Arizona - my .02
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7/13/2012
I am a long-time resident of AZ (30+ years) and wanted to share my experience with folks considering a move here. Arizona's geography and weather make it an excellent destination if you are an active person willing to get off the couch and take responsibility for your happiness. The politics and culture here have often made me very sad (very conservative to the point of being mean-spirited) but I remain hopeful that growth and economic necessity will facilitate a more progressive attitude.
WEATHER. IMHO, we have 6 months of absolutely perfect weather. No hurricanes, tornados, floods, humidity or anything else to complain about. Then we have 4 months of warm weather. The days can be quite warm (into the 90s) but the mornings and evenings are crazy-beautiful. Perfect for dining alfresco or getting outdoors for walks, sports, etc (and we have no mosquitos!). Then there are 2 months of sheer hell (july & august). The monsoons hit this time, driving the humidity up to about 30% + high temps of 107 and above. This is the time to hit the pool, movies, museums, etc. It's not pleasant but escape is possible!!! Payson is just 1 hour away from the eastern cities and offers temps 15 to 20 degrees cooler. Drive a little further, into Flagstaff, Prescott or Show Low and wow, you are in heaven again. These are mountain cities where you can camp, hike, fish, raft, boat, shop, stay in hotels, visit festivals, etc. So there's lots of respite from the heat... but only if you are willing to do more than open your front door.
SCHOOLS. Mixed reviews here. Overall, I don't think that AZ ranks very high compared to the rest of the nation for our education system. Sadly, our current governor (Brewer) and her friends
have slashed school budgets, resulting in higher class sizes & teacher turnover. The good news is that AZ is a school choice state so you can send your child to any public or charter school regardless of where you live. I live in Gilbert, which has a strong reputation for excellent schools. However, I opted for a charter school over our neighborhood school because of much smaller class sizes, an emphasis on STEM curriculum and more hands-on project based learning. If you are willing to research and visit different schools (and make the drive), I'm pretty sure you'll find a school you can be happy with. As for higher ed, AZ was for a long time limited in choices. We had 3 major universities, a good community college system, but nothing else. Now a number of smaller, liberal arts 4-year colleges are setting up satellite campuses here which broadens our choices.
JOBS. Honestly, I can't speak much about this b/c I've been a stay-at-home mom for 5 years now. On the positive side, Phoenix is a really big city which usually translates to more opps. On the negative side, our economy has relied heavily on construction and real estate, both very fragile in times of trouble. I know there has been an effort to attract more tech and bio-tech jobs. Healthcare is strong b/c of our attrativeness to retirees.
POLITICS. AZ has always been a conservative state. Growing up here, it was mostly Goldwater conservatism (ie, I stay out of your business and you stay out of mine). But the past 10-20 years has brought a more socially and religiously conservative agenda to our state, which I think mimics conservatism at the national level. Issues like illegal immigration and gay marriage can get downright nasty. Our sheriff (joe arpaio) is nationally known for his John Wayne-esque approach to law enforcement, which is embarassing to many of us, but not all. He's been comfortably re-elected many times. Having said that, there is enough of our former "live and let live" attitude here that I, as a Democrat and liberal, can live (mostly) comfortably here. If being in a more progressive, open minded city is important to you, take a look @ Phoenix and Tempe as your relocation spot. If you don't care so much, then any suburb will do.
CULTURE. Active, health-conscious, a solid arts community (but definitely not San Francisco!), diversity is not huge but what we have is visible. One thing I really like here is that it's easy to meet new people if you try. AZ is a high-migration state, which means there are lots of transplants here so newcomers are not a big deal. Some of our family have moved to parts of the country with low migration and have had a terrible time building a community of friends. Not everyone is super friendly but with a little effort (look at meetup.com to find groups built around your interests & hobbies) you should find this workable.
In summary, AZ (Phoenix area) is a big city with many sub communities co-existing (fairly well). If you are an active, health conscious person, you'll find a community here. If you are a super conservare ative religious person, you'll find a community here. If you are gay, lesbian, transgendered or asexual, you'll find a community here. If you are a solitary soul who prefers to be left alone, you'll find a community here. And so on. I love AZ for its beautiful Sonoran deserts and bountiful opps to play outdoors. I don't love the politics, esp recently. But overall, if you are moving here, I think you can be optimistic that it's a good place to be! Just please don't ask us if we still have tumbleweeds blowing down the street... sheesh.
Shannon | Gilbert, AZ