What's it like to live in Arizona?

reply to post by unb3k44n7

I'm afraid It's a bit hard to find a middle ground between the ridiculously hot but happening, sand/rocks/arroyos, cactus-and-sunsets, Valley of the Sun type towns, versus the hot-in-summer-but-snowy-in-winter, juniper bushes, burr oaks and pine tree type towns here. Sedona and its surrounding area may be your best bet, or you could even go all the way down South to Bisbee, which is nice, less expensive, and has much milder weather with some woods, but is also much, much smaller (tiny).

If you are looking for warm, but not too hot, temperate, enjoyable weather year-round, you might have to continue West all the way into California (and keep going until you get out of the desert in the Eastern half of that state). Unfortunately, everyone else likes that too, so the cost of living is sky high, and the pollution in the cities along the coast are pretty horrendous. Are your folks moving for the adventure, or some other reason?

Originally posted by gwynnhwyfar
reply to post by unb3k44n7

 

Are your folks moving for the adventure, or some other reason?

Warmer climate. Going through cold long winters every year for 20 plus years, especially as you get older, just gets tiring. There's only like 3 months or so of a true summer and then it's gone.

reply to post by unb3k44n7

I understand, been there done that. I spent most of my time in Colorado and Ohio, before I moved here in 1998.

ETA: It is a give and take, though. We have about six months of wonderful weather, and the other six months are unbearably hot and you can't do hardly anything outside. Kind of the opposite of the rest of the states.

The answer to all of your questions is "no".

We left the day my husband graduated. There were also about 15 other Uhauls in the parking lot at graduation because anyone from east of the Mississippi couldn't wait to get out of there.

It is like living at a truck stop. There are so many people coming and going, that no one bothers to get to know you. There is no sense of community, the cities will do things like charge for a fourth of july event.

It is a privelage to work state, and they make it known every day. It is a miserable place to work.

There is rampant racism, sexism, etc. I saw people get away with things there that would get you fired and never work again in my area.

Also, Arizona ranks 48th in the nation for education, and it shows. I was told by several supervisors to stop using such big words.

BUT

if you are a nature lover, best place in the world to live.

Sorry, but those are my honest answers.

reply to post by unb3k44n7


Go to Florida.

reply to post by Infi8nity


Sedona is amazing but you need to be a millionaire to live there.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by Infi8nity

 

Sedona is amazing but you need to be a millionaire to live there.

No you dont. I lived there for a while in nice 3 bed room house. Im not going to lie, it is expensive but any one can live there no matter your income. You can work in a grocery store and survive. The beauty is well worth it, sedona sits on a vortex, the energy is a amazing felling especially when you know how to use it.

reply to post by Infi8nity


Yea I went to see the vortex...it was developed.

sigh

reply to post by nixie_nox

There is no sense of community, the cities will do things like charge for a fourth of july event.

In the valley (greater Phoenix area), yes, they charge for the really big "parties" like 4th of July and the Tempe New Year's Block Party in some of the cities where they hire live entertainment like (actual) popular rock bands and professional hosts, but they don't charge for the community events in the smaller valley towns, or up in Prescott, at the town square around the Courthouse, where they hold festivals and art shows throughout the year, or in Flagstaff where they do the same at the park just south of the historic district, or in Bisbee, from what I've seen. Not sure about Sedona. There's usually a lot going on in Sedona, regardless.

Even in the valley, there is no charge for the big art fetivals, which have a huge turnout of families (and they often bring their dogs) such as the Tempe Art Festival.

If you live in the valley, we still have community stuff, at least in my neck of the woods, in Goodyear. I have lived in Mesa, Chandler, Avondale and Goodyear, and there are plenty of community events.

By the way, we also have Spring Training for baseball teams from other states, all over the valley, if you like such things. In Goodyear, we host the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. We usually get a three game pass, since it is right down the street and makes for a nice diversion in the spring.

I will say this... If you currently live in Cincinnati, you probably won't like living here. They are polar opposites in terms of lifestyle. Folks from other parts in the Eastern US tend to transplant fairly well.

I admit I am biased.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by unb3k44n7

 

Go to Florida.

I'm sorry, but I have lived a lot of places in the last 35ish years i remember, and you are honestly saying that Florida is a better quality of life than Arizona. I'm curious what you base that on, because I for one like Florida after my years in Tallahassee , my parents live there now, but i'm curious why you think it is all that different from Arizona.

Please have at it, i have my list of why they are almost dead even, but you have the stage.

reply to post by gwynnhwyfar


i live one mile from an entire chicago bar on central and lincoln....they pride themselves on bringing Chicago to phoenix....and it is a lot of fun....why do you say those from Ohio wouldn't get along well here?

Well, I'll tell you what! You can buy Graeter's ice cream at my local Fry's and Skyline chilli-dogs at the Cincinnati Reds spring training games (but nowhere have I found a five-way, and they do not understand the concept of "chili" over spaghetti here).

It might work out, in the end...

I have lived in AZ since 2002. The quality of life depends on where in the State you end up in. AZ is huge and has a very different climate, education level, political leanings, activities, age and race mix, as well as very different levels of friendliness and sense of community. Some of these things can change from town to town. I know this because I have lived and worked all over the State. One person's negative experience however valid will not be the same in a different part of Arizona. Posters on here implying because they had a bad time in 1 town means you will anywhere in the State is ignorant and should be ignored.

If you want specific answers about certain locations U2U me for info.