There are probably better places to go ask this question but wanted to start here. Wife and I were born and raised in Arkansas and have never lived more then 60 miles from where we were born. We are starting to get older and been thinking about living somewhere else before we get to old and had always said we would like to try Arizona. Over the last few months we have gotten more serious about it and actually to the point that she applied for a job in Tempe and was flown out to interview. With that being said I have researched some news groups on AZ and the only real con that I have read is about the heat. I am thinking that these people that complain about the heat have not spent a summer in the south with 75% + humidity. So for those of you that live or have lived in the Tempe/Phoenix area what are your thoughts on living in this area? Why do you love it and/or hate it? One thing I am really liking is the proximity to Vegas. Right now we get to go about once a year but could see that frequency going up with a move. Thanks!!
Besides the usual stuff one would look at when moving such as cost of living, schools, and career potential, here is my $.02 on living in Tucson for 25 years: What I loved: - Saguaro cacti. Never thought I'd miss these but now that I've been away for almost 10 years, i find I really do! - Summer monsoon storms especially the smell after rain starts falling on a street that has been baking in the sun all day. - Proximity to Laughlin, Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles - The heat! My family hated it (one of the reasons we moved) but I still love the feel of a 102 degree day when first stepping outside - Arizona sunsets and open skies What I hated: - No (real) seasons. I missed fall especially. - Arizona stoplights. Attempting to beat the oncoming traffic for left turns during the green seems idiotic to me after living in an area that has dedicated left turn arrows BEFORE the green. - In my career field (healthcare programming) the job market was thin and got flooded often if a company went through a downsizing operation. - hard water. Our drinking glasses were permanently etched and don't wash your car without drying the windows! - Cockroaches!
A friend of mine has a brother in law who moved to PHX and had previously lived in the LA area. He stayed about 2 years the heat to him was oppressive and the electric bill doing that time was quite high. If, you want a nice place and certainly the temperature is seasonally would be Reno that is where the new Tesla plant is going and Amtrak is there. I've met a lot of people who love living there after living somewhere else for a number of years, Also a number retire to SC. Good luck in your search
There's only 3-4 months of the year when the heat is obnoxious. The other 9 months you will be loving it when you go out in November to a 75 degree day, and in February to a 80 degree day. After all, it is a dry heat, lol. There are also casinos in Metro PHX / Scottsdale area so you would not have to go all the way to Laughlin or LV if you wanted a quick fix. Very dry though, not a lot of rain, and maybe upcoming water problems down the road??