leaving SFO Bay Area for Florida/Arizona/Las Vegas?? (living in, zoning)

[blueskywalker]

Originally Posted by treedroppings

In Savannah, Georgia there is less humidity due to the nearby ocean.

It may have a crime problem, though.
//www.city-data.com/forum/savan...-savannah.html

Say what? What am i missing treedroppings?


I love weather ... and stats ... and accuracy.

https://www.currentresults.com/Weath...ity-annual.php

How does the ocean affect climate and weather on land?

The Climate in Savannah, Georgia | USA Today

Climate Moderator, Water as a - sea, oceans, effects, temperature, percentage, effect, human, Pacific

[Prickly Pear]

I think New Mexico is a good option for you but if you do look into Arizona I do NOT suggest Phoenix it won't be a match for you... I do suggest Prescott, Sedona, Tucson, or Bisbee.

Tucson will have the most libraries just from U of A alone since U of A has one of the largest library databases out of all the universities in the country and has at least 8 libraries on campus that I can think of and they are open to the public. Tucson is slightly colder than Phoenix, by about 10 degrees at any given time. Has the best cactus scenery and lots of nature. The tall mountains near by make a great escape since Mount Lemmon is about 70 or so when it's 100+ in Tucson and is about an hour or two drive. But don't tell that to a lot of people!! Mount Lemmon is Arizona's best kept secret Tucson is also dirt cheap so you can probably get something super nice here in the Foothills coming from San Francisco. Tucson is pretty liberal as well.

Prescott and Sedona have the best weather IMO but Sedona is expensive because of its beauty... Prescott is a little cheaper but still on the expensive side for Arizona. But because you are from the Bay you can probably still afford these areas!

Bisbee is a small town, lots of historic buildings and very liberal... It's an interesting place! I think it's worth your consideration.

[ajonesaz]

Do you have to work or are you retired?

Tucson is pretty liberal and much cooler than Phoenix and might be a good fit but the job market is weaker if you have to work.

Prescott was also recently rated the #1 retirement city, however it is very conservative and you will get snow a few times a year.

Being from California, I would stick with the west coast. People are more laid back. I am not a big fan of Florida.

[ajonesaz]

Originally Posted by boulder2015

-Phoenix-Very little cold weather. Hope you enjoy weeks of 110 at a time in the day, dropping to only 90 or so at night. Yes, it's a dry heat, but Phoenix is still WAAY too hot for me, personally. A summer in Phoenix is like a winter in Seattle, either CA expats can hang or they can't, usually all it takes is one season to figure it out... Pretty damn conservative, overall, but you'd find plenty of other liberals to commiserate with about it. Great hiking trails and desert landscapes right outside and sometimes right in town! I could see living there myself, if it just wasn't so damn hot April to October.

.

People who move here (Phx) always complain and moan about the cold. It does get cold here. Most of the mornings in December and January will be in the 30's - but it will warm up into the 60's or so most of the time during the day.
More than a few days over 110+ are very rare - although you are guaranteed a few days over 110 in the summer. Phoenix proper is actually pretty liberal - many of the suburbs are pretty conservative or libertarian.

[Trigger-f]

Originally Posted by ajonesaz

Do you have to work or are you retired?

Tucson is pretty liberal and much cooler than Phoenix and might be a good fit but the job market is weaker if you have to work.

Prescott was also recently rated the #1 retirement city, however it is very conservative and you will get snow a few times a year.

Being from California, I would stick with the west coast. People are more laid back. I am not a big fan of Florida.

AZ has an abundance of drugs(especially PHX - check Drugs Inc the series on NatGeo, it said AZ is a gateway for drugs from Mexico, especially meth.) I know this guy whose life went down the drain after he moved to AZ for work from FL(now he's trying to rebound back). Must be the West coast lifestyle. CA is similar.

Cartel City, Arizona - Drugs, Inc. Episode - National Geographic Channel

[ajonesaz]

Originally Posted by Trigger-f

AZ has an abundance of drugs(especially PHX - check Drugs Inc the series on NatGeo, it said AZ is a gateway for drugs from Mexico, especially meth.) I know this guy whose life went down the drain after he moved to AZ for work from FL(now he's trying to rebound back). Must be the West coast lifestyle. CA is similar.

Cartel City, Arizona - Drugs, Inc. Episode - National Geographic Channel

I doubt anyone in their 60's is going to develop a drug problem by choosing AZ over FL.


Drugs move through the border states - can't argue with that, but it doesn't make them anymore available here then anywhere else.

[AZLiam]

Originally Posted by blueskywalker

I used to live in Santa Fe and thought of suggesting it. The o.p. seems to want some degree of culture (like a good library system).
Most of N.M. is remote.
Santa Fe, compared to the rest of the state is quite expensive although compared to the bay area and most of the CA coast, it's not.
I love Santa Fe. Strong L.A. influence .. lots of money / development over the years but tolerable.
And New Mexico is magical! Truly. The "veils" are thinner. I've had some interesting experiences there.

Boulder, CO is an option. Lots of intelligent, educated and liberal people.

Arizona is not a liberal state o.p.
I wouldn't want to live in Phoenix. Not sure where else you'd want to live in the state.
Tuscon is unique and, imo, quite interesting but i'm thinking not what you're looking for. But maybe it is. It's hot in AZ. I was in Tuscon once and it felt like the sun was literally boring a whole through my skin ... like i was holding a magnifying glass above my arm. Intense. More so than, for example, Santa Fe which is, i believe at 7000 ft. but not huge amounts of snow in the winter. Very beautiful. I guess that's my number 1 suggestion for you come to think of it.
Eastern Oregon ... like Bend perhaps. Lots of hiking. Beautiful. High Desert. Dry. Don't know about their library system.

Just so you know...

As of the 3rd quarter of last year, 34 percent of AZ voters were registered as Republicans while 28 percent were Democratic. Independents and those who haven't designated a party preference counted for nearly 37 percent. That does not make AZ overwhelmingly anything one way or the other. Furthermore, if you haven't lived here, you wouldn't have a clue; but, thanks for visiting Tucson once.. I'm a gay man living in AZ since '92 and trust me when I say the media's "interpretation" of Arizona being staunchly conservative is not the daily reality here. Stop drinking the CD kool-aid.

[WanderingFar]

If you want California weather and California scenery, then stay in California ... but go north and/or east till you hit affordable. You could probably get a house in greater Sacramento within your budget, or in Manteca, or Fresno, etc.

[blueskywalker]

Originally Posted by AZLiam

Just so you know...

As of the 3rd quarter of last year, 34 percent of AZ voters were registered as Republicans while 28 percent were Democratic. Independents and those who haven't designated a party preference counted for nearly 37 percent. That does not make AZ overwhelmingly anything one way or the other. Furthermore, if you haven't lived here, you wouldn't have a clue; but, thanks for visiting Tucson once.. I'm a gay man living in AZ since '92 and trust me when I say the media's "interpretation" of Arizona being staunchly conservative is not the daily reality here. Stop drinking the CD kool-aid.

Oh no. You've got me wrong. (What's with the bite?) I'm so not a kool-aid drinker but i do admit that my notions of the political scene in Arizona do come from the somewhat main-stream media, ie; NPR.
It's not a state that i've focused on much.
And none of my impressions of AZ (or much else for that matter) come from CD? Do you mean city-data-forum? Yeah, not from there .... or here.
I've been to Arizona just a few times. Way down - Patagonia and Tuscon, once to Phoenix and through Sedona.
Powerful, powerful land / earth energy ... that was my experience.
OOooooooo .... those words of yours. They stuck in my head. My radical me is offended! I don't drink no stinkin' kool-aid!

[OutOfPlaceInDC]

Originally Posted by blueskywalker

Wait a sec. Because the latitudes are the same or close to it does not mean that Georgia isn't humid.
That is not the way to assess weather.
Georgia is humid!

Lol, Boston in the summer will be like a sauna for someone used to CA Dry Weather. If Latitude were a proper comparison tool, VA should be like San Diego!