Many people who now live in Arizona were lured in by promises of paradise. Some of those people came to realize Arizona isn’t quite normal and a difficult place to live.
This article focuses on the most common lines used to convince you to move to Arizona, and a rebuttal to each one. Enjoy!
Arizona has 300+ days of sunshine each year…nothing wrong with that!
There is something very wrong with that much sunshine in a year. More sun means less rain. Less rain means you’ll be spending a lot of money just to keep the plants in your yard alive. Although it may sound strange to those who have never lived in Arizona, the sunny days become monotonous. (See Arizona Weather)
From Phoenix, you’re only a 6-hour drive or 1 hour flight to Anaheim or San Diego!
Yes, but if you’re not up for driving 6 hours, you can drive about 2.5 hours to the south and take in some old-fashioned international border violence!
Beautiful mountains everywhere!
You mean these mountains behind the brown cloud of pollution and dust? (See Arizona Pollution)
The Phoenix area has numerous golf courses to choose from!
Yes, those tiny specks of green are golf courses in the desert, and that’s the most green you’ll see there. (See Arizona Landscape)
The Arizona sunset is beautiful!
The setting sun is definitely something to look forward to…it means the heat from the sun will cease to beat down on you on a 115 degree day!
The beautiful Saguaro Cactus… nothing says “Welcome To The West” like the Mighty Saguaro.
Er, yes…very lovely, and prickly!
Spring Training! For only 7 bucks you can watch the big league players perform!
If you’re a hardcore fan of baseball, this can be a positive. However, the fact is most of the fans who come for Spring training are from out of town. Phoenix sees this as an opportunity to mooch off of out-of-state visitors.
The cliché… “It’s a DRY heat!”
The “dry heat” line is the number one excuse used to convince people to move to Arizona. You know what else is a dry heat? AN OVEN! High humidity is very uncomfortable, but my opinion is the intense dry heat is outright painful. It will literally burn your skin.
If you like cooking eggs outdoors, I suppose Arizona is the place for you!
Miss the snow?? You won’t, but if you like to ski or snowboard, head to Flagstaff (peak elevation 12,000 feet!) during the winter.
On the contrary, I sorely miss snow. I love the anticipation of seeing a fresh blanket of snow in the mornings. It means winter is in full swing and it’s cold for a reason!
If you live in Phoenix, Flagstaff is about a 3-hour drive north. Once you get there, you’re greeted by high prices and a rude populace. Flagstaff is especially bad if you don’t like hippies.
Calling friends and relatives in the middle of December, and complaining about getting sunburned.
This is part of becoming an Arizona zombie. The extreme heat of the summer makes the 80’s in “winter” feel mild. If it gets below 70 degrees, it’s cold. People who attempt to convince you to move to Arizona will tell you how nice the winters are. Yes, they ARE nice but it’s NOT winter! Winter in the Phoenix area is Spring or Summer in other parts of the country.
If your Arizona relatives call you bragging about how nice the weather is in the “winter”, they are essentially telling you they no longer know seasons. In Arizona, there are only two seasons: Spring and Summer.
Being able to sit outside in the evening without being attacked by mosquitoes!
As much as they want you to believe there aren’t mosquitoes in Arizona, they are quite abundant. They’re not as bad as other parts of the country, but they are usually found near standing water.
Mosquitoes are the least of your worries in Arizona. You have to be wary of scorpions, the brown recluse spiders, tarantula spiders and Africanized bees. These insects are more than pests and can be deadly.
The Phoenix area has one of the easiest “grid” systems for getting around the city; it won’t take you much time to learn your way around.
Sounds great, huh? I can tell you it makes for a very boring drive. You basically drive a straight line for each mile until you either have to stop for a red signal or turn onto another street.
Arizona is also known as for having some of the worst drivers. Arizona ranks as #10 for the most drunk drivers, #8 for the most pedestrian accidents and has the #4 most dangerous intersection in the United States. (See Arizona Drivers)
No earthquakes, tornadoes or hurricanes… but we LOVE our monsoons.
You mean this??
Most of the country doesn’t have “monsoons”…they have rain.
The people – you’ll actually walk by people in the street who will say “Good morning” to you, instead of looking down and away, and ignoring you.
I would love to know which street this person was walking when someone acknowledged them! Arizona is notorious for having rude people! As a matter of fact, Travel & Leisure ranked Phoenix as the #8 rudest city in America! (See Arizona People)
Palm trees that make you feel like you’re on vacation 365 days of the year!
Seriously?
Iraq
Arizona
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No Arizona! 
I found this to be pretty entertaining- in a good way! Just researching the pros and cons before considering making any moves. One thing I can say, is that I won’t be having any issues with rude folk or bad drivers- I hail from the friendly and polite city of NYC!!
It’s a different kind of rude. At least New Yorkers will engage you, even in you face. People in Arizona will literally ignore you, as if you’re a ghost. I’ll take a New Yorker any day, at least they will look me in the eye!
No, actually, we are pretty nice. I moved to the coastal region of Texas in April, and when I went back to Arizona for a few days and went to Walmart, everyone was very nice and welcoming. Texans are rude, stuck up, snobbish, and highly disrespectful.
https://polldaddy.com/js/rating/rating.jsOf course everyone loves to be “engaged” by “what the fuck are you looking at”, fuck you”, fuck off”, get the fuck out of my way” or just a flip of the middle finger. I would rather be ignored by a person in Arizona.
Pretty weak arguments. Tell ya’ what, you come to New Orleans for a week in August and you’ll be begging for the dry heat of AZ. Stay for a hurricane (the weather event not the drink), and you’ll embrace your little sandstorm. And watch the grass grow back right behind the lawn mower you’re pushing, and a little sand sounds pretty good to me. And if you want to see DIRTY, get off a plane here, and watch what Olympic Gold Medalling in littering looks like. We just got back from Phoenix, and I guess it’s true that the grass is always greener…:-)
J, I grew up with humidity and I prefer it. You’re posting from afar, and you have no idea how badly the sun burns here…it literally hurts!
“Little sandstorm”? I suggest you look up “haboob” on YouTube. It’s no hurricane, but it picks up dirt and a fungus that sleeps on the desert floor. The sickness caused by the fungus is called “Valley Fever”, and it put me down for 7-8 weeks.
New Orleans is another armpit city, but Phoenix is worse. At least you have the ocean breeze. Phoenix is surrounded by mountains and traps the heat and pollution. Seriously, the smog is very nasty in Phoenix and there are constant air quality warnings.
I’ve been warned! 🙂 I just can’t take Seattle anymore: nine months of almost constant drizzle with fog thrown in for kicks.
Seattle definitely is depressing, but Phoenix won’t make you feel any better. There is a such thing as TOO much sunshine. People in Phoenix get excited when it becomes cloudy. It’s also very comical when the temperatures get below 60 degrees to watch people bundle up in winter coats!
I lived in Phoenix for 21 years and have got to say this is BS.
I totally agree! Most people that are living in AZ now are either from Cali, Texas and the Midwest, which makes it very friendly. There’s over 5 families from NYC in our complex -all super nice.
Let’s talk taxes. We pay $600 for a year on a $200k townhome in AZ in Illinois we were paying $700 a month. Hmmm – people in IL and other states don’t even know they are getting raped. No taxes on geoceriea is also saving me $200+ a month. That’s over a $10k a year savings!
Oh we have same pollution issues in Chicago. Sometimes the beaches are closed due to icoli from the bird crap. No one likes to mow every 5 days. And as for our water bill???? Water is more expensive per unit in Chicago.
I’m sure people hate flowers all year round too. Oh and I just love it being gloomy , cold and rainy for weeks on end. How awful to have a lovely blue sky, beautiful sunsets, and great views of the stars, planets and moon.
I get people need to defend their homes, because they either can’t make the move due to finances, family or they’re just pure masochist
You know what I say…. You can always move. I always laugh when people knock where they live. Well if you all want to know what the armpit of america is, it’s called Rhode Island. It ranks first in all the things a state shouldn’t and last in all the things a state should. You should move up here No Arizona. As a matter of fact, we can just switch since I’m headed out your way. And to say you’d take NYC and New Orleans over AZ, both of which I have been to numerous times, means to me you’ve never stayed in either area very long.
Spoken like a true snow bird! Welcome to Arizona, you’ll love it here.
flagstaff people are not rude or hippies if you call a hippy a person enjoying the beautiful lush green pine forest around them hippies then you are mistaken I’ve been to flagstaff many times and people up there are quite friendly and if you miss the snow go up to flagstaff lets how much of it you miss when your shoveling off your driveway and snow is piled as tall as houses
I have lived in Colorado my whole life. My family has visited AZ numerous times. I am considering making the move out there.. I don’t ski or snowboard and would like a summer that lasts for more than three months. We have been known to get blizzards into April and May; it is just depressing. When it is sunny, it is often to windy to enjoy. In the summer, there are mosquitoes,which make for a miserable time for anyone. Also, whatever blooms here makes for terrible hayfever (cottonwood maybe?). It is like having a cold everyday. The weather turns to crap in mid to late October and stays that way until the beginning of June.It would be nice to see something green besides Evergreen trees. The roads are horrifying to drive on when they are iced over. The only things that I am off-put about in AZ is the crime and the tap water that tastes nasty. However there is crime anywhere you go and I could always buy bottled water. I have seen it so hot in AZ that the pavement slides a bit under your feet and heat waves rise from the asphalt. Although that can be somewhat miserable during the summer months, the evenings are usually bearable and I would run errands then. It is always a give and take I guess.
I was born and raised in Arizona and made the move out to Washington a while ago. All I can suggest is to not move out there. I don’t think anyone will ever understand going through a summer, trying to run errands in 110 degree heat. It kicks the hell out of you, I can tell you that now. (for reference: this was this past summer) By the time it’s getting dark, it’s cooled down to maybe 90-100… If you want to do errands at a nice time of the evening during the summer, have fun going to the grocery store at 9 PM. I remember mid summer last year, I stepped outside at 10 PM and it was 98 degrees out… the pavement and asphalt was still scorching. Unless you’re EXTREMELY careful, in the summer touching anything outside can burn you. Gates, seat belts, cars…. It’s a hard lesson to learn first hand.
With the driving: I don’t think I can tell you how bad it was learning to drive in a state where nobody knows what lane lines are and turn signals aren’t required. If you plan on driving in Arizona, I suggest you take a crash evasion course. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to slam on my breaks, or completely hop off to a shoulder in order to avoid someone who decided they wanted to get in my lane. Oh. And merging is not a thing. Loop 101 during rush hour is a nightmare just because no one understands how to merge. Even if it’s moving, they will bumper to bumper shut people out. I’ve gotten on and had to get off at the next exit because apparently it’ll be the end of the world if I merge in front of them, going the same. exact. speed.
Air quality and pollution is a big issue. Honestly, I cannot tell you how much better I can breathe now after moving. Growing up, almost everyone I knew had asthma, or other issues with their breathing.
There are also some very interesting aspects to the government employee’s choosing of laws. I suggest you take a look at that too. Honestly the worst place to get ticketed…
If you’re still convinced to move to Arizona, I would suggest flagstaff. The weather isn’t as bad, you’ll still see snow, and it’s really close to some very interesting areas of Arizona. Unless you’re in love with the desert and the heat, then have fun anywhere else!
There is a give and take, good and bad to every geographical location in the USA. The extreme negativity of this site makes the info less credible. Telling people about some of the pros and cons is a good thing. It lets the reader gain info on all aspects of the area. But to only list the bad parts of an area (or only the good parts) just seems too one sided.
I have lived on Long Island, NY my whole life, and my wife and I are considering moving to Arizona. The parts that attract us is the lower cost of living index (about 100 in the greater phoenix area vs 154 in my county), lower taxes, availability of newly built and cheaper housing, the lack of rain, snow, and cold weather, the more conservative political environment, the gun laws, castle doctrine, growth in some parts (specifically Gilbert), and the many positive reviews we have gotten from other people who have moved there from here.
That said, there are things we are unsure of. While we have done 7-12 day stints in either arizona or nevada during the summer, we can’t be sure if the extreme heat will start to wear us out. I’ve walked around for a few hours in 100 degrees at night, and it wasn’t too bad. But to deal with that for months could be a different thing. I’m not too concerned about the sand storms, as they don’t last very long. However, this “valley fever” is new to me, and something I will have to look into. I’ve lived 15-20 minutes from the largest public beach in the country all my life, and I’m a bit of a beach bumm. While I will miss the beach, the reality is that I only get to experience it 3 months a year due to the weather. And speaking of weather, while sandstorms certainly can’t be fun, I am a victim of hurricane Sandy. I don’t want to deal with that again… As far as rude people and bad drivers, I’m sure every area has its share. Coming from NY there is a great deal of rudeness, so there is nothing an Arizonian can do that would be worse than where I live. And if people in Arizona keep to themselves as “No Arizona” pointed out, that is fine with me as well. Then there’s the scorpians and those scary spiders. Those aren’t high on my list of good things either.
I’m not sure if Gilbert Arizona is the place for us or not. Part of our interest is that we own a smoothie and health food store and the rain, cold, and snow crushes our business. We are thinking that the abundance of sun in Arizona will be better for us than the snow and rain. Mix that with the significantly lower cost of living and Arizona seems appealing. We also believe in the 2nd Amendment, and that is not a common way of thinking here on Long Island. The gun laws in arizona along with a resident’s right to protect themselves via castle doctrine is also a definite plus and is in stark contrast to the laws here in NY.
If anyone has any input one way or another, I would love to hear it. And if anyone has any questions about the Long Island area, I would be more than happy to help.
This is the weirdest blog I have ever come across — and funny!!! I haven’t stopped laughing because I can see the best and the worst about living in Phoenix, and I get to see it from a completely different point of view than I bet any of your readers do — that of an Eastern transplanted African American 50 year-old woman! I came out here 4 years ago for survival — I was dying on the east coast. Dying of boredom, snow and ice, and what I determined to be (after 40 years of living there) only about 60 really good weather days out of the entire year.
To an Arizona newbie or someone trying to decide on whether or not to make the big move, I will say what I say to my eastern friends who think I’m crazy for being here and who are afraid to come even in the winter (as if the summer will sneak back in December and burn them with raging heat!) Get a grip, get a life — it’s just a little inconvenience in an otherwise pretty okay place.
Are you like me and can’t stand the heat (and I say this as a woman going through menopause right now and there is no heat like a 50 year-old woman’s internal heat) then stay inside as much as you can. Even I can stand the heat of getting from a cool air-conditioned building to the car (where yes, you’ll spend an additional 2 or 3 minutes while the car cools off but blow that a/c — that’s what its there for). Like to window shop and slowly stroll through malls and swap meets in the summer — go to the indoor mall or indoor swap meet. You could spend an entire weekend inside Arizona Mills alone without getting bored.
Afraid of the crime?? Check with the police about where the worst part of the city is for crime and don’t go there. But you’re kidding yourself if you think you can ever escape crime no matter where you are in this entire world! In this day and age you are just a little bit safer in your own home behind locked doors and alarm systems than you are sitting in the local McDonalds — both of which places have been crime scenes in every city in the country just about. Worried about living near minorities who you think may bring down your sense of self or safety?? Then you’d better go live under a rock or somewhere because minorities are just barely the minority anymore — we are everywhere and coming soon to a neighborhood near you…even in the white house…now beat that for irony!
Better to learn to live with everyone and just follow the golden rule, and you’ll be happier, I promise. Do unto others folks, and almost everyone will treat you with respect and dignity. When I go out and am in a particularly bad mood (which is just about impossible anyway) if I don’t smile at people, they usually don’t smile at me. But when I greet people, from top executives and government officials and dignitaries, to the lowest nastiest homeless guy on the street with a smile and friendly “hello”, that is exactly what I get back from EVERYBODY and it has almost never, ever failed. Once in a while you’ll come across someone who is really sad and living the worst life and those people just are miserable. But no, I can usually even make someone like that turn that smile upside down.
The problem with some of you here in AZ, and in every other part of the world is that you think you are all alone with whatever you are going through. You internalize everything to the point of having misery just follow you around all day. Well — get over it. Life is tough and no one ever promised us otherwise. Every day is a struggle, so why not make that struggle about being “sweet”, and caring about someone else for a change. Try it and see how it makes you feel, and you just may make someone else’s day a little bit brighter. Don’t care about anyone else??? Well, then that will make me pray even harder for you.
Oops, I got off topic.
Worried about the monsoons? At least we get plenty of warning (and I repeat…plenty of warning) such that no one should ever be caught out in one. And I’m speaking of people like those of you able to read this blog; you have at least a little money, a place to live, a car, etc., not homeless living in the street (and that’s another topic). So if you’re out–stay in your car. If you’re indoors and you know there’s one coming…stay indoors. Simple! And I bet everyone reading this has some sort of phone that’s at least 3 g’s and signed up with some phone carrier. All those carriers now send text alerts telling us exactly what time the storm is going to hit our area — so there’s no excuse to get caught outside. Then after the storm, stay inside a little while to let the dust settle. Does this mean you could never ever get “valley fever”? No, but you don’t know today if you’re going to ever get cancer either. Get my point? Phoenix is just no worse than anywhere else. You just have to pick what you are willing to put up with.
By the way, speaking of weather…Arizona does have temps in the triple digits most of the summer months, but also no earthquakes, no tornadoes, no hurricanes, not much rain (although I did watch a wild hailstorm once from inside my nice comfortable apartment–that may have damaged some window screens and hoods of cars) but then again it’s just up to you about what you’re willing to deal with.
I love being near the water, any water, so I was worried about not being able to drive 2 or 3 hours to the Atlantic coastline or even 30 minutes to the Chesapeake Bay. But you know what we’ve got here in the Phoenix area that “NoArizona” forgot to mention? About a dozen beautiful lakes just a few short hours drive from downtown Phoenix. We go all the time…all the water you want. Oh…you want to live on the beach? Well then yes, don’t move to Phoenix. Go on to San Diego. Problem solved!
There is a certain amount of beauty to the desert that you may not see until you’ve been here a little while. I used to love to watch the deer around our yard in the early spring with their little babies and got a big kick out of the wildlife that was right there. So here I enjoy watching the rabbits that have made our apartment complex their home. They may not be as large as the deer, but it’s still lovely to see. And waking up in the east for months on end to gloomy grey skies, rain, sleet, ice, snow in the winter, and gloomy grey skies, rain and fog all spring and summer gets depressing, not to mention the oppressive heat and humidity that really weighs you down and keeps you depressed…and that was just in Maryland and DC. I can’t even imagine living like that where it’s worse, like the guy above said about Louisiana. Forget it! I can stand a little humidity here now as it reaches sometimes as high as…25 percent..oh my. I will not complain, honest!
Oh I’ve gone on too long. So I’ll suffice to say just a few more words about the comparisons above….desert here compared to Iraq? Are there bombs going off over your head here? I don’t think so. Desert…yes, but tell me you’d rather live in Iraq? I don’t think so. Oh yeah, our scorpions and spiders? Before you come just check with the local library–they will direct you to many books and websites with lots of information on how to avoid coming in contact with them and what to do if in the unlikely event it does happen. Once I found out that a single scorpion bite wouldn’t kill an adult I felt much better about it. But I still wouldn’t live in a home that is built too close to the mountains. That’s my decision. So make yours. As I said, it’s all about what you’re willing to put up with and what you’re not. No one is forcing you to live in the middle of south-central L.A., or 19th Ave & Baseline. There are surely nicer, safer, and friendlier areas to live in every city in the nation.
Oh, about that scorching sun here…yep, it’s hot. You may want to stay a little covered up and don’t forget that umbrella if you have to walk outside any longer than 5 or 10 minutes. But in the winter in Chicago do you walk around outside any longer that that? Duh!
Phoenix for sure has some idiotic people with some old, worn out, antiquated ideas about life and neighborly love that’s for sure. It’s a republican state and minorities usually will not get the first choice of much of anything. And Arizona also does have some of the worst drivers, but as my sister says, “that’s because they’ve just barely come off the horses out here, so what do you expect?”
But it sure is fun to watch the passing parade of people who are, for the most part, just like people every where else. It just depends on what you want and what you’re willing to put up with. And also how well you can adapt, overcome, and….hey! Smile for goodness sake! Be happy where ever you are. Life is so short. In a blink of an eye we could all be gone tomorrow. God Bless!
Thank you for this wonderful perspective!
Well outlined, Deborah. I think some folks aren’t going to be happy no matter where they live…always focusing on the worst and blind to the rest.
About the winters in Chicago…I marathon trained in subzero (Fahrenheit) temperatures, so, yes, I was out for hours at a time. It wasn’t the most pleasant of trainings (my optimal training temperature range is between 10 degrees and 20 degrees F), but I will take that over Phoenix heat, any day. I have a hard enough time training when it’s over 50 degrees – subzero temps are wonderful compared to 85 degrees!
I mostly agree with your sentiment, it drives me crazy when people can *only* see the bad in a place and none of the good, but I have to point out that 1) heat isn’t just an “inconvenience” for some people, it can be an actual health issue and 2) not everyone has the luxury of living where they would like. In regards to the first point, some people (like myself) tend to get physically ill in the heat (in part because I’m so active and more susceptible to overheating, even when I hydrate properly), and some people (again, like myself) tend to get clinically depressed when they can’t be out in nature, and are limited from being out in nature due to the heat. Arizona Mills is nice, but I don’t think I could stand it more than once or twice a year (and I would get bored of it quite quickly). Now, the nice part about Phoenix is that there are mountains not too far, and Flagstaff is only a couple of hours away. However, if you don’t have a car and/or if you are limited financially, then those options are not easily available.
In regards to the second point, personally, I go where a job is available. I can be picky to some extent – after my first few internships I said no more deserts – however, not everyone even has the luxury that I do to pick which cities/states/climates in which they would like to work. Even I broke down recently after not being able to find a job anywhere I wanted to go, and started to apply to anywhere even if I hated the geography. Some people are financially unable to move, or are stuck where they currently are because they cannot leave their job. I know I ran into plenty of people in my home town who hated the weather, and while it drove me crazy to listen to them (I *loved* the cold and the snow that other people complained about, and got sick of the sun that everyone else loved), I also got that they were only there because of their schooling/job/family and if they could leave, they would.
Absolutely, make the best out of your current situation. Sometimes people need to rant a little, though, and that’s okay. Not everyone is in love with where they currently are (I know I’m not) and even if they’re trying to change it, and trying to keep a positive attitude while they’re there, a place that pushes down on your spirit and energy can get to you after a while. I know I’ve lived places where I truly tried to put a good effort in, and I actually enjoyed what I was doing in general in those areas, but after a couple months of the heat combined with other factors (lack of sleep, for instance, from the heat) I was emotionally and physically drained. It’s not always as easy as being happy where you are, unfortunately, and it can be hard to see the good things if the bad things are taking a large enough toll. Just something to keep in mind.
I have to say, I despise Arizona in a social and political sense but I have to disagree with what you say about the sunsets, mountains, and general landscape. I’m not a desert person – I overheat once it reaches about 85 – and I try to avoid living in deserts whenever at all possible. Despite this, I have now lived in five places outside of Arizona, all of them desert or high desert. Out of all of the deserts I have lived in, traveled through, and even researched (though I’ll admit I could not get the full affect without going there, myself) Arizona is by far the most aesthetically pleasing desert. This did not hit me full on until I drove through the desert of Arizona for the first time in a few years, and I realized how truly beautiful the red rocks, saguaros, and painted mountains were in comparison the incredibly ugly landscape I had been driving through for ten hours previous (Nevada).
Don’t get me wrong, Phoenix itself is ugly (and excessively hot, and politically abhorrent, and all around terrible) and I hope I never have to live there. However, the one thing most of Arizona has going for it is the fact that the landscape is actually quite pretty (outside of Phoenix proper).
Also, I disagree with your statement on Flagstaff, but as a native Flagstaffonian I may be biased. 😉 Still, I have to say I met some of the warmest, nicest people in Flag, even if there are some stuck up snobs that have their noses too far in the air to even be polite.
Definitely no Arizona or Texas for me same shit different name.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. My truths about (Phoenix) East Valley Living. I have lived in several states and cities in America, from Fort Walton, FL to San Antonio and Dallas, TX to TN, and the Gulf Coast of MS to the opposite extremes of 4-10 ft snow drifts and -15° windchills of Kansas City and Minneapolis. Phoenix is my absolutely least liked city I’ve resided in. I wanted to love Phoenix. I researched the area for five years before moving down. I loved the Heat, I thought the desert was beautiful, and I believed I was moving to paradise. I sounded just like others on here planning to relocate. I was sick of shoveling snow drifts, driving on snow and ice, high humidity summers. First year was okay. After that, Gilbert, AZ has taken its toll on me. My house is on the market, I am trying so hard to get out! I fell for EVERY line–hook, line, and sinker.
1. No Allergies: My doctors actually told me the desert would be a better climate for my allergies. Wrong! My allergies are worse here. Not only did I develop new allergies with worse symptoms to alfalfa sprouts, creosote bushes, mesquite, olive, and citrus trees, my allergies are no longer seasonal, they’re year round. In Phoenix, things bloom all year! Not to mention Valley Fever which took over two months for my daughter and I to get over and almost killed my daughter.
2. Maintenance Free Landscaping. This is, in my opinion, the Biggest Lie. Weeds grow in AZ relentlessly. It is more physically demanding to keep the thorny weeds sprayed and pulled than it was to mow a yard or shovel a driveway. They grow year round in dirt, sand, and rock, etc. And if you have a weed or a blade of grass out of place, you receive a love letter and possible fines from your yard Nazis, also known as HOAs.
3. Summer-But it’s a dry heat. I loved the heat before moving here. It is like an oven here. I can literally feel my skin cooking. Be careful with moisturizers, some with oils cause skin to FRY. There is no break from the heat in Phoenix. The cold water runs very warm (almost hot). My pool gets too hot to swim in. It’s around 100° when you go to bed and around 100° when you wake up. Yes, you can stay indoors where it is still very warm. It’s not like other cities in the summer where the theaters and shops offer cool relief (no where gets cool, even indoors). Inside your home, if you try to keep the temperature at a normal 72°-74°, expect a $600-$700 electric bill. My first summer in Gilbert, my electric bills were $600-$700, trying to keep the 2000 sqft home at 72°-74°. The heat here is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. With constant pounding headaches from the heat, heat exhaustion, and dehydration while guzzling bottled water, I totally underestimated the heat!
4. Scorpions and Black Widows are Only in the Foothills and at Lakes. No! Wrong again! I’ve been here five years and stung six times. They are everywhere, even in the urban and suburban areas. I’ve been bit by a black widow spider, and stung by an African bee. Bees are very aggressive, love swimming pools, and seem to love heads. Oddly enough, bee sting hurt worse than the scorpion stings. Scorpions tend to love pool areas and rocks used for landscaping. Other pest, you’d never guess it, but mosquitoes. This summer we got eaten alive every time we stepped outside. My first couple of summers here I never saw a single mosquito. The last three summers have been just as bad as the southeast. Why? I have no idea, maybe due to climate changing.
5. Monsoons aren’t that bad compared to hurricanes and tornadoes. I’ve hid in basements during tornadoes and built sand bag walls to protect from hurricanes. I still hate monsoons and dust storms just as much. They destroy anything nice you put outside. I have fished my patio furniture out of my pool more times that I’d like to admit. They come on fast. Even with warning, trying to secure everything outside in painful high winds carrying sand and dirt is not fun. They say the monsoons bring rains that cool off the city, hardly! The rain is so heavy it cannot be enjoyed like in other cities. It doesn’t have that nice crisp “rain” smell like other cities. And a monsoon usually makes the area sticky for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Other issues in Phoenix (and surrounding areas), but not other parts of AZ, which I’ve had good experiences in Flagstaff, Peyson, and the Grand Canyon area.
–The People. In general (not talking to you, if you actually realize you’re not the only person on this earth) act entitled, pretentious, and out for themselves. I believe this is the main reason for road problems too. They drive like they are the ONLY person on the road.
–The Odors. I have never lived anywhere that stinks so bad. The air is so stagnant, any odor seems magnified. Animal feces doesn’t absorb into the earth like in other climates. I’m in a very “nice” neighborhood in Gilbert, where most my neighbors have pets and one of my neighbors smokes outside. The sewers, smoke, and pet odors always linger, especially in the summer. And not just in my neighborhood but all over the city. Fireplace and firepit smoke (their choking odors) also sit low and don’t move. This makes walking and bicycling through neighborhoods difficult at certain times.
Although I pretty much hate Phoenix, AZ, there are some good points I’ve found in Arizona. I love Flagstaff, people were very friendly there, but cost of living seems higher, and it isn’t really what I’d call a big city. The crime in Phoenix is not as bad as other cities I’ve lived in, and the roads are very nice and well maintained. I love the food in Phoenix, excellent mix of North Easterners and Californians that open restaurants here. Really good east and west foods!! That’s about it, I keep telling friends back east the food will be the only thing I miss.
I grew up in Tucson and I must say you brought up a very good point in this piece. People that live in Phoenix are very sad lonely people. Stop crying and move, if you have enough time to write all this, surely you don’t have a job holding you back.
Your website has nailed it – all the points you’ve made are correct. I am trying desperately to get out of southern Arizona – my house is currently on the market. All I have to do is sell it, and I am out of here! If anyone is thinking of moving Arizona, (Flagstaff or Prescott might be an exception) DON’T DO IT! You will regret it. The weather is so monotonous, at times, you feel as if you are going absolutely crazy. The heat in the summer is ridiculous. It’s like living in a toaster oven. The landscape is brown and dry, and well, just downright boring. Trash is everywhere – on the side of interstates and highways, it really blows my mind how much trash is left on the side of the road. And, the people, for the most part, are not very friendly. Soon, I will move back to Colorado, where I lived for 25 years. Moving to Arizona was the worst decision I’ve made in my life, and I can’t wait to leave.
You obviously have issues. I agree with every pro and disagree with every con you made. Did you actually live in Arizona or just visit? I can’t imagine anyone not loving it here! This is the 4th state I have lived in, and it will be my last. I love it here!
We are glad you are enjoying Arizona. For some of us, it’s hell on earth. Yes, I lived there for 12 long years. Now, I live where the birds, crickets and frogs sing in four beautiful seasons!
People are jerks here. If you try to do some business you have to deal with broke Mexicans that shouldn’t own a house to begin with. The drivers are rude. Idiot Mexicans cough without covering their mouth. It seems that all of the losers end up here after they lose their job, get divorced or want to mooch off all of the hard working Midwesterners.
Move to Pennsylvania, you will find the same situation.
I have come to this page, and thoroughly enjoyed the copious amounts of hate flowing through this site. It helps add another perspective for people considering the move. I am trying to get some honest feedback. (WarningI am going to type a lot) I have never been to Arizona but planning a trip soon to test the waters. I hear that there is no culture, and I am looking into the phoenix metro areas in general as a potential move. Peoria, Chandler, etc., I am bi-racial and so is my family for a little context. So basically, I am accustomed to being treated differently as expressed by someone in the comments on how people ignore you. I live in Wisconsin, and 30 mins from Milwaukee in which is the most segregated city in the nation. Not a good place for minorities. (The East side of Milwaukee isn’t bad for minorities, but super expensive) I have my own reasons for such a move. I lived in upstate NY for a few years and it’s always cold. I mean you go outside in the winter time and your nose hairs freeze. Painfully cold, is an understatement. They often get a lot of snow and it’s not warm long at all. I am also from the Midwest I may add, and it sucks, I hate Wisconsin with an enormous amount of passion. We only experience warm weather 3 months out of the year. The three months are usually a dice roll. Nothing ever consistent with this weather. One day is cold, the next warn, than cold, than hot again. I’m not joking either. Then for 9 months out of the year it’s cold. I am miserable here and planning to move out of this state ASAP. One may be surprised on how much effort goes into relocating your family. Lastly, I can imagine what Phoenix is like. I have been to Afghanistan more times than I would have liked to. Based off those experiences, my thinking is more like,yeah phoenix is hot, but Afghanistan is hotter. The Stan feels like you warmed an oven up to 450 degrees, opened it, and put your face right next to it hot. Certain parts get lots of snow and super cold winters. Other areas get really cold at night but scorching hot during the day. It feels like the sun is literally 1″ from your face, and following you in every direction hot. I am familiar with dust storms. They resemble the Mummy movie. You can see it coming and tall as the Willis tower in downtown Chicago. We lived outside basically, climbing mountains with lots of gear on. It took around a month just get use to walking around there. Once accumulated, I had no problem drinking pops, chewing tobacco, playing catch, etc., as long as I stayed hydrated. Wondering if the boss will like Arizona and if she can tolerate it. My child has mild asthma and not sure about it all. I nee good school districts, and that limits me to certain cities. If it was just me, I know I would fit right in. I’ll take Arizona with the good and the bad over the snow any day of the week. This is just my perspective, and any advice would be nice.