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I lived in the PHX area for the last 15 years vowing to move out of Arizona every fall, spring, and summer. Guess what this summer I did! I can't believe all the things I missed doing in cooler weather. I can now go outside to MY garden during the middle of the day and not sweat. I can play with my kids outside during the day and not sweat. It is great.
I would never live in the phx area again. I would move back to Northern Arizona like Springerville or Eagar. The economy sucks there.
Money is nice here but it is less. But my quality of life is better!
I'd move to AZ for the great weather (outside of summer time which honestly isn't THAT much worse than most other places), desert/mountain scenery and nice palm trees, and the sports. One of the few cities with all 4 major pro sports teams and a major D-1 school in the metro area (AZ State in Tempe.)
I loved Tucson. I used to live there for years and had to move away temporarily due to a family tragedy. I plan on moving back in about in 2008.
I am from Tennessee and Tennessee is what we call God's Country. Very beautiful and green, nice people who say "hello" and "how are you". You just do not get that everywhere you go. I lived up North for a year and I learned really fast not to talk to strangers and to be too "perky".
But Tucson has a different kind of beauty....a gorgeous backdrop if you will...and where the sky meets the land. I love warm weather and hate the snow and cold weather....I loved the lack of seasons.
Actually I wore shorts and capri's every day except two the first year I lived in Tucson.
So if you love really warm weather, and to see the gorgeous sky as far as you can see then I think Arizona is a good choice.
YES!! My husband was transferred to Tucson for work. We would never have moved otherwise. We LOVED it. I loved the weather (yes, even the hottest of hot days. Mornings and evenings are great, no bugs, even midday is fun as long as there's a pool nearby!). I ran a LOT b/c the weather was so great year-round. The Catalinas (amongst other ranges) are GORGEOUS and we went hiking w/the kids there every single weekend. I love the history there, and there is something appealing to me about living in a somewhat hostile environment (scorpions, rattlesnakes, javelina, bobcats, coyote all walking through our property...knowing the mountain lions were out there on our hikes...). I think it ties you to the natural world.
Plsu, people didn't have pretenses. They were just happy to be there, from all over, friendly.
On top of ALL THAT, we were 6 hours from the beaches of Mexico, less to the beaches of San Diego, fairly quick trips to Flagstaff (we were there a lot), to Sedona, to Santa Fe (a bit more of a trip, but not bad). I mean really--just fabulous in every way.
So then we moved--another transfer--I like where I live now, but man do I ever miss Tucson! We were back there last week (1/2 week in Tucson, 1/2 week in Flag). I would move back in a heartbeat.
So if you love really warm weather, and to see the gorgeous sky as far as you can see then I think Arizona is a good choice.
Yep I agree. I still can't wait to get the feeling that I will have when I'm in shorts and a t-shirt on a mid 70s day in January and give my family a call while they are frozen inside their house and brag a little bit ... In all seriousness though, most of Arizona is not for people who like change in seasons or who like snow. The good thing, Phoenix is a pretty short drive to Flagstaff where you can feel the cold weather and see the snow if you miss it. There's not many places like that. If you decided to move to say, Florida, there's no place that you can get snow and feel the cold if you are missing it for hundreds of miles.
Location: Sunny Phoenix Arizona...wishing for a beach.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BSL63087
Yep I agree. I still can't wait to get the feeling that I will have when I'm in shorts and a t-shirt on a mid 70s day in January and give my family a call while they are frozen inside their house and brag a little bit ... In all seriousness though, most of Arizona is not for people who like change in seasons or who like snow. The good thing, Phoenix is a pretty short drive to Flagstaff where you can feel the cold weather and see the snow if you miss it. There's not many places like that. If you decided to move to say, Florida, there's no place that you can get snow and feel the cold if you are missing it for hundreds of miles.
After a few years in AZ shorts and a t-shirt in January feels cold
So what's the point of wanting to live somewhere where it's warm year round (for the most part) if it feels cold after you get used to it?
I just have to say, being a college student here, I haven't really lived here year round until now. I would move in the dorms and start school in late August, and yes, it was extremely hot, but I was almost intoxicated with the heat, and by late October, the heat is all gone basically and it's nice again. Then by early May, I was out again, back to CO for the summer. I've basically done that cycle for three years, until now, when I've been staying here in my apartment for the summer. Now I'm experiencing first hand what it is like to truly experience AZ heat day after day for a whole season-- it's already been May, June, July, A.... wait, we're still in July! We have another solid two months of this crap to go! Since I was here seasonally for mainly the nice parts of the year, I used to be totally enamoured by Arizona. Now that I'm getting the whole show, I'm having second thoughts. I love being outside and bicycling, walking, hiking, but I simply CANNOT be outside during the vast majority of the daylight hours this time of year. I am not willing to risk getting sunburn and skin cancer. Even at night, when there is no risk of that, it is so hot outside my head hurts after awhile. You can feel the heat in your eyeballs. I am starting to conclude that it is NOT worth it putting up with the summer here, for me at least. For other people, it is a fair price to pay, but not for me any more.
Let me reiterate another point we were discussing about a week ago, about "blood thinning" and adaptation. While "blood thinning" is a total myth, you do learn to adapt to your environment. When you start getting really used to the generally mild weather from late October to March, with day time highs in the upper sixties and lower seventies, even a little mini dose of "cold" feels a lot colder than it is. Sheena is totally right. Let me explain why:
When you live in a place that truly is cold in the winter, say Denver, or even more extreme, Minneapolis, or really extreme, Fargo, North Dakota, you learn to "toughen up" a little. Average winter days in Denver, with say, daytime highs in the mid 20s, 30s, and 40s, when it's sunny and not too windy, you can get by wearing just a jacket (and sunglasses), and be relatively comfortable. Throw in some wind, snow, or temperatures below the 20s, and you'll have to bundle up, but you'll still survive. Denver has a lot of weather variation year round, including the winter. In the winter there, you'll get some days in the 40s, some in the 20s, and occasional arctic winds that will freeze temps to single digit highs, with 20 below zero lows! These ultra cold snaps help to toughen you up so a normal 30 degree high day doesn't feel too bad. Whereas in Phoenix, you might be sitting outside on your backyard covered patio at night in December, the temperature might be around 55 degrees, and it will feel bone chilling cold! Why? Because the weather in Phoenix is so consistent, so stable day to day, and so mild in the winter months, your body does not toughen up, or become immune to temperature changes. It's like you metaphorically become "cold blooded." Also, people here go around with an incorrect notion that the weather here is always warm and flip flops are year round-- so when it does get a little cold, they do not know when it is time to put on a jacket, and instead stand out there in that 50 degree winter night with the t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops and end up shivering-- suffering from their own stupidity. People here in general do not know how to dress properly-- winter or summer.
I just have to say, being a college student here, I haven't really lived here year round until now. I would move in the dorms and start school in late August, and yes, it was extremely hot, but I was almost intoxicated with the heat, and by late October, the heat is all gone basically and it's nice again. Then by early May, I was out again, back to CO for the summer. I've basically done that cycle for three years, until now, when I've been staying here in my apartment for the summer. Now I'm experiencing first hand what it is like to truly experience AZ heat day after day for a whole season-- it's already been May, June, July, A.... wait, we're still in July! We have another solid two months of this crap to go! Since I was here seasonally for mainly the nice parts of the year, I used to be totally enamoured by Arizona. Now that I'm getting the whole show, I'm having second thoughts. I love being outside and bicycling, walking, hiking, but I simply CANNOT be outside during the vast majority of the daylight hours this time of year. I am not willing to risk getting sunburn and skin cancer. Even at night, when there is no risk of that, it is so hot outside my head hurts after awhile. You can feel the heat in your eyeballs. I am starting to conclude that it is NOT worth it putting up with the summer here, for me at least. For other people, it is a fair price to pay, but not for me any more.
Let me reiterate another point we were discussing about a week ago, about "blood thinning" and adaptation. While "blood thinning" is a total myth, you do learn to adapt to your environment. When you start getting really used to the generally mild weather from late October to March, with day time highs in the upper sixties and lower seventies, even a little mini dose of "cold" feels a lot colder than it is. Sheena is totally right. Let me explain why:
When you live in a place that truly is cold in the winter, say Denver, or even more extreme, Minneapolis, or really extreme, Fargo, North Dakota, you learn to "toughen up" a little. Average winter days in Denver, with say, daytime highs in the mid 20s, 30s, and 40s, when it's sunny and not too windy, you can get by wearing just a jacket (and sunglasses), and be relatively comfortable. Throw in some wind, snow, or temperatures below the 20s, and you'll have to bundle up, but you'll still survive. Denver has a lot of weather variation year round, including the winter. In the winter there, you'll get some days in the 40s, some in the 20s, and occasional arctic winds that will freeze temps to single digit highs, with 20 below zero lows! These ultra cold snaps help to toughen you up so a normal 30 degree high day doesn't feel too bad. Whereas in Phoenix, you might be sitting outside on your backyard covered patio at night in December, the temperature might be around 55 degrees, and it will feel bone chilling cold! Why? Because the weather in Phoenix is so consistent, so stable day to day, and so mild in the winter months, your body does not toughen up, or become immune to temperature changes. It's like you metaphorically become "cold blooded." Also, people here go around with an incorrect notion that the weather here is always warm and flip flops are year round-- so when it does get a little cold, they do not know when it is time to put on a jacket, and instead stand out there in that 50 degree winter night with the t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops and end up shivering-- suffering from their own stupidity. People here in general do not know how to dress properly-- winter or summer.
That was a good explination of the "toughening up" thing. I guess you know by now I'm in Louisville, KY (actually a suburb in Indiana but basically Louisville) and it gets pretty cold here in the winter time. It seems like this past winter wasn't quite as bad as it usually is but it was still pretty bad. When its in the 40's, 30's and sometimes 20's and rarely teens in the winter time here, a rare upper 50s lower 60s day will seem like it's really warm and you'll see some people out in short sleeves and such. I guess the same thing applies to it usually being warm in Phoenix and 50s or 60s will seem cold.
I don't know what you are going to college for but if it happens to be for being a teacher, you will be a good one. I honestly must say you do a good job of explaining things lol
My wife and I will retire to AZ in a few years from NJ. Just getting out of the east was our primary motive for choosing AZ. It is very different - climate, scenery, people, the whole package. A lot of people from the east would have a hard time because it is so different out west. The west is much more about the outdoors and healthier living. Phoenix is way too hot and crowded but we don't intend to live there. We'll take the mountains and enjoy a bit of a change in seasons. We've been visiting different parts of AZ for 20 years and we intend to see a lot more of it real soon. Good luck.
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... In all seriousness though, most of Arizona is not for people who like change in seasons or who like snow. The good thing, Phoenix is a pretty short drive to Flagstaff where you can feel the cold weather and see the snow if you miss it. There's not many places like that. If you decided to move to say, Florida, there's no place that you can get snow and feel the cold if you are missing it for hundreds of miles.
Let me explain why:
