Moving to Arizona

[Cyclonick182]

So I'm debating pursuing a change of scenery and thinking about Arizona. Is anyone on here living the area or have lived there in the past? I'm looking for some Pros and Cons to the Phoenix area compared to Iowa, Minnesota and Florida. I'm in the Twin Cities now and cant stand the cold! Thanks!

 

[SCNCY]

My wife grew up in Arizona and went to U of A. It gets so hot that you can’t even go outside sometimes. It can be tough on dogs because it can burn their feet. In college, my wife said they would draw straws so to say for someone to run outside in to the pool to splash water on the concrete so everyone else could get in the pool. So kind of the reverse of being cold.

 

[FallOf81]

It's a dry heat.... but so is cremation.

 

[Cyclonick182]

My wife grew up in Arizona and went to U of A. It gets so hot that you can’t even go outside sometimes. It can be tough on dogs because it can burn their feet. In college, my wife said they would draw straws so to say for someone to run outside in to the pool to splash water on the concrete so everyone else could get in the pool. So kind of the reverse of being cold.

I thrive in heat weirdly enough. I loved Florida but the pay for jobs in my field compared to the rest of the country was too low to justify staying.

 

[FallOf81]

And the housing market is NUTS there. You're buying at an all time high with limited inventory. Not sure what you're willing to spend but 250K gets you a 30 year old crack house in a bad neighborhood.

 

[Nococy]

So I'm debating pursuing a change of scenery and thinking about Arizona. Is anyone on here living the area or have lived there in the past? I'm looking for some Pros and Cons to the Phoenix area compared to Iowa, Minnesota and Florida. I'm in the Twin Cities now and cant stand the cold! Thanks!

look into the flagstaff area. we lived there for 2 years you will get snow but not the frigid temperatures and the summer it only gets in the low 90’s

 

[Clonefan94]

I'm sure others can chime in who have actually lived there, but I did spend a lot of time there in my younger years because of family and friends.

The Summers are hot, really hot. Dry heat jokes aside, August is Monsoon season and it's not only in the 110's it get really humid as well. In my younger years I hated it, but I'm getting more and more against winter and cold, so the trade off for me now adays would be to go hot.

Everything is brown, that's really what drove me nuts more than anything. I find brown to be a depressing color, so after a while, the lack of greenery really became an issue. I really would miss green fields and forests of green trees.

The weather over all to me was much better than the midwest. I haven't been out there for years, but you didn't seem to get the insane weather changes you can get in the midwest with the crazy thunderstorms popping up all over the place. At least not to the regularity it happens in the midwest.

I also didn't get a good vibe from people like I do in the midwest either. People just didn't seem as neighborly.

I think in the end, I think it really comes down to weather you like being stuck in your house in the dead of winter with frigid temps or being stuck in your house because it's so hot out it's not safe to be out for very long. As I said, as I get older, the idea of not fighting the cold and snow every year is looking more and more ideal. But be aware, you will still have to start your car before you get into it. You'll just have to run the AC instead of the heat.

 

[NodawayRiverClone]

My mother-in-law lived in Phoenix for several years. By the end of May, most people in the area greatly reduce their time outside during the day. Don't plan on growing many plants you see in the midwest. You will probably get accustomed to the climate over a couple cycles. If not, the sand, snakes, and scorpions will take your mind off living in the middle of a desert.

 

[DesertClone1]

Currently live here. Made the move 5 years ago. Do NOT regret it one bit.

we currently live in Queen Creek and love it. It’s a ways from everything. But it’s perfect for us.

Inventory for a metroplex our size there should be at least 25000 homes for sale. There’s 2500. People are overpaying A LOT. I have no idea what your budget is, but be prepared to offer full price or over asking. We put our old house on the market and within 24 hours, we had multiple offers.

 

[JM4CY]

Pros: chill with Brock’s parents.

 

[BCClone]

Pros: chill with Brock’s parents.

Or Joey Ramos’.

 

[deadeyededric]

So I'm debating pursuing a change of scenery and thinking about Arizona. Is anyone on here living the area or have lived there in the past? I'm looking for some Pros and Cons to the Phoenix area compared to Iowa, Minnesota and Florida. I'm in the Twin Cities now and cant stand the cold! Thanks!

Just moved to Phoenix 3 months ago and love it. There was a thread on here a few weeks ago about housing here. Best road system of any major city in America.

 

[dafarmer]

I can stand the cold-put on more layers and turn up the thermostat a degree, but would rather not live where it is miserably hot. You can only take off so many clothes without getting arrested.

 

[CloneHead]

I'm a snowbird in the Tucson area. There are a lot of advantages of Tucson over Phoenix. Tucson is at about 2400 ft elevation, for this reason it is cooler than Phoenix. Traffic in Phoenix can be quite bad, there is very little congestion in Tucson.

Tucson has the University of Arizona and offers a lot of entertainment options. I think housing is a lot cheaper in Tucson, but available inventory is very low right now.

I would check out the Oro Valley area.

On the negative side, public education in Arizona is one of the worst in the country.

 

[Dopey]

I'm sure others can chime in who have actually lived there, but I did spend a lot of time there in my younger years because of family and friends.

The Summers are hot, really hot. Dry heat jokes aside, August is Monsoon season and it's not only in the 110's it get really humid as well. In my younger years I hated it, but I'm getting more and more against winter and cold, so the trade off for me now adays would be to go hot.

Everything is brown, that's really what drove me nuts more than anything. I find brown to be a depressing color, so after a while, the lack of greenery really became an issue. I really would miss green fields and forests of green trees.

The weather over all to me was much better than the midwest. I haven't been out there for years, but you didn't seem to get the insane weather changes you can get in the midwest with the crazy thunderstorms popping up all over the place. At least not to the regularity it happens in the midwest.

I also didn't get a good vibe from people like I do in the midwest either. People just didn't seem as neighborly.

I think in the end, I think it really comes down to weather you like being stuck in your house in the dead of winter with frigid temps or being stuck in your house because it's so hot out it's not safe to be out for very long. As I said, as I get older, the idea of not fighting the cold and snow every year is looking more and more ideal. But be aware, you will still have to start your car before you get into it. You'll just have to run the AC instead of the heat.

I didn’t live in AZ, but the brown got to me too. When I interviewed back in the Midwest, I was cruising around neighborhoods in the rental car and smelled somebody mowing their yard. It was a done deal for me after that.

 

[BCClone]

Wife’s sister lives there. Had to go for a graduation one year. Late may so I ran to get something out of the car, did it barefoot. Almost burnt my feet in that little 100 foot journey.

 

[Drew0311]

I lived in Chandler and Tempe. Arizona summers are like Iowa winters. I would rather deal with Arizona summer . That is also about a month when it’s scorching hot. The rest of the heat is pretty bearable

 

[carvers4math]

Every time I have been there, except a stop in Flagstaff, it’s not the heat, but how dry it is that kills me. Skin constantly itches, nasal passages dry and dusty. Probably allergic to something there that I don’t know about

 

[Nococy]

I lived in Chandler and Tempe. Arizona summers are like Iowa winters. I would rather deal with Arizona summer . That is also about a month when it’s scorching hot. The rest of the heat is pretty bearable

my father in law still lives in the valley and he always says that you don’t have to shovel sunshine

 

[2020cy]

It hot.