Please, please, please make the snowbirds leave. (Phoenix, Tucson: condo, homes)

[carol munroe]

South of the border doesn't have to be Phoenix. If you complain about your northern fellow americans, trying to to keep warm,then you've helped me make up my mind were not to spend my retirement or my money. I can hear some of you right now saying keep your Canadian money. Last year and the year before I drove across upper & lower USA. Beautiful!! I've been driving through your country for 34 years.Met some really nice friendly people. Phoenix is one stop, there are many more. Have any southern Americans spent their hot summers in the northern states or Canada? ( Banff, Vancouver, Northern Ontario) On one trip through Wyoming we heard a guy asking his wife (while looking at our licence plate) which state were we?

[yukon]

I lived year-round in a 'resort' park when I lived in Florida, and I loved it when our snowbirds came in. We had a lot of returning regulars every year, and it was like summer camp or a reunion, seeing who came back, catching up with the gossip and news, etc. It was really fun. Downside wasn't their driving, it was the beginning of summer when everyone would pack up and leave. That first week, with everyone gone and before the regular summer weekend campers arrived, was really depressing. I miss it.

CaroleMunroe, when I lived in TX, I visited Canada several times in the summer...to escape the TX heat & humidity, LOL. Loved it in BC, it's beautiful up there in the summer.

[SeaG]

As a soon to be 'snowbird' from a Canadian tourist destination, I find this discussion amusing.

Our fair city is overrun (I exaggerate) from May-Sep with tourists from all over the world, but mainly from the US. It is sometimes impossible to navigate our downtown area on foot, let alone by car.

We are becoming a favoured cruise ship stop on the way to Alaska, bringing many more tens of thousands of 'summerbirds' to our streets.

But when I hear the figures of these visitors adding a billion dollars to our economy each year I keep my mouth shut.

I retired early, so not considered a true 'senior' yet - so I still drive fast in my G35!

Since our city is known for 70 year olds coming to visit their grand-parents I too hate poor drivers. We are known as the city of the newlywed and nearly dead!

Besides buying a home with cash, annual taxes, HOA, we expect to spend around $ 15,000 for each 6 months we stay in Phoenix for food, dining, entertainment, etc.

We hope that when we come in September to househunt that we are accepted as valued members of the community - even if we don't stay year round.

SeaG

[slackjaw]

Originally Posted by blisterpeanuts

Snowbirds... or seasonal residents... whatever you want to call them--they don't compete for local jobs, they don't commit crimes, and they do spend, spend, spend. What's not to love?

This. Like the F-35, they do way more good than bad.

[slackjaw]

Originally Posted by SeaG

We hope that when we come in September to househunt that we are accepted as valued members of the community - even if we don't stay year round.

SeaG

PM me, I'll buy you a beer and say welcome. I'm serious.

[impala666]

I suspect that the “Snowbird” my become an endangered species as the long term effects of the recession begin to have an impact on the new generations of retirees.

[Howard Roark]

SeaG,

I saw the same thing in Alaska a few years back. I took a brief trip there one August and it was my first time there. I rode the Alaska Railroad. Most of the tourists on the train were from Asia. I met a few Americans who were summer workers in Alaska. One of them told me that if it was not for the Asian tourists, the Alaska economy would be depressed. The Asian tourists hold it together. So yes, since she told me that anecdote, I have high regard for foreign tourists.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by Roran

Ok, so is anybody counting the days until the snowbirds leave?

It seems we have to nuke our town before they will leave. Then they're back later in the year. Kinda like roaches.

Sigh...

Arghhh soon to be back!

[Zane Grey]

Arghhh soon to be back!

C'mon now! Yes, they'll be back soon, just as soon as our desert heat moves away for another year.

Once again they'll cause a few traffic snarls, and once again we'll lack seating at the restaurants. Once again flocks of them will swoop into our stores and crowd the aisles. Yet, what a "problem" for Arizona to have!

To our credit, we learn to tolerate and adjust to our snowbirds, don't we? Well... most of us do!

They love Arizona. They love our weather, and they come here to cheerfully spend their recently deposited retirement and social security checks. We could, at the very least, love them back half-heartedly; we could, at the very most, welcome them back wholeheartedly - with open cash registers!

If only for a few months at a time.

[Captain Bill]

Snowbirds and tourism is a large part of our economy. We should be welcoming the Snowbirds with open arms.

They buy homes, they buy food, they buy clothing, they buy automobiles, they buy gas, and many other items. They pay a lot of taxes to our state and cities, to help keep our economy going.

So let's be happy to have them here.