Why are SO many Illinois folk attracted to Arizona? (Chicago: public school, tornadoes)

[linicx]

Intersesting observation on schools.. Homeschool is a superior education anyway, Steve-0. I don't know about AZ, but I know some folks in Illinois who have taught their children at home from pre-k to college. I think parents who homeschool in Illinois have more to offer their kids than many of the other states... but I could be wrong.

[linicx]

I should clarify. My comments were not directed toward education. It is directed toward the types of resources parents have available in each state.

In theory every outing with child, whether for vacation or to a grocery store, can be used as a lesson or learning tool. I spent a lot of time in the desert southwestern United States.

And I was in Phoenix for a week. There is a lot of sand, desert plants, and mountains, and scenery. I did not find much interesting except A Mountain. Otherwise, from my perspective I learned more in NM. I suppose because it is more visual from White Sands National Park, to the cotton bolls, to the pepper covered roofs at Hatch, to the bat caves. I will say that AZ and NM both have amazing state magazines. By comparison IL has much for children to investigate and learn from border to border.
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Originally Posted by linicx

Intersesting observation on schools.. Homeschool is a superior education anyway, Steve-0. I don't know about AZ, but I know some folks in Illinois who have taught their children at home from pre-k to college. I think parents who homeschool in Illinois have more to offer their kids than many of the other states... but I could be wrong.

[rzzzz]

Phoenix itself is nothing great but the area up through Sedona up to Flagstaff has great scenery.

White Sands is pretty cool as are some of the mountain ranges nobody goes to in NM. However, a lot of NM is just a weird desert dustbowl like southern AZ.

AZ schools in general are the pits but it has a great charter school system called Basis, which has been rated the #1 high school in the entire nation.

[linicx]

I've passed through Phoenix and Flagstaff on my way to SD and LA. The only thingI got out of Flagstaff was a headache from hell. It may have been the season because I had the same problem icrossing the desert with plants that reeked of pine or pitch??

Weird desert dustbowl? I didn't think so as I found more interesting things to explore in NM than I did in Texas or Phoenix. From my experience the I-10 dustbowl that passes through El Paso, Phoenix and Yuma, starts on the LA/TX border and ends in the Pacific Ocean. You'll find the same problem west of OKC too..

[rzzzz]

I prefer Flagstaff to just about any other part of the SW aside from southern Utah so I guess we just have different tastes.

[linicx]

Personal taste has nothing to do with it. I can't visit because I become physically ill. As far as I can determine what ever the problem is, "it" is exascerbated by the pine trees around Flagstaff. It is the only problem I experienced in AZ.

I've been in many mountain ranges from the Rocky to the Smokey and never experienced any physical discomfort like I did around Flagstaff. Many of the mountains I am most familiar with have a mix of hardwood and blooming deciduous trees, as opposed to a variety of Evergreen.

In any case, it was not a disaster. By the time I was in the desert heat an hour, the worst of the discomfort was gone. I've never really been to western states. Everyone who lives there says it is beautiful, the air is crisp and clean, but cold in the winter can be brutal.

This winter ought to be a beaut! We'll see,

[Steve-o]

linicx, it could be the Ponderosa pines around Flag that bother you. Ive heard a few people complain about the same thing. I dont have an issue with them, thank goodness. They are the most aromatic pine, emitting a cotton candy/vanilla scent that is the most amazing thing Ive ever smelled.

Winters up there are cold, theyve been in the 20s at night lately, whereas in Phoenix we've been in the 50s.

[linicx]

I was only there once and in the summer. I may have encountered some of the Ponderosa, but the scent I remember is a strong pine smell reminiscent of the Christmas tree. The first few minutes were awesome but then the headache started. By the time I reached the California border the headache was a full blown migraine. The pitch black of the desert night and its midnight heat helped calm and reduce the pain to a tolerable level. . And it was mostly gone by the time I reached Palm Springs.

In any case my physical reaction to the pine smell was so strong I don't think I would try to return to Flagstaff. I entered into the mountains at Shamrock, and I stayed in it through Flagstaff. It was the only place I had a problem. I suspect if I encounter the same trees elssewhere my reaction will be very similar.

Some of the mountain areas I was in were so desolate the silence was deafening. It was awesome.

Originally Posted by Steve-o

linicx, it could be the Ponderosa pines around Flag that bother you. Ive heard a few people complain about the same thing. I dont have an issue with them, thank goodness. They are the most aromatic pine, emitting a cotton candy/vanilla scent that is the most amazing thing Ive ever smelled.

Winters up there are cold, theyve been in the 20s at night lately, whereas in Phoenix we've been in the 50s.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by linicx

Some of the mountain areas I was in were so desolate the silence was deafening. It was awesome.

Thats such an awesome thing to experience. Such silence is almost eerie, but very enjoyable.

[knitgirl]

I've only ever been to the Phoenix area. My parents like to spend most winters there. I visited once and hated it. I'm a water person, all those cacti and flat brown stretches along the roads was just hideous to me. Brown mountains don't do anything for me either. The area my parents stay in is a gated community and there is nothing to walk to. I am happy that they get away from snow and ice, one bad fall could probably kill them at this point in their lives.