I"VE LIVED HERE FOR 31 YEARS, and everyone's revie
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8/31/2008
I'm 40 years old now and grew up on a dirt road in East Mesa when I was young, have lived all over the east valley since high school and have settled in Chandler (for now) with my wife and 2 young kids. My parents moved out here from Cleveland, Ohio in 1977 to get away from the cold, pollution, crime and politics, and because they fell in love with the American Southwest's culture, its history, promise, and wide-open spaces. People who review Arizona are referring mainly to the Phoenix metro area, or "The Valley of the Sun". There is only one major city outside of The Valley, Tucson. The rest of the better known Arizonan cities, such as Flagstaff, are more like large towns. The Valley's population has doubled since the late 70's, where the majority of the population increase has taken place within the last 10 years. Most of the newcomers are Californian, although I've met quite a few people from the Pacific Northwest, the upper East Coast, Texas, Colorado, the Dakotas, and some from the Western Midwest. Oh, I mustn't forget to include the massive influx of illegals from Mexico. The Californians and New Yorkers "made-out" when they sold their over-valued homes to bring their money - and politics - out here to Arizona. They cashed-in on bigger homes, new toys, and had money left in the bank. Great for Arizona's economy, terrible for our pollution and water supply as well as the over-population of nearby recreational areas we used to once enjoy. The Valley used to get substantial amounts of rain during the monsoons, but I believe it is the extra heat emitted by all the additional cars, blacktop, and AC units that created a high(er) pressure system, where the clouds rarely break over the mountains surrounding the valley anymore. For the most part, strangers (not everybody) you meet here are generally not friendly and it shows by the vindictive way they drive. Mexican illegals have and are rapidly reproducing, and a high number of them frequently commit rape, kill police officers, smuggle drugs and people, drunk driving manslaughters, congest emergency rooms and generally live off the dole of the taxpayer. I'm not tying to make a persuasive or negative argument, it's just the way it is here. It is the Federal Government's responsibility, but The Valley itself has its own internal gridlock of politics to blame.
Yes, it does get extremely hot during the 4-5 month summers, and we can go 200+ days without rain, but the winters make it possible to enjoy a gr
Sean | Chandler, AZ