Different Strokes for Different Folks...
-
4/27/2013
The subject says it all. Personally, I can't stand big cities wherever they are. And as for climate? I say Phoenix has two seasons: summer, and summer lite. And with a whopping annual rainfall of maybe four total inches, and about 350 days of blazing sunshine, just doesn't attract me at all. My philosophy is "how do you know what a great day is unless you have some 'bad' ones to compare it to!". What cracks me up the most is how every town's local TV stations must employ a meteorologist and have a "weather" report -- to me, weather implies changes, and when it's the sme day in and day out, there's really absolutely nothing to report. I joke with friends in the southeast, and say "if you get a degree in meteorology, graduate at the bottom of your class but are attractive and 'camera friendly', and have a killer wardrobe, this is where you want to be if you want to be a meteorologist on TV". I come from a coastal town in the South, in a hurricane zone, and boy, you've gotta be one helluva talented meteorologist, and have a serious passion for it if you desire to be a local weather person. Weather there is so incredibly dynamic and ever changing, it's almost a joke comparing it to southern AZ. I always hesitate calling it 'weather' here -- and prefer calling it 'climate' and leaving it at that. And heat? I wouldn't mind it so much if it was offset by things called 'seasons' and actually had 3-5 months where I might want to turn the heat on, more than maybe 10 times a year, and for an hour or so just to take the chill off. Change is where it's at, IMHO. I've lived in places where it'd reach 130+ temps, WITH high humidity -- now that's HOT!
Then there's the serious urban sprawl here. Like most enormous cities that seem to expand and gobble up what used to be outlaying towns -- you can't tell at all when you're crossing from Phoenix to say, Glendale, Peoria, or Paradise Valley unless you catch a glimpse of a tiny sign that says "welcome to..." because it's a solid, nonstop view of nothing but residential neighborhoods, strip malls, big malls, more residential neighborhoods, more shopping, etc etc... for scores of miles, in any given direction. Hundreds of square miles of nothing but the same.
This is obviously a very biased set of comments. IF I wasn't in my 60's, and was back in the days where I was career oriented, and loved meeting lots of girls and enjoying a big social life, I'd probably would've loved living in Phoenix, for awhile. I came here because I'd gotten reconnected with an 'old flame' from 45 years ago. I put my home up for sale in 2009, which was way too late, so I had to short-sell my home out east. When things didn't exactly work out with my now ex, everything went into storage, except what I could fit in a tiny studio condo I rented in order to wait out the mandatory two-year mortgage 'purgatory' where I can once again obtain a mortgage and buy a small place to live out however many years God allows me to. But, wherever I can find that small and affordable place, I CAN say with conviction, it won't be in the Phoenix Valley! No way, no how. I've never felt more isolated and miserable than I have here. I'm looking at northern towns at much higher elevations, where they have an odd thing called WEATHER, and SEASONS too. There wouldn't be over 5-million people here if they didn't love the Phoenix Valley, or have a killer job that got them here in the first place.
Now that I risked it all and wound up in this Godforsaken big-assed metropolis, I can't afford much over $100k. But at any given time there's well over 350 homes to choose from in the Phoenix area, over 250 in Tucson. That's the ONLY thing I can see as a serious benefit, but for me it comes down to quality of life vs money, which I have very little of left. Sadly, the amounts of available homes up north are very limited - and most of those in my meager budget are mfd/mobile homes; which I wouldn't mind at all, it's just that 98% of the banks won't finance those kinds of homes. So climate aside, as much as I'd prefer being north, down below Tucson in Green Valley, there's a helluva lot of incredibly nice and very affordable homes available. Green Valley is basically comprised of retirement communities, and over 20,000 residents nowadays. So if it becomes an impossible endeavor to move north, I suppose I'll just bite the ol' bullet and move to a place like Green Valley, where there's plenty of retired old folks like me! No cars racing around, no subwoofers, and no Harley's without mufflers... gemreally boring and quiet, which will suit me fine -- except the climate -- which will be my biggest trade off.
But back to Phoenix... it's like the subject says! Phoenix is a great place, if you like seeing the same 'weather' year 'round, and love all the big city things, like zillions of great restaurants, clubs, and don't mind dealing with nonstop traffic all day long, no matter which of the 7 days you decide to try to accomplish something.
Ken | Phoenix, AZ