A Review of Yuma and Life There
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5/10/2009
I moved to Yuma roughly 6 years ago from upstate NY, and likely the first thing you'll notice is that it's hot. Considering that Yuma is in the heart of the desert its not surprising. Each year the temperature reaches as high as 120F during the peak of the summer, however you rarely have to worry about humidity making the heat feel even worse. Winter by comparison is extremely mild and average temperature during that time of year rarely tends to drop below the 50's during the day. For those of you who might wonder, Yuma never gets any snow.
During the winter months there is a huge influx of older adults and seniors who flock to Yuma to get away from bitter winters of their native states. At this time the population normally jumps by 80,000 during the peak of the season. Because of this, a lot of the city caters to older audiences and customers and as a result younger and more active families and individuals may find themselves frequently bored. The influx of senior citizens also tends to cause traffic to get a lot more congested and many people complain about the driving of the older citizens in particular.
As mentioned previously, there isn't much in the local area for active families, individuals, and especially youth. The recent addition of an outdoor mall has been the most significant improvement in recent years for entertainment. There are two movie theatres and several community pools, as well as a fair number of parks in town. There is also a small local arcade and billiards hall in addition to a standard fare of restaurants. However, the city offers nothing in the vein of roller/skating rinks, laser tag, family amusement(mini-golf, water parks, amusement parks, etc.), and very little in specialty or hobby stores. On the plus side however, Phoenix and San Diego are both only 3 hours away. And as a final note for this topic, Yuma is right next to the imperial sand dunes. This is a popular location for people to go "dune-riding" on dune-buggies, 4-wheelers, etc. Fishing is also moderately popular since the Colorado river is nearby, as well as camping. (Julian a popular campground in CA is roughly 4 hours away.)
It is worth noting too that unlike many cities Yuma thrives during the winter and shuts down during the summer due to a combination of the heat and much of the population leaving. As a result much of the work is seasonal as well as a lot of the entertainment which usually comes from the nearby Casinos. Parents or the children themselves may be annoyed too by the fact that when school lets out for the summer there is little to do in town.
On the topic of school; here is my first hand account of the school on a whole. It is very easy to see, even from a student's point of view, that Yuma's schools do not get as much funding as they should or need. After moving from upstate NY and starting high school, I found myself often being taught lessons (even into my sophomore year) that I had learned in middle school in NY. The standards for teachers aren't very stringent concerning education standards for new teachers either. Special courses, like band and drama, or choir often raise all, or almost all the funds that they need to support themselves because they do not get enough funding from the schools. I have heard this is true for the Agriculture classes as well, but only second hand. Being white in the schools there can be somewhat daunting at first, especially since the majority of the students tend to be hispanic. What more they tend to speak only Spanish outside of class, making it harder for people who only know English to fit in at first. Parents should also note that drugs are fairly prevalent in Yuma as a whole, even in the schools. It was fairly common for me to see or hear about it throughout all 4 years of high school. In particular marijuana, cocaine, and rarely meth. I can remember being offered to be "hooked up" on numerous occasions. The schools try their best to teach despite being hindered and offer many extra curricular courses.
Last topic I will cover is employment. I will say that off the bat, at least concerning entry level and low-level jobs on a whole, that it is a lot harder to get a job if you don't know how to speak Spanish. In fact, due to many illegals being employed for cheap by companies it is increasingly difficult for high school students, or anyone for that matter to find a part time job. Or even full time jobs. In most stores you don't have to worry about running into an employee who only speaks Spanish, with the exception of privately owned establishments. Yet even those will have generally have someone you can talk to. However, in small towns out side of Yuma (one in particular) called Somerton it isn't uncommon for the stores to be staffed with employees that speak very little English. Finding a job in Yuma can be very difficult unless you have a degree, especially recently.
On a whole, Yuma is a decent place. The crime rate is extremely low, but so is the education unfortunately. Hispanics are prevalent and so is the use of Spanish because the population is roughly 45% hispanic. Expect to see plenty of farm fields, or to get stuck behind a tractor if traveling on back roads as Yuma is an agriculture based city.
My personal opinion is that while Yuma could be a nice place eventually. But the combination of many different things can easily make this an unpleasant place, especially if you have lived in a large city or a more active area. Living there for such a long time has led to a sense of feeling trapped, and I look forward to relocating. --John S. Age:21
John | Somerton, AZ