green at all. I think you need to compare the entire state not just 1 area. I do agree that California weather is better than AZ weather but California is old, not maintained and has crazy liberals destroying what is left of it.

I'll take California weather over Arizona, and I'll take Arizona weather over Colorado. I cannot stand snow and cold.

[Zathras]

It's a combination of several factors.
First, there's a lot of wealth from the entertainment industry and tech industry that has helped to drive up the cost of living.
Then on top of that, the liberal politics has made running a business more costly than other states. Just one example is the overtime laws. In California, businesses have to be pay employees time & a half if they go over 8 hours in a day, whereas the rest of the country it's over 40 hours in a week before overtime kicks in, regardless of how many per day. This adds cost to everything, which is passed on to the consumer in higher prices.
Decades of this type of environment has caused the cost of living to be ridiculous in CA.

[magnum0417]

Originally Posted by autism360

Arizona has the largest Ponderosa pine forests in the world, Palm Springs is hotter than AZ in the summer and is not green at all. I think you need to compare the entire state not just 1 area. I do agree that California weather is better than AZ weather but California is old, not maintained and has crazy liberals destroying what is left of it.

Palm Springs has 11000 ft San Jacinto Peak as a backdrop and is minutes...not hours from greenery. CA and AZ have the most ecoregions in the entire country with 12 and 10 respectively.