[JGatti]

Originally Posted by wagonproject

Nice post as I am thinking of moving to Phoenix.

Race ya!

[R_Cowgirl]

I was tempted to post the exact same thing in both forums since the OP did. I will give you the link so you can see the response to the OP from the folks who live in AZ and like it.

BTW - not everyone said 'don't let the door hit you in the a$$' - a lot of people just gave reasons why they like it here. That is what this forum is about, yes? Finding the good and the bad, the tolerable and the intolerable, and deciding for yourself what you can live with and what you can't live without.

Seriously, if you are thinking of moving to AZ, know that from one end to the other, it's a very different state. It's not all desert. It's not all dry. The mountains are amazing. The majority of the big city problems are in Phx and Tucson. So - read about all the AZ areas and make up your mind from that.

Also - "Phoenix" actually refers to "The Greater Phoenix Area." There are parts of this city I won't even drive through. There are wonderful, green, beautiful parts that just make your heart sing. Phoenix is actually about 12 different areas/towns. Even North and South Scottsdale are like different cities. Glendale is a wonderful little walking town within Phoenix, that feels just like old neighborhoods in the midwest. Some sections are really for retired folks, some are young and vibrant, some are the Old West.

So - if you can't find what you're looking for here, you may not have left your tiny little world. Snow? Great skiing up around Flagstaff. Lakes, rivers, hunting, fishing, the Grand Canyon, horse rides through Saguaro that are more than 200 years old. Culture? We get some of the best off-Broadway shows here. All the concert tours come here.

So - yeah, the heat. But please go read this whole thread before you damn us or dismiss us:
//www.city-data.com/forum/arizo...ml#post8103822

[MI-IRISH]

depends on your likes and dislikes,where you live,i lived in the lower mohave for a while,it's rough,but so is seeing a 300lb guy in speedo's on the beach,but people still go and surf,to each his,or her,own...love my yard here in michigan...now the snow is gone and i can see it

[crazyme4878]

I have to agree with the OP. The sun just sears your skin in the summer--yikes! I for one don't mind bundling up to play during the winter (and it doesn't cost much--you can take a nice hike for free, you don't need to buy a $5,000 snowmobile). One friend told me, "This is our hibernation time." (in regards to summer) I thought, "umm, not really familiar with that whole hibernation thing."

Anyhow, it is what you like and don't like, what you are use to and not. And what you make of it. I'm trying my best to enjoy it here while I can, but yes, moving down here made me realize that my center of gravity is in the northwoods.

(although, I think there is a great variety of restuarants in Tucson and very good, too. I lived in the UP, so restuarants tended to suck--especially for a vegetarian)

[crazyme4878]

Ooh--and the bugs and creepy-crawlies. It is a hard toss up, but I think I prefer the numerous harmless biting bugs over the few harmful biting bugs. Although it was nice to watch the 4th of July fireworks and not have to deal with mosquitos!

[HeySunshine21]

I liked reading everyone's posts. I'm surprised to find out there really are people who LOVE Michigan. I hate it here. Last year I moved to Indiana. Then Florida. Then South Carolina. Came back to MI and ugh... life has taken a turn for the worst. But the amount of lakes and small towns MI has it is pretty neat if I think about it for awhile. We have different opinions but that's what makes us a country as a whole!

Also... great subdivisions that are VERY nice are everywhere around MI. That's a pretty cool thing, I think, because housing is important everywhere you go.

[ktoyes]

"Yes Tucson has so much sunshine. So much sunshine it feels like my retinas are getting burned out (its boring) plus the dry climate makes you feel like if you aren't constantly drinking, you're going to die. I miss the humidity to keep me from drying out."

LOL! Your reading my mind! I really miss Michigan. Geez...what I'd give for an overcast day or maybe a little rain! It's going to take me a while to get back home, but I will get there!

[malamute]

Tucson is too hot, Michigan is too cold and too hot for me. I'd probably take the sun in Tucson over all the cloudy days and long winters but good thing it's not either - or.

[Michigan Refugee]

My brother and his new wife (then) left Michigan for Pheonix back in 1982,...the last Michigan recession...and are still living there. He absolutely loves it. My family and I relocated to North Carolina Aug. 2007. We couldn't hang on in michigan any longer. Prior to moving to NC, I almost took a teaching job in Arizona but settled on North Carolina. My family and I are very happy in NC. We still have a change of seasons here, just not to the extremes of Michigan.