by White Dove 19 Replies latest jw friends
Mustang said: I left because of the heat.
I don't blame you there. I can't stand the Arizona heat. Tucson stays about 5 degrees cooler, but it isn't enough for me. So I moved to southern california. At least the summers are not as hot. We have our hot days, but not like Arizona. At least I can stand it in the summer.
Cynthia
My dad lived there when he was a teen and loved the weather. We have family in NM and some in AZ, but I've only visited there during the summer.
I guess it depends on the individual.
I hate the bitter cold much more than the bitter heat.
I can't go out in the winter cold here because my lungs always freeze dry and give me brochitis or pneumonia.
My daughter is the same.
I went to Sedona AZ and loved it! Small, laid back, stunning in beauty. It's not far from Phoenix. When I flew back home I had to go to Phoenix to catch my flight. I didn't care for it. It was dirty, and seemed to have all the bad qualities of a big city. Sorry, I don't mean to put it down, it was just such a stark contrast to Sedona and the Canyon.
I moved to the west suburbs of Phoenix a couple years ago. I hate the summer heat but like Gayle said, 8 or 9 months of the year is fine. Right now it is just about perfect. Still in the high 80s or low 90s during the day but the evenings & mornings are just perfect.
The only way to tolerate the heat is to stay inside when it's so hot. A few weeks ago I went about 1 1/2 hrs north to Prescott & Prescott Valley. It's much cooler up that way and a perfect get away from the heat. Sedona was good too. Haven't made it to Flagstaff yet.
I lived in Houston (Clear Lake area) for about 6 years until 2005 and loved being able to go down to Galveston and walk or ride my bike on the seawall. I certainly can't get out and ride my bike here in the desert in the summer time. The first winter I was here we had a short very cold spell that killed a lot of the plants. I hear that is very unusual.
Haven't seen the black widow spiders or rattle snakes - neighbors have had both in their yards. We have found two scorpions inside the house. The first one freaked me out and I was up all night on the computer trying to find out how to get rid of them. Since then, I went on a scorpion hunt one night up at Lake Pleasant (NW of Phoenix). Hundreds of those critters all along the trail that night!!! They really do glow in the dark under a black light.
There are also frogs that can kill dogs. So far one dog has died and another injured by biting on the frogs in this community. And don't forget the tarantulas. Saw one in the grocery store parking lot the first fall I was here.
The coyotes come through our community all the time. Love to hear them howling at night. The night skies are beautiful too - saw falling stars the last two nights.
Originally from Michigan; (grew up in northern Michigan.) Have lived in the East Valley area of Phoenix for a bit more than two years now. Yes, it really does depend on the individual and his/her lifestyle. For about three and a half months it's hot as hell...BUT for about eight and a half months (to my way of thinking) it's as close as you can get to paradise (temperature-wise.)
So, during those crazy hot months, my time outside is minimal. In the early morning, I might go out for a dip in my pool, but I'm either in the house, my car, or some other air-conditioned environment. I seem to tolerate the heat pretty well--when it's for short periods: from the car to the store or restaurant, etc. I know some people who really love the heat too. I definitely prefer this weather to the nasty weather in Michigan. I do love Michigan, but the bitter cold lasts far longer than Phoenix's worst heat in my opinion, and the gray, cloudy, drizzly conditions can have a depressive effect. On the other hand I can almost always count on lovely, golden sunshine here.
As someone who travels about 46 weeks per year throughout the country, I always get a kick at how someone can quickly size up a city. Just because someone drove to the airport in Phoenix does not give them a single clue about what is offered here. As you'll find almost anywhere, there are poor areas and there are great ones. I am by no means an expert on the area, but there are some positively gorgeous areas in Scottsdale and Tempe, and I'm delighted with how my neighborhood has been springing up. Although I've seen no signs of gangs myself, we can all imagine they must be here. I mean, Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the country now. 2nd largest in the western states after Los Angeles. It's entire metro area is 13th largest as well--at 4.6 million and growing. Would you expect gangs in New York, L.A., Chicago? Then why not Phoenix?
If you can't take the heat...best stay away from Phoenix--or at least enjoy it from October through May/June. But if you love gorgeous, mountain views, incomparable sunsets, hiking, fabulous dining--and all the other things that go along with a major metropolitan area--including almost nonstop sunshine, get here as soon as possible!
I'm also now in SoCal. Tuscon is about 1000 feet higher: Field Elevations in the Valley of the Sun run 1200-1400 feet. Tuscon is around 2400 feet. That gets you the 5 or so degrees cooler: its called the "lapse rate" (typically 1.6 degrees/1000, out to about 25 Kft, maybe...).
Mustang .
Haven't seen the black widow spiders or rattle snakes - neighbors have had both in their yards. We have found two scorpions inside the house. The first one freaked me out and I was up all night on the computer trying to find out how to get rid of them. Since then, I went on a scorpion hunt one night up at Lake Pleasant (NW of Phoenix). Hundreds of those critters all along the trail that night!!! They really do glow in the dark under a black light.
No joke!!! I used to drive up back roads by Turf Paradise at night. I would see them skittering across the road in my headlights. My friends told me about their 'glow-in-the-dark' scorpion hunts.
I remember a flap about Federal funding for scorpion anti-venom dropping once making local news whille I was there.
Mustang .
Wife and I moved here 3 years ago and love it. The heat is a little intense in the summer but it is like spring the rest of the year.
After 30 years living in Seattle we were sick of the gray and drizzley climate and so far the Phoenix climate has not worn off .
My aunt lives in Tempe and she's inviting me and my gf to go live there (I'm planing on leaving NYC in a year and a half so I'm scouting out where to live once I get my Masters degree...)
I visited Phoenix twice last year and loved it. It felt like home when I first landed at the airport. I drove the streets like I grew up there (like the way street names dont change when you go to the differnet outling cities.)
