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Old 06-22-2017, 07:05 AM
 
Location: Southwest US
812 posts, read 797,390 times
Reputation: 1055

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Minntoaz View Post
Yes. I got sick of the cold and the heat. In Minnesota and Arizona and Washington.

It's not a generalized "one is better than the other" but more of a "one is a better fit for me". Weather sucks no matter where you go at some period so it has to go beyond that. How important is being by family? How important are politics? Culture?
Very good point! I've considered going back to MI, but aside from DH not being very interested in that, I really prefer the west in general. The terrain and the culture of the west seem quite different and more appealing to me then that of the Midwest.

Another poster also made the good point that the few places that do seem to have "perfect" weather are too expensive for many people to afford. As much as I do like AZ, I have been looking at many other areas to see if there is a place that we would like (and could afford) to live that isn't quite as hot in the summer. So far, I haven't found it.

Minntoaz, are you living in WA now? How do you like it there? Spokane is one area we have considered and not really had the chance to explore yet.
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Old 06-22-2017, 07:39 AM
 
107 posts, read 202,281 times
Reputation: 324
Just celebrated 20 years in the valley after growing up in Michigan. I won't even go back between Labor Day & Memorial Day. There's almost nothing I miss about Michigan.

I work outside, FWIW, and I'd still rather put up with this week's 118* temps than a week of cold, cloudy drizzle in MI.

I'm pretty happy to never have to mow another blade of grass, too.
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Old 06-22-2017, 08:31 AM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,107 posts, read 51,335,349 times
Reputation: 28356
I grew up in the UP and northern Wisconsin. I had rich friends who lived on the lakes and my teen years were spent water skiing and such. I ache for that lifestyle. It is just not here. We have lakes but it is so damn hot in the summer (some fellow died the other day of heatstroke launching his boat) it can't be enjoyed. The lakes here have no homes on them. Few have swimming areas and they are all overcrowded to the point that they have to be closed on weekends. The beaches there are are shut down because of high coliform counts! Mountains? Sure, if you can endure bumper to bumper traffic for three hours up and potentially five hours back.

I get it that people don't like a MI winter. The grey skies are depressing. But so is endless heat in summer and relative frigid temps here in winter. We have only one good "month" - mid October to mid November- and with each year even that is getting too hot to enjoy.

The grass is not greener here. It is scorched and brown.
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Old 06-22-2017, 08:46 AM
 
4,222 posts, read 3,749,772 times
Reputation: 4588
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderosa View Post
I grew up in the UP and northern Wisconsin. I had rich friends who lived on the lakes and my teen years were spent water skiing and such. I ache for that lifestyle. It is just not here. We have lakes but it is so damn hot in the summer (some fellow died the other day of heatstroke launching his boat) it can't be enjoyed. The lakes here have no homes on them. Few have swimming areas and they are all overcrowded to the point that they have to be closed on weekends. The beaches there are are shut down because of high coliform counts! Mountains? Sure, if you can endure bumper to bumper traffic for three hours up and potentially five hours back.

I get it that people don't like a MI winter. The grey skies are depressing. But so is endless heat in summer and relative frigid temps here in winter. We have only one good "month" - mid October to mid November- and with each year even that is getting too hot to enjoy.

The grass is not greener here. It is scorched and brown.
Only one good month? What are you talking about... there's lots of options for escaping the heat for the 12 or so weeks that's it's really intense you can head north, northeast or straight east and be in cooler spots. There's no frigid weather here, that's just laughable coming from someone out of Michigan.

We had an awesome spring it was literally in the 90s with lows in the 60s like 8 days ago. The wildflower season was phenomenal this year too.

I don't get all the complaining....
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Old 06-22-2017, 08:47 AM
 
9,480 posts, read 12,318,244 times
Reputation: 8783
Quote:
Originally Posted by locolife View Post
Only one good month? What are you talking about
That's what I was wondering. I can think of only one really bad month, the one month of winter we get.
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Old 06-22-2017, 08:53 AM
 
27 posts, read 43,566 times
Reputation: 28
Im curious then why you dont move back to Michigan? I know people talk about AZ having a lower cost of living but housing doesn't seem to be cheaper. My cousin sold her ranch for more than 200k in Chandler while I know in certain parts of Michigan I could find something bigger than her house for less than that.
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Old 06-22-2017, 09:04 AM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,107 posts, read 51,335,349 times
Reputation: 28356
Quote:
Originally Posted by green2819 View Post
Im curious then why you dont move back to Michigan? I know people talk about AZ having a lower cost of living but housing doesn't seem to be cheaper. My cousin sold her ranch for more than 200k in Chandler while I know in certain parts of Michigan I could find something bigger than her house for less than that.
Well, I have been here for well over 40 years. As you can imagine, I have some pretty deep roots in the area now. Kids, extended family (never marry a local, haha). I have been trying to do a reverse snowbird kind of thing looking at seasonal living in the UP, but escaping family ties is proving to be more than I expected.
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Old 06-22-2017, 12:21 PM
 
27 posts, read 43,566 times
Reputation: 28
Thank you for your post! I appreciate your honesty. That makes sense to stay as that is a long time to live somewhere. I love the UP. I think one of the best places in the country.
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Old 06-23-2017, 03:06 AM
 
47 posts, read 89,284 times
Reputation: 38
We are from West Michigan and have lived in Phoenix for almost 2 years. I hate humidity and mosquitoes. I love the constant sun. In Michigan you never know what the weather is going to be and you have to plan accordingly. Snowstorms can make traffic dangerous. I love the landscapes, colors of the desert and housing. It's cleaner here than Michigan. Tap water is kind of gross and I don't like not having cold tap water in the summer. I hike a lot and love the smell of the desert. I don't even like visiting Michigan anymore.
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Old 06-23-2017, 08:32 AM
 
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
5,649 posts, read 5,981,618 times
Reputation: 8317
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zathras View Post
Why would you not want input from anyone else? What if someone was from Ohio, but very very close to Michigan? Would that be acceptable?
I thought the OP was rude and snobbish, too, when I read her post. Yikes. Keep that attitude back in MI! Please!


If the OP liked Vegas so much, she should move there. PHX is nothing like Vegas and she'll most likely be "bored" like most people who compare PHX to LV.
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