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Well I am sure glad I read all of this about the Phx heat. It is so easy to crave the desert in the winter when you live in the Seattle area. For us it has been a choice between Boulder, CO and Scottsdale, Az. I think we lean towards Boulder. But we are aware of the days of extreme cold and snow there. Frankly Northern New Mexio would be a more moderate climate but the economy and crime there isn't looking good. Southern Calif. was a real hang up of mine for a long time but we have realized how hard it would be to migrate there with the current economy. So it came down to Boulder or Scottsdale. Now Boulder gets extreme cold spells but then in a few days it warms back up some. And they boast of 300 days of sunshine a year. Maybe we will stick with that plan afterall. I just don't know how we'd deal with the summer heat of Phx and the camping idea does seem unrealistic when I stop to think about it.
Boulders a very nice city, good looking town, great bike paths, close to Denver (I guess thats good). Good Restaurants. Very very liberal, like Seattle. The mountains and foothills make it an easy adjustment in scenery compared to Seattle. Its very expensive there, but then again, so is Seattle. Your going to be shoveling allot of snow all for 5 months out of the year. Also, its soooooo dry there, buy lots and lots of lotion. Boulder has better than average schools. Good hiking trails are abundant. Almost NO rain except in the summertime, and you can watch some real cool thunderstorms.
Scottsdale is near the mountains and foothills also, its artsy. Scottsdale doesn't need phoenix, as it stands by itself pretty darn good. Its 72-85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky for 6 months outta the year. I would pick either Scottsdale or Boulder over Seattle....lived in (or near) all three (and many more). I used to live in Oak Harbor, Federal Way, and Vancouver WA, so I know why you want to escape.
Sure. Tucson. I lived there four years until the year 2000. Whenever there is smog it lingers over downtown Tucson. You can see it from Ina/Sunrise/Skyline that skirts the Catalina Foothills. When you can see the layer of smog at a distance, it means the air you currently breathe is cleaner. Which is why I like the north part of Tucson. My aunt and uncle lived in the east part. That probably works too, if you live as far east as you can.
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Originally Posted by AliveandWell
Oh, and I almost forgot to ask this question: are there any places outside of the Phoenix metro area, but in Arizona that have less smog and pollution? It is not the sun that bothers me, but the pollution in L.A. has got me coughing the last couple days. Any suggestions?
I guess the answer is maybe to live Northern Arizona and travel on little trips to the Phoenix area to warm up in the winter months on days off. But my problem about Northern AZ is the lack of jobs up there.
I guess the answer is maybe to live Northern Arizona and travel on little trips to the Phoenix area to warm up in the winter months on days off. But my problem about Northern AZ is the lack of jobs up there.
That would make sense because Arizona is such a small state that it does not have a large population. The two largest cities in the state are Phoenix and Tucson. No matter where you go, there's going to be a disadvantage of some sort. Here in CA we have earthquakes, mud slides, forest fires and a VERY high cost of living. Nowhere is perfect. Yes that's true in those smaller cities jobs are going to be tougher to find. But since PHX has a dry heat, it should be easier to manage.
I think this next summer is going to be an important one because it will be a test to see how well I handle it. If I am able to handle it well enough by the end of summer 2010, then, that is a good sign because it will show that my body has acclimated enough to the heat. Nowhere has absolutely perfect weather when you really think about it except maybe Coastal CA? Just about anywhere in this country that you travel to, there will be a con of some sort when it comes to weather. I've lived just about my entire life in dry heat so I know what it is like. You either have to pay $$$ to live in CA or you have to go someplace more affordable but deal with snow, tornadoes, hurricanes or other things. At least that's what it seems like to me. I read an old thread on City Data a while back with the title "There is no perfect Place." How very true. There really is no utopia. for those of you that made the move from L.A. to a place like PHX, what was your attitude? How did you adjust?
A somewhat related question....How do you like California or Arizona as opposed to Florida? Arizona and Southern California have the nice sunny weather and dry heat, but Arizona has no ocean and California's ocean, even in the southern part, is generally colder than anything on the East Coast, at least south of Cape Hatteras, N.C., maybe even further up. I'm not an expert with that part of the country, so westerners could fill me in.
Boulders a very nice city, good looking town, great bike paths, close to Denver (I guess thats good). Good Restaurants. Very very liberal, like Seattle. The mountains and foothills make it an easy adjustment in scenery compared to Seattle. Its very expensive there, but then again, so is Seattle. Your going to be shoveling allot of snow all for 5 months out of the year. Also, its soooooo dry there, buy lots and lots of lotion. Boulder has better than average schools. Good hiking trails are abundant. Almost NO rain except in the summertime, and you can watch some real cool thunderstorms.
Scottsdale is near the mountains and foothills also, its artsy. Scottsdale doesn't need phoenix, as it stands by itself pretty darn good. Its 72-85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky for 6 months outta the year. I would pick either Scottsdale or Boulder over Seattle....lived in (or near) all three (and many more). I used to live in Oak Harbor, Federal Way, and Vancouver WA, so I know why you want to escape.
I'm a native seattlite, living in Denver and looking to move to AZ....so I'd just add, coming from SEA, if you go to Boulder you may find tent camping not nearly as realistic as Seattle -- almost everywhere you go, even 30min out of town is 8000' or higher so the nighttime temps are a heck of a lot colder than you find in the Cascades. But snow here isn't as bad as folks think -- it snows, then sublimates or blows away within a couple days, so rarely here for long. The stuff is soooo powdery it's like shoveling goose down. We've been out with the kids building snow forts in shorts and t-shirts when it is 45F (unlike the NW, the sun provides warmth in winter, lol). The weather changes fast here -- too fast for me. AZ is a whole other animal weather-wise. From what I've read here the tough part is the unrelenting consistency of the summer heat. Ironically, that's what will probably make it good for me!
I'm a native seattlite, living in Denver and looking to move to AZ....so I'd just add, coming from SEA, if you go to Boulder you may find tent camping not nearly as realistic as Seattle -- almost everywhere you go, even 30min out of town is 8000' or higher so the nighttime temps are a heck of a lot colder than you find in the Cascades. But snow here isn't as bad as folks think -- it snows, then sublimates or blows away within a couple days, so rarely here for long. The stuff is soooo powdery it's like shoveling goose down. We've been out with the kids building snow forts in shorts and t-shirts when it is 45F (unlike the NW, the sun provides warmth in winter, lol). The weather changes fast here -- too fast for me. AZ is a whole other animal weather-wise. From what I've read here the tough part is the unrelenting consistency of the summer heat. Ironically, that's what will probably make it good for me!
I didnt like snow in CO, while its great to ski on (no use to me) it doesnt make good snowman's or snowballs. It is safer to drive on than snow from Seattle. I don't like those ice storms in Seattle, they are deadly.
A somewhat related question....How do you like California or Arizona as opposed to Florida? Arizona and Southern California have the nice sunny weather and dry heat, but Arizona has no ocean and California's ocean, even in the southern part, is generally colder than anything on the East Coast, at least south of Cape Hatteras, N.C., maybe even further up. I'm not an expert with that part of the country, so westerners could fill me in.
I have lived in all these areas. Southern California hands-down has the best weather - mostly low humidity, endless days in the seventies, with wet days which are welcome but not intrusive. Southern California air quality and traffic take away from the pluses of the lovely weather. If I had a five-spot for every time I heard Southern Californians say "the ocean breezes clean out all the smog, I'd retire. I've been close to the southern California coast plenty, and many times discovered I was still breathing nasty smelling air on even windy days.
Arizona heat is for seven months of the year (outside of the northern part of the state), as many have so succinctly described it, like living near the heat of a blast furnace from twenty feet away. Headaches from the glare and heat of the relentless Arizona sun are common to many residents. To have experienced ninety degree evenings at 9 pm in Phoenix is to know the breadth and scope of the Phoenix summers. Wide-brim hats, sunscreen, water bottles, and pain analgesics are your Arizona friends. As for the state as a whole, I prefer a residence in the central part of the state (Coconino and Yavapai Counties). While there are no Trader Joe's (etc.) for transplants with such yins, there is cleaner air and lighter traffic. You can always take a bi-weekly shopping run to Phoenix for your fix.
Florida and the Carolina's are out in my book because of that oppressive humidity. If I had never acclimated to the low-humidity states I would not know the difference and could accept the southeast humidity, but I do know the difference, and even if I could have a home on Fisher Island with a nice fishing boat by the dock - I'd take a pass. Of course the windy, hot, dry southwest can kill your skin much faster than can the southeast if you don't exercise due diligence. It's to late for me, but you youngsters have been warned (c:
Last edited by bongofury; 02-28-2010 at 09:22 AM..
Boulders a very nice city, good looking town, great bike paths, close to Denver (I guess thats good). Good Restaurants. Very very liberal, like Seattle. The mountains and foothills make it an easy adjustment in scenery compared to Seattle. Its very expensive there, but then again, so is Seattle. Your going to be shoveling allot of snow all for 5 months out of the year. Also, its soooooo dry there, buy lots and lots of lotion. Boulder has better than average schools. Good hiking trails are abundant. Almost NO rain except in the summertime, and you can watch some real cool thunderstorms.
What's funny is I have a good friend who just moved to Boulder from Seattle and she hates it. She makes over twice as much money in Boulder and is now looking for jobs in Seattle and will take less to live there. She says the liberalism in Boulder is different. It's mostly an pro environmental and social spending type of liberalism as opposed to the embracement of diversity, gay rights and other west coast liberalism. Also, there is very little diversity in Boulder and coming from Seattle, that was a huge shock for her as she was used to Asians and Asian culture.
Arizona weather is great. Obviously nothing beats Southern California and Hawaiian weather but if there is third place, it goes to Arizona hands down. We have 4 months of oppressive heat and 8 months of great weather depending on the year. Sure some years the heat can extend into November but you will have years where you have a mild summer too. 300 days of sunshine and the lack of humidity means everything. People freak out when they see 110 on the scale but the reason it can get so hot is because we lack humidity. Coming from LA, I realized it's just a number and feels similar to the inner valley in So Cal. The nice thing about Arizona is that winter time is truly a joy. In LA and especially San Diego, it can get really cold in the winter especially in January through the end of March. It's not the type of weather in which you are comfortable standing outside for hours. Phoenix has some cool weather but it's not bad enough that you can't stand outside and have a dink with some friends.
I can tell you this much, the Phoenix area is very popular. Despite what you read on City Data from the same 5 people, in reality, it's competitive to live here. If you notice, the people who routinely whine about Phoenix have not left and are still here. I learned a long time ago that talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words. If the haters aren't leaving that shows you what people really think about Phoenix. I get calls from physicians from California inquiring about availabilities in our practice. Any time there is a job opening here, the competition for it is ridiculous because you not only have to compete with Arizona residents but out of state residents who are dying to move here.
Last edited by azriverfan.; 03-01-2010 at 04:33 AM..
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Northern Arizona
