Planning on moving from Tennessee to Phoenix (Flagstaff: insurance, luxury)

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

This is proof that it's stupid to move to Phoenix just for a change in the weather. Too many people have done this, and then end up dissatisfied or miserable, and a lot of times it's because of how hot the summers are. In fact, I would say that if anybody absolutely has to move someplace just for the weather/climate, Phoenix should be toward the bottom of the list. There are lots of other places to consider with few tornadoes and nicer weather overall than Phoenix.

I can't agree with the second part, the heat is far less disruptive on life than rain, blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, etc.. the heat doesn't wipe your house/city out, cause you to need to evacuate, create insane insurance premiums. Think about it a little bit.

I do agree that people moving here, especially from the east, do not understand our heat or how much it can impact you. They know a hot day as 85 and humid, laughable here, I know. But I've lived in both places and personally see how many people will find this more tolerable.

I'm also okay with some people coming for one summer and leaving. We've got plenty of people here and it's not for everyone. I did my time in the east and promptly came to a similar conclusion, summers sucked for me, winters also sucked, I hate bugs, I hate humidity, my allergies we're insane, I spent far less time outdoors in the summer there than I do in Phoenix. But all good, variety of living location is a luxury we have in this country.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by locolife

I can't agree with the second part, the heat is far less disruptive on life than rain, blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, etc.. the heat doesn't wipe your house/city out, cause you to need to evacuate, create insane insurance premiums. Think about it a little bit.

That is true, but keep in mind that the recent tornado outbreak in KY, TN, and other states was a rare occurrence, especially this time of year. With that in mind, the Phoenix area certainly had its share of crazy weather events. The winters of 1978 & 1980 brought severe flooding that washed out roads & bridges, and forced people to evacuate. Granted, we didn't have very good flood control at that time compared to now, but there have been other events that raised a few eyebrows. Tornadoes broke out in 1972, 1992, and more recently in 2019. The ones in '72 actually caused widespread damage in parts of north Phoenix & Scottsdale. It was very unusual, but it still happened. And plenty of wind damage occurs every summer during the monsoon. People don't seem to realize that our area is not completely free of flooding & severe storms.

Originally Posted by locolife

I do agree that people moving here, especially from the east, do not understand our heat or how much it can impact you. They know a hot day as 85 and humid, laughable here, I know. But I've lived in both places and personally see how many people will find this more tolerable.

I'm also okay with some people coming for one summer and leaving. We've got plenty of people here and it's not for everyone. I did my time in the east and promptly came to a similar conclusion, summers sucked for me, winters also sucked, I hate bugs, I hate humidity, my allergies we're insane, I spent far less time outdoors in the summer there than I do in Phoenix. But all good, variety of living location is a luxury we have in this country.

It just doesn't make much sense how so many people come here for just for the weather/climate. Think about it: somebody moving to the nation's 5th largest city just because he doesn't like tornadoes??? There are lots of places to consider besides Phoenix ... which should be attracting more businesses and goal oriented types. Phoenix is often viewed derogatorily because of how lacking we are in certain things compared to other cities in our size range. We only have ourselves to blame because we've allowed it to happen. You're correct that we have plenty of people here, and sorry to say, a lot of them are the types we need fewer of.

[popwar]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Yep, the heat is really challenging in the summer. Where are you thinking of relocating to?

Back to Upstate SC or maybe Oregon

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by popwar

Back to Upstate SC or maybe Oregon

Either place will be green and have more water!

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Tornadoes have been reported in every state, except Alaska & Rhode Island. While it's much more rare for tornadoes to occur in the Phoenix area, there have been outbreaks from time to time (most recently in November & December of 2019).

Actually, every state, including Alaska and Rhode Island has experienced at least one tornado since 1950.

Tornadoes in the United States

Tornadoes have been documented in every U.S. state (not including the non-state territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico) at least once since 1950, although some regions and states are hit by tornadoes far more than others. For example, the average number of tornadoes to hit the states of Alaska, Rhode Island, and Vermont is less than one, while the state of Oklahoma receives an average of 52 tornadoes per year, and the state of Texas is hit with 126 tornadoes in an average year. The state with the most tornadoes per unit area is Florida, though most are weak tornadoes of EF0 or EF1 intensity. A number of Florida's tornadoes occur along the edge of hurricanes that strike the state. The state with the highest number of strong tornadoes per unit area is Oklahoma. States such as Oklahoma and Kansas have much lower population densities than Florida, so tornadoes may go unreported.

[thinkalot]

In an area with tornados they also have severe thunderstorms, something we don't have here. Here we lose a few Palo Verde and people think it was a bad storm.

When I moved here it was August. The realtor told me it was the humid time of year. I started laughing. She said humid for here. She knew because her inlaws are where I came from.

The only people I hear complain about the weather are late sleepers that don't get up until it is already 100 outside.

[Maroon197]

Originally Posted by thinkalot

The only people I hear complain about the weather are late sleepers that don't get up until it is already 100 outside.

This is a ridiculous take. We frequently have LOWS above 90 degrees throughout the summer. Which means even if you wake up at 3am it’s unpleasantly hot enough to make you sweat with any outdoor activity whatsoever.

[KurtAZ]

Just a quick search of the interwebs....

The cost of living in Phoenix, AZ is 10.5% higher than in Nashville, TN. Employers in Phoenix, AZ typically pay 6.3% more than employers in Nashville, TN.

So if you make $50k doing Uber/Lyft/DD in Nashville, you will need to earn $55,250 here to break even. Not sure what the car insurance difference would be since you would be using your car as a business but...more expensive I would assume. AZ has some of the highest Automobile Insurance rates in the country.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by cjseliga

Actually, every state, including Alaska and Rhode Island has experienced at least one tornado since 1950.

Tornadoes in the United States

True, but the vast majority of severe tornadoes have occurred east of, let's say a line running north-south through Denver. See the map at the top of the mentioned wikipedia article.

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by hikernut

True, but the vast majority of severe tornadoes have occurred east of, let's say a line running north-south through Denver. See the map at the top of the mentioned wikipedia article.

Of course, I was just pointing out when someone mentioned Alaska and Rhode Island NEVER had a tornado, when in fact they have had them as well.