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I am the type of person that sees large cities for what they are. A place that consumes far more then they produce. I hate big box stores that are like a giant vacuum sucking money out of ever local economy they touch.
I have lived in both. I used to like AZ far more then I do now. WAY to many people and outrages property taxes to go with it. A flood of people from out of state and they want to make it like is was where they came from. If it was so great they should have stayed put. Land grabbing cities that are interested only in billing high property tax rates for doing nothing. Having larger cities is not an attribute. There is far too much shopping space in the whole county. There is 7 times more retail footage than there was just 25 years ago. A lot of it is empty because there is too much.
You can't compare climates. They are not the same. Everybody like something different. Those that don't care for wind would not like either state. They that like 4 seasons are not going to care much for the Phoenix valley. And there are those that can't see what's right in front of them.
I'm looking to move from MD to either AZ or NM. I love MD, but I'm getting tired of the cold winters! I'm 24 years old (just graduated from graduate school). Should I move to New Mexico or Arizona? And which areas should I look into? Here's my criteria:
-Lots of sunshine and warm weather.
-Near the water (lake, river, etc)
-Lots of young people (20s-early 30s)
-Job opportunities in the field of speech pathology
-Low crime
-Good schools
-Either a big city or small town/city near a bigger city
Thanks!
Even parts of Arizona get cold in the winter but much of NM has cold winters. Arizona gets hot in the summer but NM has more mild temperatures in the summer.
Not much water in either state, nothing like back east.
Lots of young people in both states - the birth rates are soaring in these border states.
Not so many job opportunities in NM and the pay will be low.
Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the world, second only to much larger Mexico City but Albuquerque has a lot of gangs and homicides and burglaries also. Demographic and economic changes indicate an explosion in crime in the near future.
Neither state is where you look for good schools.
The weather is a big plus for both states. Plus some of the scenery is spectacular.
I am the type of person that sees large cities for what they are. A place that consumes far more then they produce. I hate big box stores that are like a giant vacuum sucking money out of ever local economy they touch.
Albuquerque, NM is not insanely, bloody, hot for 9 months out of the year. That is one of the significant advantages over Phoenix, AZ.
Also, less sprawl (though it is certainly here), fewer Californians (obligatory slam against those from CA), and better, more evident local/native culture (not as Anywhere, USA as Phoenix).
ABQConvict
Phoenix, Arizona is only hot 4 months out of the year. June, July, August, September. Some of you New Mexico natives seem to know nothing about Arizona or tend to hate on Arizona. May can be pretty hot also. The rest of the year tho in Phoenix is gorgeous.
I wish these states were more unified in their Southwestern culture.
Instead, it's always a pissing contest about heat and who's got more pine trees.
That would be awesome. Seems like people from New Mexico think Arizona is hot as hell and is getting all glitzy while people from Arizona think New mexico is all desert with no civilization.
That would be awesome. Seems like people from New Mexico think Arizona is hot as hell and is getting all glitzy while people from Arizona think New mexico is all desert with no civilization.
The reality is both states have desert and forest, hispanic, native american, and american culture, urban areas with a lot rural areas thrown in, and really, no other states are similar. Colorado and Utah don't fit the SW vibe, and west Texas is still a part of Texas.
In the Pacific NW there is the concept of Cascadia, a cultural identity that stretches from Vancouver, BC to Eugene, OR.
Here in the SW, Arizona and New Mexico with similar climates and environments, similar social issues, water issues, etc. can't see eye to eye over chiles and kachinas. Not to mention SB 1070 dividing us. If the Southwest had a regional unity our state governments could work together to throw weight around in DC as a region rather than isolated Western states.
The reality is both states have desert and forest, hispanic, native american, and american culture, urban areas with a lot rural areas thrown in, and really, no other states are similar. Colorado and Utah don't fit the SW vibe, and west Texas is still a part of Texas.
In the Pacific NW there is the concept of Cascadia, a cultural identity that stretches from Vancouver, BC to Eugene, OR.
Here in the SW, Arizona and New Mexico with similar climates and environments, similar social issues, water issues, etc. can't see eye to eye over chiles and kachinas. Not to mention SB 1070 dividing us. If the Southwest had a regional unity our state governments could work together to throw weight around in DC as a region rather than isolated Western states.
There's more than one poster who'd argue with you that the "Valley of the Sun" has way more in common with Southern California than it does with New Mexico. I'm inclined to agree, after living in Phoenix so many years ago (almost looks like an extension of the Inland Empire). I do think that many Phoenecians almost pretend as if they live in California, being in denial of Phoenix's obvious geographic location (much like how South Florida "isn't Southern")
However, I will say that the Phoenix is an anomaly in the larger regional outlook, even though almost half of all people in the Southwest LIVE in or around Phoenix. New Mexico, as of yet, still doesn't have as many growth pains as Arizona has had in the past 20-30 years. Arizona, at least right now, sadly comes off as a bit more dysfunctional than New Mexico BECAUSE of all the growth coming from everywhere. It's almost as if Arizona DOESN'T want to be in the Southwest. And that's truly sad, IMO.
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