Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Arizona is better. Basically you are picking the West Coast vs the South. Despite 1070, Arizona is not racist. I oppose that law, however, it's providing a false and exaggerated picture that we are some racist good ole boy state. I've in Dallas, Texas and Dallas felt far more racist than Phoenix. For those of us who live here, we know better. I feel like Florida is the opposite. It looks like some tropical and fun paradise yet when you live there, you realize it's an extension of the South and is rather trashy. The weather is definitely better here. We don't have hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and incessant rain. The people are definitely more worldly as half our population is from California and the upper Midwest. We do have backward laws but that's not a result of the people but rather the newbies that move here don't vote so the Arizona isn't accurately represented politically. The Valley is definitely more affordable and the quality of life is outstanding. Everything is new, clean and beautiful. I could go on but Florida is a great place to vacation but for daily living, most places can't beat Arizona.
I have been in South Florida for over 26 years and now we are thinking about retiring in Arizona.
South Florida is:
1--too New York--New Jersey dominated-----I am a midwest guy and need it a little more
laid back.
2. the combination of heat and humidity here in the summer is a killer. I know Arizona is very
hot----but the idea of not having to change shirts 5 times a day is appealing.
3. the cost of living here is too high. Even with the foreclosures here it is hard to find a good
apartment for less than $1100 a month. Homewowners insurance here is outrageous, and
another major hurricane here this summer will empty out this place.
4. I appreciate diversity------yet the scales have tipped so heavily here is that this feels
like a third world culture here. It is getting redundant to ask people to repeat themselves.
5. The crime factor is also becomming an immense issue here. I read on the Tucson boards
complaints of crime-----please check out South Florida before complaining.
A lot of people love Florida----it has things going for it. Lifestyle changes are always a
personal decision and I am not waging war on South Florida. At this stage I would just like
to venture on to Arizona.
Lakeland and Winterhaven are both nice. We lived in Winterhaven before moving to CA. We moved for my work, but I love the Florida beaches. There are no other beaches in the U.S. like them (maybe parts of Texas, but not with that clear blue water). It is a toss up. Both AZ (which we are close to and FL where we once lived) are nice places. Do not get scared by talk of crime or high prices. It all depends on where one can afford to live and decides to move. Winterhaven is one of FL affordable areas. Now with so many foreclosures a family can find a good deal.
Check out charter schools in the area if good education is a major factor. Best of luck to the OP and to anyone who is trying to decide.
I am curious about Florida as well, I moved to Arizona about 10 years ago from Ohio, however tried to move back because I didn't really care much for Arizona but could not deal with the cold so we reluctantly came back to Arizona. My husband and I have no children so the schools are not a concern and he can transfer with his work. I am worried about Hurricanes, bugs and humidity from things I have heard. We are thinking of the Southwest area around Ft Myers, so if anyone has anything on that area that would be helpful. As far as the people thinking of moving to Arizona, I can tell you how I feel about it. I like not dealing with snow and not much rain most of the time but I will say that Arizona has changed, everything is so fast paced, getting anywhere is all main highways with speed limits at 75 and everyone driving about 80 bumper to bumper, many accidents. The warm winters are nice but it still gets cold here, during the day it isn't bad but we get down in the mid 30's at night and mornings most of the winter so once the sun goes down it is cold. I don't like the dust, it is windy many days and dust blowing, we have dust storms to deal with, just had a big one close to me about a month ago and had a 30 car pile up on the highway, 3 people killed. They come on suddenly and you can't see anything, complete blackout. Many people complain about humidity in other states like Florida but I would like to have some, your skin gets cracked out here and you can't get enough lotion, you dehydrate very quickly. I know about 3 out of every 5 people I have talked to here have been in the emergency room from dehydration. As far as bugs, yes we do have scorpions, we have seen many, had one on my leg once, my brother has been stung twice and we live in town. Termites are bad out here, Have seen sidewinders and rattlesnakes and tarantula's and even Gila Monsters but these are not things you see every day, we use to live out of town when I seen the snakes and Gila Monsters but we have seen scorpions and tarnatulas in town and we also have sewer roaches, centepedes, black widows and brown lucrus spiders here. We have our home sprayed from a professional monthly which I would highly recommend. We do get monsoons from July through September which brings storms, wind, rain, micro bursts and lightening. If we get much rain out here we get floods because there is no trees or grass to absorb the rain so many areas have to have flood insurance. If you are not an adventure person then it is boring here, by adventure I mean camping, hiking, mountain biking that sort of thing, other than that nothing to do besides shopping, no water parks here, no amusement parks, no miniature golf, no water sports. The summers are extremely hot from May through late October it is over 100 degrees, you can't do anything outside or you will dehydrate or have a heat stroke. Every other restaurant is Mexican food, they cater to that food here, we even celebrate Cinco de mayo here which is a mexican holiday, so if you like mexican food you will love it. We are about 4 hours from Mexico (although not many drive there now due to the drugs and killings going on there now), we are about 6 hour from San Diego and about 6 hours from Vegas, so if you like going to those places it will save you on Airplane tickets. I am not saying anything bad about Arizona, I am just giving you some of the goods and bads, it is all a preference, some love it here, myself I am thinking of moving to Florida for more things to do, have some moisture which is better for your body and to get out of the dead desert look. Again only one persons opinion but I am looking for feedback on the Southwest part of Florida.
A late reply to your post but it sounds like you might like Florida. My brother lives in Cape Coral, his whole family does, and there is good and bad about the area. You should go on the Citidata threads for that area. To me, it is a pretty area, very Florida like. But there are pros and cons. I am in the Central Fl area, born and raised here and I would move to St Augustine in a heartbeat. I like being a little further north for the coolness.
Good luck in your search. Arizona is beautiful but I would only want to visit there.
I've lived in both.
Arizona's positives--dry weather that can be better for some, more family oriented lifestyles here/things to do for families, winters are cooler can be better for some, easier access to everything here cuz of large metro area, live and let live attitude, tolerance of differences
Arizona's negatives--extreme heat 4- 4 1/2 months/year,weather is very dry affecting skin, etc., more allergies/sinus problems here, a lot of relentless traffic, driver's more hostile here in general, people laxadasical with flat affects, more rudeness/lack of humanity evident since population increase, lack of green, lack of rain, winters cool (winter jacket w/scarf, mittens and sweater on in mornings and evenings, transient population (people in/out, coming/going), people are overcharged out here for a lot of services, expensive docs, dentists and vets out here, immigration issues are creating a lot of tension in the air
Florida positives--some green, ocean, rain, warm nearly perfect winters (better than Az), shorts weather all year except for 2-3 weeks, docs/dentists/vets more reasonable, can shoot up to the northeast easier if that's your thing
Florida negatives-- a lot of hostility toward northerners, hard to find what you need unless you're in Miami/S. Florida in general, mold, bugs, a lot of rain, humidity, lots of drug crimes and creepy criminals seem to live there (more creepy than here), "big brother--we know best" feel to Florida, more bureaucracy than Arizona, transient feel, people moving in/out a lot, if you're younger than 80, it's hard to find friends!
Last edited by Nanny Goat; 08-02-2010 at 01:42 PM..
I lived in Tucson AZ from 1996-2006 having lived in NC prior. I considered FL at first, I was in Key West & the Miami area in March 1990 during spring break and LOVED being able to swim in March vs being in the 40s, but I went for AZ for these reasons.
(1) Rainfall levels. I hate rain, hate it. Guess what--FL being called "the sunshine state" is bologney. One of my good friends grew up there and told me it rains ALL the time there. I want somewhere where it rains, gee, maybe once every 2 months or so? Or, if it rains, rain hard-fast-furious and get out of my face. Can we say "monsoons?" That how it goes in AZ, at least in the summer--it's still sunny much of the day, then it rains a lot real quickly, then it gets out of your face, rather than drip-drip-drip-drip-drip all freaking day. That drives me crazy.
(2) Hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. Yes, it is true--FL has WAY more natural disasters than AZ, by a long shot. That to me alone makes FL downright worthless. I want to live somewhere without mother nature harassing me, and I consider natural disasters to be personal harassment every bit as much as a human stalker. I just want to be left alone, leave me alone. In Arizona, you can count on being left alone more than you can FL by a long shot.
(3) I love to swim, and FL has tons of lakes & stuff, but what good is that in a state with 80 billion alligators & with it being illegal to kill them even if they come onto your property? I'm sorry, but if an alligator comes onto my land, I'm shooting it. Fish & Wildlife can go hump themselves for all I care. I pay for the property taxes & mortgage on my land, not some dang-blanged alligator.
That said, if you live in Tucson, the javelina are just about as annoying. They trespass onto your property, even if you fence it in, and ransack your trashcans, and if you bust a cap in them, Fish & Wildlife will come after you like you shot the governor. It never was a concern for me when I lived there because I rented apartments vs owning property, but if I owned property there I'd handle things my way if need be.
Still, that was Tucson, others have told me they lived in other places & didn't encounter that problem. I don't mind leaving wildlife alone, but if it bothers me, I want to be able to defend my space. I don't subscribe to this "you chose to live in their habitat" nonsense which Tucson is VERY bad about (freaking environmentalist wackos), but Florida is bad about it everywhere from what I've read.
(4) Humidity. Yes, southern states tend to have their humidity. AZ can probably have some during the storms, but otherwise, it is much less humid, and it does make a difference.
(5) Scorpions? I'm sure AZ has them, but in the 10 years I lived there, I hiked every freaking where and never saw one. I can tell you that, although I on occasion encountered gnats, Arizona generally has VERY few bugs, and that is a HUGE advantage. You can actually enjoy the outdoors without swatting every other second.
(6) Daylight savings time--one thing I don't think anyone mentioned, AZ doesn't goof around with that stupid daylight savings time, which I like. Then again, everything else will change (11 am shows now come on at 10, your relatives who were 2 hours apart are now 3 hours apart) so it's still a pain in the rear.
(7) People--I can't compare FL to AZ, but I can tell you I think NC was friendlier than AZ (but then maybe it was a big-city thing, when I lived in NC I lived in the boonies). People act like you're asking for a kidney if you ask for a jump-start for your car, and if you drop in to their home without calling they act like you committed the biggest etiquette faux pas of all-time. In NC if your car's battery was dead it was no problem getting a jump start, people were glad to do it. If you were out & about and noticed you were near a friend's home, you could just "drop in" on them spontaneously and they welcomed your visit. I live in TX now and it's much the same here. In AZ you don't DARE stop by someone's house, not even a close friend's, unless you've made an appointment with them like they're the dentist, you'd sooner make out with your boss's wife than do that, which I think is silly, but anyway.
That said--yes, if you want somewhere where winter feels less like winter and are willing to risk natural disasters and tolerate way more rain, FL is the place. AZ is MUCH colder in winter, even in Tucson & such, than in FL, although it's still not as brutal as upstate NY etc and you don't have to worry about ice storms etc so much. As for lack of greenery in AZ--it never bothered me, the lack of greenery to me meant much less rain, a trade-off I was more than happy to make.
Hope that helps.
Last edited by shyguylh; 04-12-2013 at 05:52 PM..
Reason: Clarifications.
I lived in Tucson AZ from 1996-2006 having lived in NC prior. I considered FL at first, I was in Key West & the Miami area in March 1990 during spring break and LOVED being able to swim in March vs being in the 40s, but I went for AZ for these reasons.
(1) Rainfall levels. I hate rain, hate it. Guess what--FL being called "the sunshine state" is bologney. One of my good friends grew up there and told me it rains ALL the time there. I want somewhere where it rains, gee, maybe once every 2 months or so? Or, if it rains, rain hard-fast-furious and get out of my face. Can we say "monsoons?" That how it goes in AZ, at least in the summer--it's still sunny much of the day, then it rains a lot real quickly, then it gets out of your face, rather than drip-drip-drip-drip-drip all freaking day. That drives me crazy.
(2) Hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. Yes, it is true--FL has WAY more natural disasters than AZ, by a long shot. That to me alone makes FL downright worthless. I want to live somewhere without mother nature harassing me, and I consider natural disasters to be personal harassment every bit as much as a human stalker. I just want to be left alone, leave me alone. In Arizona, you can count on being left alone more than you can FL by a long shot.
(3) I love to swim, and FL has tons of lakes & stuff, but what good is that in a state with 80 billion alligators & with it being illegal to kill them even if they come onto your property? I'm sorry, but if an alligator comes onto my land, I'm shooting it. Fish & Wildlife can go hump themselves for all I care. I pay for the property taxes & mortgage on my land, not some dang-blanged alligator.
That said, if you live in Tucson, the javelina are just about as annoying. They trespass onto your property, even if you fence it in, and ransack your trashcans, and if you bust a cap in them, Fish & Wildlife will come after you like you shot the governor. It never was a concern for me when I lived there because I rented apartments vs owning property, but if I owned property there I'd handle things my way if need be.
Still, that was Tucson, others have told me they lived in other places & didn't encounter that problem. I don't mind leaving wildlife alone, but if it bothers me, I want to be able to defend my space. I don't subscribe to this "you chose to live in their habitat" nonsense which Tucson is VERY bad about (freaking environmentalist wackos), but Florida is bad about it everywhere from what I've read.
(4) Humidity. Yes, southern states tend to have their humidity. AZ can probably have some during the storms, but otherwise, it is much less humid, and it does make a difference.
(5) Scorpions? I'm sure AZ has them, but in the 10 years I lived there, I hiked every freaking where and never saw one. I can tell you that, although I on occasion encountered gnats, Arizona generally has VERY few bugs, and that is a HUGE advantage. You can actually enjoy the outdoors without swatting every other second.
(6) Daylight savings time--one thing I don't think anyone mentioned, AZ doesn't goof around with that stupid daylight savings time, which I like. Then again, everything else will change (11 am shows now come on at 10, your relatives who were 2 hours apart are now 3 hours apart) so it's still a pain in the rear.
(7) People--I can't compare FL to AZ, but I can tell you I think NC was friendlier than AZ (but then maybe it was a big-city thing, when I lived in NC I lived in the boonies). People act like you're asking for a kidney if you ask for a jump-start for your car, and if you drop in to their home without calling they act like you committed the biggest etiquette faux pas of all-time. In NC if your car's battery was dead it was no problem getting a jump start, people were glad to do it. If you were out & about and noticed you were near a friend's home, you could just "drop in" on them spontaneously and they welcomed your visit. I live in TX now and it's much the same here. In AZ you don't DARE stop by someone's house, not even a close friend's, unless you've made an appointment with them like they're the dentist, you'd sooner make out with your boss's wife than do that, which I think is silly, but anyway.
That said--yes, if you want somewhere where winter feels less like winter and are willing to risk natural disasters and tolerate way more rain, FL is the place. AZ is MUCH colder in winter, even in Tucson & such, than in FL, although it's still not as brutal as upstate NY etc and you don't have to worry about ice storms etc so much. As for lack of greenery in AZ--it never bothered me, the lack of greenery to me meant much less rain, a trade-off I was more than happy to make.
This is an old thread...if anyone cares, I have lived in both places now and S. Florida is a hellhole like no other. Hurricanes, outrageous housing costs, bugs and more bugs (the biting kind), non-english speakers (it's like being in a S. American city and I'm not exaggerating), lack of professionalism in all business dealings, but the killer is that the schools are really HORRIBLE-even the highest rated schools. The beach is great (if you can find parking), the nightlife is great, the winter weather is great but it's not worth it for our family to stay.
This is an old thread...if anyone cares, I have lived in both places now and S. Florida is a hellhole like no other. Hurricanes, outrageous housing costs, bugs and more bugs (the biting kind), non-english speakers (it's like being in a S. American city and I'm not exaggerating), lack of professionalism in all business dealings, but the killer is that the schools are really HORRIBLE-even the highest rated schools. The beach is great (if you can find parking), the nightlife is great, the winter weather is great but it's not worth it for our family to stay.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
