Moving to Phoenix area from Wisconsin??? (Flagstaff, Carefree: scorpion, college, live)

[Steve-o]

Well, scorpions are a nuisance to many people and can make daily activities a chore (ie checking everything before you put it on, etc). You shouldnt encounter too many scorpions, and even if you do, theyre easily manipulated and can be moved into a glass jar (they cant climb smooth surfaces) and taken outside. Its the black widows and rattlesnakes that you need to be on the lookout for. Theyre common, more so out near the edges of town. Just dont put your hands and feet where you cant see them, carry a flashlight at night, and be on the lookout and you should be fine. Another rule of thumb is to not hike alone, especially on a barren trail. Bring LOTS of water, the desert dryness sucks any water right out of you.

[ilovesun]

Now boatdrinks and cj81 concern me a little-my fiance and I are looking at the Phoenix area as a place to relocate from South Carolina and one of the reasons we are looking at Phoenix is because it seems there is a lot to do there. We both like sports so the football, basketball and spring training appeal to us but it seems there are a lot of festivals and events going on there-at least according to the visitors guides. Here in Charleston, SC unless you hunt or fish there is NOTHING to do-no sports, no concerts, no nothing-the beach is nice but after awhile that gets old. I'm not worried about the heat and I may be naive about it but our summers feel like a hot wet blanket is wrapped around you-98 degrees with 98% humidity-I think an oven may be more comfortable! We are planning a few trips out there to check things out-we have a couple of years before we plan on moving, but I appriciate any insight from locals!

[Boatdrinks]

Originally Posted by lotsakits

I don't know though....I really want a new house (we are used to having new), but the thing about having snakes and scorpions in my new house does not sound like fun. That is really my only reservation about moving there. I have a few friends out there who says not to worry about it, but reading this forum really makes you think twice.

Seriously - we don't have snakes and scorpians in our house. Yes, maybe some people have problems, but some people have snake and bug problems in every city, and it's SO not an issue for a majority of people here. All you have to do is have a monthly pest service spray the exterior of your house and you'll be fine! We leave our arcadia doors open all the time, we walk around barefoot, we have windows open....we've been here over 3 yrs and I've never seen a spider in my house, let alone a scorpian. Nor do I know anyone who's ever found a scorpian in their house. Yes, they're here - there are stories on the news every summer about people being stung. It happens. But on the whole, if you keep your house CLEAN - scorpians will be attracted to crumbs - and have a pest service, you'll be fine.

Come visit - if you see a huge numer of scorpains and snakes crawling around hotels, restaurants, model homes, etc., then by all means - don't move here! And let us know where you saw it so we can all stay away Gosh - I'd move away if it were as bad as some people make it out to be.

[Steve-o]

Oh boy...

Scorpions are NOT attracted to crumbs. haha Theyre carniverous. They hunt and kill, they dont eat crumbs off the floor. haha I understand that 99.9% of the people on this earth are misinformed about scorpions, thats why Im here. As for not seeing them? Maybe. Theyre there. Most likely in the yard, but theyre there, I can assure you this 100%. Once theyre established, theyre established.

ilovesun, if you have any questions, let me know, Ill be glad to help and fill you in on specific details.

[ilovesun]

Bugs don't concern me-you should see our "palmetto" bugs (giant roaches) they fly and will attack (I know 1st hand) and I'm borderline phobic but the bug man takes care of them every quarter and I hardly ever see any.

I haven't been to Phoenix yet so I'm not sure what to ask specifically, my fiance and I are looking for a place with good weather-we hate the cold-job opportunities, things to do, and an affordable cost of living. Reading some of the posts here concern me a little but I know that everyone has something they don't like about their city-I could write a book! But I know that not everyone likes the same things and the heat can be bothersome but we want to see for ourselves.

I think my biggest concern is affording a house-the areas of Queen Creek are very affordable but is it for us? We'll just have to judge for ourselves-I want to live in an area where I feel safe too-I was reading the Crime Wave? posts and I don't want to have to worry about feeling safe in my town.

[Boatdrinks]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Oh boy...

Scorpions are NOT attracted to crumbs. haha Theyre carniverous. They hunt and kill, they dont eat crumbs off the floor. haha I understand that 99.9% of the people on this earth are misinformed about scorpions, thats why Im here. As for not seeing them? Maybe. Theyre there. Most likely in the yard, but theyre there, I can assure you this 100%. Once theyre established, theyre established.

ilovesun, if you have any questions, let me know, Ill be glad to help and fill you in on specific details.

I just googled "scorpians" and I stand corrected. I was told that keeping your kitchen free from crumbs will keep scorpians away. Since they are carnivores, they don't eat crumbs. They do, however, eat things that do eat crumbs (ants, roaches, mice, etc), so keeping your house free of crumbs WILL, in fact, cut down on their food supply and WILL decrease your odds of having them. Likewise, monthly pest control will get rid of their food supply as well.

I have not discounted the fact that they're here. I'm saying that, in my experience, they're not as big a problem as many (including you) make them out to be. I don't know where you live and what kind of house it is, but scorpians have never been an issue in any of the new suburban Phoenix neighborhoods we've lived.

At any rate, I was wrong in my earlier post - thank you for correcting my misinformation (and you were so incredibly polite and respectful about it too. haha )

[Boatdrinks]

Originally Posted by ilovesun

Now boatdrinks and cj81 concern me a little-my fiance and I are looking at the Phoenix area as a place to relocate from South Carolina and one of the reasons we are looking at Phoenix is because it seems there is a lot to do there. We both like sports so the football, basketball and spring training appeal to us but it seems there are a lot of festivals and events going on there-at least according to the visitors guides. Here in Charleston, SC unless you hunt or fish there is NOTHING to do-no sports, no concerts, no nothing-the beach is nice but after awhile that gets old. I'm not worried about the heat and I may be naive about it but our summers feel like a hot wet blanket is wrapped around you-98 degrees with 98% humidity-I think an oven may be more comfortable! We are planning a few trips out there to check things out-we have a couple of years before we plan on moving, but I appriciate any insight from locals!

We're from DC - not quite as hot and humid as Charleston, but it gets pretty bad. I'll take summers here over mid-Atlantic summers any time. It does get old after 5 months of roasting heat. But it's not nearly as humid as back east (monsoon gets a little icky).

It's funny that you think there's nothing to do in Charleston b/c I was recently reading your visitor's guide (we had a potential job offer) and it looked like a really fun city! I really think that any city gets kind of boring after a while. Phoenix's proximity to Vegas and SoCal make it appealing, especially to young people without kids who can roadtrip for long weekends. Once you have kids and are tied down with school schedules and can't travel as much, it does tend to get a little harder to find new and fun things to do (my opinion - many people don't have that problem).

However, if you wouldn't be moving for a few years, you'll find a lot more to do when you get here. Someone posted info about the Wave Yard water park, which is supposed to be built in the next few years. And they're revitalizing downtown now too. So there'll be more to do. But it'll also be a lot more crowded, so there are negatives too.

Definitely come visit. Even if you don't move here, it's a great place to vacation...if you can manage to step around all the scorpians and snakes

[Cj81]

I guess I should be a little more specific about Phoenix and its culture. I shouldn't say there is nothing to do here , that is really more specific to different people. Yes we have all of the sports, I don't know that you can include NFL football because we have the Cardinals which don't really count as a real team. Yes there is lots and lots of spring training and all of the ASU sports. And there are a lot of festivals in Tempe and a few in Phoenix. So I guess there is a lot to do in certain areas of Phoenix, it just depends on what you like to do. If you like sports, yeah we got them here. And if you like festivals, Tempe Town Lake throws a few of those a month. I speak bad about the downtown culture, but that is all changing as well. So as long as you can take the heat, I'm sure you'll find enough to do to keep you busy.

[Cj81]

I also wanted to tell everyone , seriously, don't worry about snakes and scorpians. Like I said they are here but its not as bad as you think. I bought a new home in Avondale and had is sprayed once a month. I never saw a scorpian or snake in my house. However, one of my neighbors did. The point I am trying to make is that you may see them or you may not. They don't chase you or attack, if you see one it will probably be just sitting on a wall or on the floor. They don't fly, its really not that big of a deal. If you live in a new home or in rurl or mountain areas you will need to be more cautious than if you live in the central city. The kinds of precautions people generally take are checking your shoes before you put them on, checking your bed before you jump in, just keeping an open eye. But I live in central Phoenix now and I never check anything. So if you love Phoenix and you are worried about scorpians just move to central Phoenix. There are tons of new"urban" developments down here so you could still buy new. Plus the light rail will be done soon. Downtown has been really dull for many years and something is finally happening down here. I think in a few years it will be pretty cool. Plus it beats the suburbs anyday, even in its current condition.

[Steve-o]

Well, yes, theres less of a chance of having scorps in a house in central PHX, but theyre still there. My family found them all the time in their house on Shea, which is smack dab in the middle of the city. They didnt have snakes though, which theyre getting now in north Scottsdale.