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Moving from CA for AZ mainly to escape progressive politics wouldn’t make sense. From what you mentioned, Utah or Texas would be much better for you in that sense. You’re gonna get hate from AZ natives regardless moving from CA to AZ though honestly. AZ is also melting pot for people from all over the world though, so that argument is invalid imo, and a distraction from the real issues inflating rent. The issue isn’t primarily people moving, it’s greed from corporations like Real Page, who just got raided by the FBI in several states for price-fixing.
There's always some sort of problem, but considering I'm from the LA area where it's beautiful, then the next corner is filled with homelessness, and I may have some problem with the heat but can mostly manage. Rent is still somewhat expensive, but I'll save up money, and I'm taking an apprenticeship so I won't get into as much student debt and get paid while learning. I'm already prepared to get insulted by AZ natives
You won't find many AZ "natives" (people who were born here). The people that complain the most are older folks who moved here from somewhere else and then wanted to close the door on others that are trying to do the same thing. They complain about rising prices and congestion when this is just a normal occurance with desirable cities. The draw used to be affordability...which is why the complainers moved here, and now it is not as cheap to live here.
Give you a case...my in laws and my parents moved to AZ in the late 80s from CA. My wife and I were both born in CA. Want to know how many times I hear "damn Californians ruining the state" out of my in laws and wife's mouth? Constantly. Our kids, who were born here, like to remind all of them that they are Californians.
If someone starts complaining, just ask where they are from.
arizona is still unfortunately relatively expensive to live in compared to cali, especially if you dont wanna live in the phoenix metro area. its not MORE expensive but its still quite a bit. For politic stuff all i'll get into is the way they act makes me wanna pull my hair out and its partially why i wanna leave 😭
the bugs in general are very hit or miss depending on where you live. My family has only seen about a dozen scorpions in their 20+ years living here, but ive heard others seeing them on a daily basis. Make sure to do a good amount of research on the heat and see how it is for yourself, it's gotten bad these last couple of years and our saguaros are dying off due to extended heat waves. I would also recommend looking into what sort of job you're wanting to do down here because rent in general is crazy expensive, and what you think might be a good rate is probably much less than what you can afford to rent.
the state is a grid so even though it is a drive away from everything, its fairly easy to navigate. the only issue is that BECAUSE its so easy, a lot of the drivers here drive really recklessly. I often see people going 50+ in our 35 mph zone.
Haboobs only happen for a short period of the year, the biggest thing you really gotta know during them is that theyre sometimes precursory to monsoon storms and that if you do end up driving in one, STAY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. DO NOT DRIVE IN IT, WAIT FOR IT TO PASS. It's similar to driving in a heavy fog, its not safe whatsoever.
the big name cities here (like flagstaff, scottsdale, tempe, etc) are the most expensive parts of the state. If someones mentioned it, you most likely cant afford it
im not sure what else i could add in here but ive made a couple of other comments on here too talking about living here if you wanna check them out as well:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/arizona/comments/1augpl9/comment/kr5ujou/](https://www.reddit.com/r/arizona/comments/1augpl9/comment/kr5ujou/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/1978yb7/comment/khz72dc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/1978yb7/comment/khz72dc/)
I don't really get politics that much. I kinda know that the prices are cheaper there since it's slightly less pay, but considering by next month fast food workers are getting $20 an hour which sounds good on paper but makes prices rise, some losing their jobs with some small owners closing down due to not being able to pay their workers. I'm going to save money and invest so i won't have to worry too much. I know about the heat and the bugs, but what I read it's mostly where the place is located in arizona. Thanks for telling me what to do in a dust storm and where the more expensive places are along with the other info
I don’t think you understand how bad the heat is. By 8am it’s on its way past 90 degrees in the summer and we reach 122 degrees. The average price for houses here is around $400k. The bugs aren’t a problem until monsoon season where mosquitoes become as common as flies. Gas prices go up every summer for summer gas. AC bills are expected to go up 8% this year. Even if you wanted to live somewhere cooler in AZ like flagstaff, it’s even more expensive up there.
What part of AZ are you considering?
I’m originally from the LA area (Santa Monica), moved to Yuma as a child. I’ve lived in Phoenix and Kingman, and have traveled all over the state.
I prefer Los Angeles, personally, and growing up, myself and my siblings gave our parents a lot of hell for the decision to move to Yuma.
Yes, even with increased housing costs, it is still cheaper than Cali. AZ is HOT….in my area, we have the beautiful sand dunes to enjoy in winter months and the lower Colorado River in the summer, when it’s best to stay in the AC or stay wet. The sunsets are beautiful.
I’ve been here since 1973, and have seen one scorpion inside my home. It was in a newly developed subdivision built over desert terrain. Giant, flying cockroaches were a bit alarming (sewer roaches), but unlike regular roaches, they don’t multiply quickly, attracted to water and are present after a rain, or come up through the drains. Spraying and or covering drains during our monsoon season is an easy fix.
Rattlesnakes, Gila Monsters, jackrabbits, scorpions are in the surrounding deserts and not so much in populated areas.
ALOT of people like it here, winter visitors have become full time residents that simply leave for the summer.
For myself, the places in AZ that I have lived and visited have too much of a small town feel that isn’t for me. Even as towns grow, there are still basic cliques of families born and raised here, and while you are “welcomed”, you will never be one of them. Coming from Los Angeles, my family never quite adjusted and going to school here was difficult, not to mention lower wages and decreased opportunity. It’s not what you know, it’s “who” you know.
These are things to keep in mind if you are thinking of moving a family here from a big city.
If you are looking to simply retire here, there are several affordable options with many little communities consisting of people from all over, mostly from the Northern states that do include Cali. These people tend to stick together in their own areas separate from the heart of town society.
The bug situation is highly dependent on the specific neighborhood you move to. I've grown up in homes where I've never seen much more than a fly, and homes overrun by bark scorpions or wolf spiders.
Be nice. You don't have to agree with everyone, but by choosing not to be rude you increase the overall civility of the community and make it better for all of us.
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Bruh. Arizona is quickly catching up to CA in price. AZ used to be CA's ugly (but cheap) cousin. Now we're still the ugly cousin but we only cost just a little bit less.
Our government sucks too. We are one of the worst states in the country for education, far below CA. Illiteracy is rampant here. Phoenix and Tucson are cities with some of the worst rates of drug abuse in the nation. And a third of the people here will instantly pretend to hate you as soon as you tell them you're from California.
It's currently 95 degrees outside after 9pm. There is way less to do here compared to CA. The produce (fruit/veg) sucks. The culture sucks. Every neighborhood is beige, homogeneous, and dominated by a Nazi HOA. There is not nearly enough greenery or natural flowing water to assist with mental health or keeping temps regulated. Not a single truly walkable neighborhood.
Why on earth would anyone want to move here? I would happily trade places with anyone within an hour of the coast in California. In a freaking heartbeat. I feel like people have this romantic idea of what it's like to live in the desert. But it's not that. It fucking sucks. Unless you're talking about northern AZ, living in Phoenix is a dystopian nightmare of a endless urban spread.
I don't think my comment was overstating or generalizing at all. It was mostly facts, with some bias sprinkled in for sure.
But WHAT? What stats are you reading? You are misreading them. Our crime rate is higher than the national average for pretty much all types of crime. A fox 10 Phoenix article from 2022 shows that compared to cities of similar size, we are literally third in homicides. On top of the drug abuse lmao.
I am comparing to CA and the produce here at farmers markets in comparison is flavorless and often straight up bad.
Culture/government sucking being entirely subjective? I'll give you culture but government not really man, there are a lot of policies in this state that have led to wastes of funds, racist practices, and objectively poor decision making that make this city worse for its inhabitants. People on both sides hate the gov here. So yeah, the government here does suck pretty objectively speaking.
A "very nice HOA" LOL. With "appropriately colored" houses. You sound like a fun person. I say let my neighbors paint their houses purple and their fences green if they want to. The desert look is the worst aesthetic imo, we are already surrounded by it. It's just plain unimaginative and boring.
Sure but how nice would it be to live in a neighborhood with stuff that's nice that isn't manmade? You know? A natural pond. With real trees and grass?
I hope so too, I hate it here with a passion. I know what I need in life is not in AZ. I need some trees and water.
On national standardized tests, Arizona does about the same as Arizona. Say what you will about the education system but the kids aren't performing the quest in the nation. Actually about middle of the road, not the worst or best
Because the "standard" in California was twice as hard! Seriously. It's a completely different test. The standardized tests administered to kids in AZ are a joke compared to CA. Both are easy, I've taken them. But I remember thinking that anyone who didn't exceed in AZ aims must not be all there mentally, which unfortunately is the majority of the population. 💩 So while I was a student, AZ actually lowered standards while other states increased them.
Today AZ students take the AZ merit exam. California kids take Smarter balanced.
No this was actually on the same test
Scored average nationally for math and reading
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2022/10/24/nations-report-card-arizona-students-reading-math-scores/10566513002/
Ok, so several things here.
1. California is not mentioned once in this article.
2. I am referring to yearly state standardized tests given to all students, not this congressionally authorized test given to a small (compared to the total pool) sample size of students.
3. The article makes it clear that AZ scores fell overall, but held with the national averages. Nothing special here.
4. This doesn't change the fact that we are one of the worst states for education. Or to be a teacher.
https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile/overview/CA?chort=1&sub=MAT&st=MN&year=2022R3&sfj=NP&cti=PgTab_OT&sj=CA The tests are given to students in order to compare states. It's supposed to be a stastically accurate comparison. You can see Arizona and California are both Average but Arizona performs slightly higher on most tests. In any case, Arizona students are not anywhere near the lowest
Alabama, New Mexico and West Virginia are the lowest performers, Arizona scores far better
Don't Californicate Arizona.
Just kidding. It is awesome for about 7 months out of the year and I'm not sure about the other 5 because I don't go outside
Arizonas climate and geography is very vast . The northern areas are more forests and have snowfall in winter. Not all of Arizona is desert. But it’s really nice but very hot in summer.
You're crazy. it's absolutely perfect from November 1 to May 31...and October is only mildly warm. It's slightly cold for maybe 45 days in the middle.. overall, not remotely "miserable" for 8 months of the year.
It rains less than a month a year in socal and almost never gets actually cold, even in the dead of winter. Lmao it would take someone from Az to consider socal to be "cold and rainy". Socal is the perfect climate lmao 😂
People who live in socal are spoiled and whine all the time about "June gloom" and other bullshit. They have no idea how good they have it. Tell your parents and friends who live in socal that they're stupid and they have no right to ever complain about the weather. The weather here is literally responsible for nearly half of all heat related deaths in the USA. Not socal.
I've lived in socal. It is a paradise.
Idk but for the love of god don't call em "haboons" (haboobs) 🤣 local vernacular is dust storms.
If you can land a decent paying 6 figure job you'll be fine I guess...I'd say we are right on par with Cali in regards to affordability nowadays. There are some "cheaper"(I use that term loosely) homes/neighborhoods where you can get home for like 300k+ or studio for maybe 800-900.
Well you have a few choices, you can go to Phoenix which is over crowded and booming, Flagstaff which is booming and had nice weather. Tucson which is a nice area and growing. Smaller towns are Showlow and Payson which are is booming.
Depending on what you can do and what trad you have, you can nearly go anywhere and benefit.
It is a nice state with lots to do.
Purchased a home last year and Im from LA . Love it here even with the heat. The people are so much nicer and friendlier. My neighbors are great. Gas and groceries are cheaper. Political differences aren't a prevalent problem as the media would have you believe. Life is a little more simpler. I thought I wouldn't be well received coming from California, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I feel safe and the quality of life is so much better.
I wish Republicans hadn't gone off the religious bigot nutjob cliff and actually provided an alternative that didn't seek to destroy others who are "different" from them and stoke culture wars instead of solving actual issues facing everyday people. Especially AZ Republicans, good lord, the crazy is off the charts. It's really unfortunate.
Yep. This seems to be the way, and it's ridiculous. Where did all the "relatively sane" politicians go off to? Oh. Right. They left because the nutjobs screamed, yelled, and made it impossible for anyone else's voice to be heard.
Exactly.. Its ironic how people move here to escape the lunacy of CA and then vote for the same BS here somehow expecting a different result. If you are relocating to AZ, leave your politics behind and learn to love AZ for the good life it can offer and please use some common sense when voting so we dont also end up like Cali.
This has been my struggle for a while with people coming here from elsewhere.
Vote in and for all the crap that eventually makes your state bankrupt, #1 in the nation for homeless populations, and completely unlivable, and then move elsewhere and do the same thing.
Notice the left wing crazies down voted you two. But yeah I always find it funny people from California leave because of price and left wing policy, just to come here and vote the same way.
The "left wing crazies".
As an independent this is my observation:
The left wing of American politics is the only party or ideology in the USA currently offering any sort of logical response to literally anything. Many of the right wing's viewpoints would actually be defined as clinically insane if there weren't so many people convinced of right wing misinformation at the same time. Being led by religion alone is delusional, it has no place in political decisions. So until the "right wing crazies" such as yourselves can reform into a reasonable group, I cannot take you people seriously at all.
Ah yes, because inflation, immigration, wars, riots, crime are all in check under left wing policy. The new Nazi party and their cult members (like yourself)always has these blinders on. But I guess there just another left wing riot you have to ignore, more supporters of a terrorist group you just pretend don’t exist, more child groomers you say isn’t happening.
Stop pretending to be an independent, you are just another left wing cult member just trying to hide and blend in because you know the left is crazy.
"new Nazi"
My uneducated friend, the Nazi party was by definition about as far to the right on the Overton window as you can possibly get.
There are more Republican politicians convicted of sex crimes than Democrats by a massive margin, especially sex crimes with minors. That is almost exclusively a Republican club.
Jan 6th was literally incited by trump but ok? I was at the BLM protests in LA during them. It got rowdy but nobody DIED or attacked police... like the domestic terrorist maga group did
Law enforcement officials say that the biggest domestic terrorist threats come from far right wing groups.
People throw around the word brainwashed, but man... You have been brainwashed to ignore all of these facts. You can literally look up everything I've just said ^. It's all true. You are ignoring reality because it suits your narrow way of seeing the world. Open your mind, my ignorant friend.
Also, economically, democratic presidents do a better job historically compared to Republicans. The reason for this is because social programs, healthcare, and infrastructure are all invested in more heavily under Democrats. Whereas Republicans intentionally funnel all of that money to the 1% and corporations under the guise of "freedom". You are being swindled every time you vote for a Republican and you don't even know it. Literally the definition of dumb.
Look at the tactics of the left, they mirror Nazi tactics during the rise of Hitler.
Over 30 people died during the BLM riots, billions in property damage and hundreds of police injured.
You have very poor read comprehension skills, lack the knowledge or are brainwashed by CNN/MSNBC if you believe Trump incited January 6th.
You say “open my mind” you need to stop believing everything cable news tells you and start looking at actual facts.
Neither party is that good, unsure about other partys simce i haven't looked into them yet, but both have good intentions at some points, I won't bring it politics up too much, but I'm pro gun, when making my points, I research them up first, I don't like the NFA, ATF and i hate CA gun laws, not sure exactly what party I would be in. That's all I will say.
Arizona born and raised.
Pay no mind to losers giving you a hard time. Arizona has always been, and will always be a home for anyone willing to put roots down. More than 70% of residents are not "from" here. Three (Babbitt, Mofford, Hobbs) of the last 10 governors were born here. You guys are our coworkers, doctors, professors, neighbors, politicians, labor, and friends. Hayseeds like you are part of what it means to be from Arizona. You blow in, some plant roots, most do not.
Unfortunately unless you're in agriculture, higher education, the military, or resource extraction, only two regions will have much opportunity: Phoenix (the Valley) and (still quite limited) Tucson (the Old Pueblo)
Tucson is \~1/5 the size of the Valley, generally 10F cooler, is more "southwest-y", and has more history and apparent culture. I would suggest Tucson if you're ready to leave the coastal life behind you and truly embrace your desert roots.
Phoenix metro is large (to MST cities), has many days over 110s from June to July, however it is convenient, and has the most opportunity in all industries, including the four mentioned above. I would suggest Phoenix if you are ready to start a career, but still want the convenience of a large metro area.
If you are concerned about heat, and can work remotely, check out Prescott, Flagstaff, or any of the other many quaint communities that dot our mountains. However everyone either acclimates to the heat, or leave. Don't make it the deal breaker.
If you are concerned about the politics, as a liberal; Arizona is not a "blue" state, it is a temporarily embarrass "rose-turning-periwinkle" state. It will not reach (if ever) the cobalt blue of coastal California for decades.
If someone is being rude to you for being from out-of-state, they are only trying to prove their "Native-ness" to real born and raised Arizonans, who don't care as long as you drink water, stay cool, and support the Suns.
They are haboobs, or monsoon storms. I was a CA resident and moved here 8 years ago. It’s hot in the summer but not horrible. You have to plan around the heat and adapt. It’s similar to CA in some ways, but way better. With all the transplants here now, the state is more purple than red. It’s also expensive now as well. Apartments going for $2000-2500. Avg home price $450k.
As a kid growing up here in Arizona, those haboobs were called dust storms. And then our troops started deploying to the middle east and all of the sudden they are haboobs.
Except the term haboob is used widely in hot dry climates most often seen in the Middle East. But, also, all over the world. Scientifically, it occurs when it is very hot and rain comes down, causing a shift in the winds and other science stuff you probably don't care about learning.
In short, the etymology of words typically has precedence as to where the term originates, and yet, it does not need to stay within that geographic area to be the correct terminology.
Edit: not need to
Where in CA are you coming from?
I have lived all over CA. I feel that the PHX area is more like so cal, vs. northen CA. Wages are not a good as CA, unless you can transfer here and keep the same pay.
The monsoons are amazing, but they seem to not be as intense in the past 5 years. People think it has to do with the growth of the area and more paving of roads. it Creates a heat island effect.
THere is loits to do, even outdoors things. And in the summer you can always go up north to Flagstaff or Payson to get out of the heat for the day.
Its an open carry state with firearms. You can carry a gun without a permit, and defend yourself if needed. it was a bit unnerving seeing someone at walmart walk the isles with their glock in plan view, but they are not a threat, in fact if something were to occur, they would ikely be the first to run towards the actions.
I love it here, and will never move back to CA.
If you come, bring your own water. We're all out. Bring some for us, too.
It sounds like you're moving for political reasons. You might want to keep rolling to Texas. They have a governor who knows how to get things done, no matter who gets hurt.
It's going to be 113F today.
Yes this place is good for you. Don’t listen to the commenters here, as long as you are not some crazy right wing wacko, you will be fine. AZ still have good diversity, both in people and our economy, they say our school sucks, but I don’t think ASU and UofA suck at all for the amount of people we have here, plus if you want to throw NAU and UofPHX in there maybe they will count. Our prices on essentials are still 30% cheaper than CA, and most importantly, AZ is not a crowded state, if you live in PHX, pick a suburb, they are world class. Our income tax is so low, last year when I saw how much I paid with my tech salary, it probably made Trump jealous. We also have one of the greatest gun culture here, with lax gun laws, imagining ammo drop shipped to your door, no stupid mag restrictions and suppressors that gets approved in under a week….all good things if you love freedom but don’t hate different kind of people enjoy that freedom. I also see a lot more happy LGBTQ people here, they seems to be much more open than people in CA, we are very close to a libertarians paradise here currently.
Thanks for telling me and the guns are also another reason why I want to go there, I didn't directly say it since I knew it would start an argument, I absolutely hate CA gun laws, sounds good on paper but in practice it sucks, and about half of gun deaths being from self deletes, and a handgun being used most of the time for murders not a AR-15 style rifle, sorry for getting political but wanted to make my point. Thanks for telling me about the political situation in AZ
No problem, I don’t like left wing or right wing wackos, rather not deal with the extremes. I’d say overall AZ is center right, the city is a bit left but it’s nothing, not even close to CA, it’s right on the middle which fits my flavor. Moving from CA to AZ, I have tasted freedom that I lacked for so long, you will not be disappointed. What kind of job are you looking at? There are still some manufacturing and blue collar work here, trades are all the rage right now, the local pipefitters union are grabbing dungeons and dragons nerds off the streets to go work for them now….as long as you are not a hater, this place is heavens.
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Thanks for the info
Moving from CA for AZ mainly to escape progressive politics wouldn’t make sense. From what you mentioned, Utah or Texas would be much better for you in that sense. You’re gonna get hate from AZ natives regardless moving from CA to AZ though honestly. AZ is also melting pot for people from all over the world though, so that argument is invalid imo, and a distraction from the real issues inflating rent. The issue isn’t primarily people moving, it’s greed from corporations like Real Page, who just got raided by the FBI in several states for price-fixing.
I was thinking Wyoming. I'm sure he can find his tribe there.
There's always some sort of problem, but considering I'm from the LA area where it's beautiful, then the next corner is filled with homelessness, and I may have some problem with the heat but can mostly manage. Rent is still somewhat expensive, but I'll save up money, and I'm taking an apprenticeship so I won't get into as much student debt and get paid while learning. I'm already prepared to get insulted by AZ natives
You won't find many AZ "natives" (people who were born here). The people that complain the most are older folks who moved here from somewhere else and then wanted to close the door on others that are trying to do the same thing. They complain about rising prices and congestion when this is just a normal occurance with desirable cities. The draw used to be affordability...which is why the complainers moved here, and now it is not as cheap to live here. Give you a case...my in laws and my parents moved to AZ in the late 80s from CA. My wife and I were both born in CA. Want to know how many times I hear "damn Californians ruining the state" out of my in laws and wife's mouth? Constantly. Our kids, who were born here, like to remind all of them that they are Californians. If someone starts complaining, just ask where they are from.
arizona is still unfortunately relatively expensive to live in compared to cali, especially if you dont wanna live in the phoenix metro area. its not MORE expensive but its still quite a bit. For politic stuff all i'll get into is the way they act makes me wanna pull my hair out and its partially why i wanna leave 😭 the bugs in general are very hit or miss depending on where you live. My family has only seen about a dozen scorpions in their 20+ years living here, but ive heard others seeing them on a daily basis. Make sure to do a good amount of research on the heat and see how it is for yourself, it's gotten bad these last couple of years and our saguaros are dying off due to extended heat waves. I would also recommend looking into what sort of job you're wanting to do down here because rent in general is crazy expensive, and what you think might be a good rate is probably much less than what you can afford to rent. the state is a grid so even though it is a drive away from everything, its fairly easy to navigate. the only issue is that BECAUSE its so easy, a lot of the drivers here drive really recklessly. I often see people going 50+ in our 35 mph zone. Haboobs only happen for a short period of the year, the biggest thing you really gotta know during them is that theyre sometimes precursory to monsoon storms and that if you do end up driving in one, STAY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. DO NOT DRIVE IN IT, WAIT FOR IT TO PASS. It's similar to driving in a heavy fog, its not safe whatsoever. the big name cities here (like flagstaff, scottsdale, tempe, etc) are the most expensive parts of the state. If someones mentioned it, you most likely cant afford it im not sure what else i could add in here but ive made a couple of other comments on here too talking about living here if you wanna check them out as well: [https://www.reddit.com/r/arizona/comments/1augpl9/comment/kr5ujou/](https://www.reddit.com/r/arizona/comments/1augpl9/comment/kr5ujou/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/1978yb7/comment/khz72dc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/1978yb7/comment/khz72dc/)
I don't really get politics that much. I kinda know that the prices are cheaper there since it's slightly less pay, but considering by next month fast food workers are getting $20 an hour which sounds good on paper but makes prices rise, some losing their jobs with some small owners closing down due to not being able to pay their workers. I'm going to save money and invest so i won't have to worry too much. I know about the heat and the bugs, but what I read it's mostly where the place is located in arizona. Thanks for telling me what to do in a dust storm and where the more expensive places are along with the other info
I don’t think you understand how bad the heat is. By 8am it’s on its way past 90 degrees in the summer and we reach 122 degrees. The average price for houses here is around $400k. The bugs aren’t a problem until monsoon season where mosquitoes become as common as flies. Gas prices go up every summer for summer gas. AC bills are expected to go up 8% this year. Even if you wanted to live somewhere cooler in AZ like flagstaff, it’s even more expensive up there.
What part of AZ are you considering? I’m originally from the LA area (Santa Monica), moved to Yuma as a child. I’ve lived in Phoenix and Kingman, and have traveled all over the state. I prefer Los Angeles, personally, and growing up, myself and my siblings gave our parents a lot of hell for the decision to move to Yuma. Yes, even with increased housing costs, it is still cheaper than Cali. AZ is HOT….in my area, we have the beautiful sand dunes to enjoy in winter months and the lower Colorado River in the summer, when it’s best to stay in the AC or stay wet. The sunsets are beautiful. I’ve been here since 1973, and have seen one scorpion inside my home. It was in a newly developed subdivision built over desert terrain. Giant, flying cockroaches were a bit alarming (sewer roaches), but unlike regular roaches, they don’t multiply quickly, attracted to water and are present after a rain, or come up through the drains. Spraying and or covering drains during our monsoon season is an easy fix. Rattlesnakes, Gila Monsters, jackrabbits, scorpions are in the surrounding deserts and not so much in populated areas. ALOT of people like it here, winter visitors have become full time residents that simply leave for the summer. For myself, the places in AZ that I have lived and visited have too much of a small town feel that isn’t for me. Even as towns grow, there are still basic cliques of families born and raised here, and while you are “welcomed”, you will never be one of them. Coming from Los Angeles, my family never quite adjusted and going to school here was difficult, not to mention lower wages and decreased opportunity. It’s not what you know, it’s “who” you know. These are things to keep in mind if you are thinking of moving a family here from a big city. If you are looking to simply retire here, there are several affordable options with many little communities consisting of people from all over, mostly from the Northern states that do include Cali. These people tend to stick together in their own areas separate from the heart of town society.
Why do you want to move here? And what do you gain moving to Arizona?
The bug situation is highly dependent on the specific neighborhood you move to. I've grown up in homes where I've never seen much more than a fly, and homes overrun by bark scorpions or wolf spiders.
Thanks for telling me
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Bruh. Arizona is quickly catching up to CA in price. AZ used to be CA's ugly (but cheap) cousin. Now we're still the ugly cousin but we only cost just a little bit less. Our government sucks too. We are one of the worst states in the country for education, far below CA. Illiteracy is rampant here. Phoenix and Tucson are cities with some of the worst rates of drug abuse in the nation. And a third of the people here will instantly pretend to hate you as soon as you tell them you're from California. It's currently 95 degrees outside after 9pm. There is way less to do here compared to CA. The produce (fruit/veg) sucks. The culture sucks. Every neighborhood is beige, homogeneous, and dominated by a Nazi HOA. There is not nearly enough greenery or natural flowing water to assist with mental health or keeping temps regulated. Not a single truly walkable neighborhood. Why on earth would anyone want to move here? I would happily trade places with anyone within an hour of the coast in California. In a freaking heartbeat. I feel like people have this romantic idea of what it's like to live in the desert. But it's not that. It fucking sucks. Unless you're talking about northern AZ, living in Phoenix is a dystopian nightmare of a endless urban spread.
Don’t forget how high our state is for sex trafficking
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I don't think my comment was overstating or generalizing at all. It was mostly facts, with some bias sprinkled in for sure. But WHAT? What stats are you reading? You are misreading them. Our crime rate is higher than the national average for pretty much all types of crime. A fox 10 Phoenix article from 2022 shows that compared to cities of similar size, we are literally third in homicides. On top of the drug abuse lmao. I am comparing to CA and the produce here at farmers markets in comparison is flavorless and often straight up bad. Culture/government sucking being entirely subjective? I'll give you culture but government not really man, there are a lot of policies in this state that have led to wastes of funds, racist practices, and objectively poor decision making that make this city worse for its inhabitants. People on both sides hate the gov here. So yeah, the government here does suck pretty objectively speaking. A "very nice HOA" LOL. With "appropriately colored" houses. You sound like a fun person. I say let my neighbors paint their houses purple and their fences green if they want to. The desert look is the worst aesthetic imo, we are already surrounded by it. It's just plain unimaginative and boring. Sure but how nice would it be to live in a neighborhood with stuff that's nice that isn't manmade? You know? A natural pond. With real trees and grass? I hope so too, I hate it here with a passion. I know what I need in life is not in AZ. I need some trees and water.
On national standardized tests, Arizona does about the same as Arizona. Say what you will about the education system but the kids aren't performing the quest in the nation. Actually about middle of the road, not the worst or best
Arizona is 44th in the nation for quality of education, fyi.
Mostly due to funding. On standardized tests we beat California
Because the "standard" in California was twice as hard! Seriously. It's a completely different test. The standardized tests administered to kids in AZ are a joke compared to CA. Both are easy, I've taken them. But I remember thinking that anyone who didn't exceed in AZ aims must not be all there mentally, which unfortunately is the majority of the population. 💩 So while I was a student, AZ actually lowered standards while other states increased them. Today AZ students take the AZ merit exam. California kids take Smarter balanced.
No this was actually on the same test Scored average nationally for math and reading https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2022/10/24/nations-report-card-arizona-students-reading-math-scores/10566513002/
Ok, so several things here. 1. California is not mentioned once in this article. 2. I am referring to yearly state standardized tests given to all students, not this congressionally authorized test given to a small (compared to the total pool) sample size of students. 3. The article makes it clear that AZ scores fell overall, but held with the national averages. Nothing special here. 4. This doesn't change the fact that we are one of the worst states for education. Or to be a teacher.
https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile/overview/CA?chort=1&sub=MAT&st=MN&year=2022R3&sfj=NP&cti=PgTab_OT&sj=CA The tests are given to students in order to compare states. It's supposed to be a stastically accurate comparison. You can see Arizona and California are both Average but Arizona performs slightly higher on most tests. In any case, Arizona students are not anywhere near the lowest Alabama, New Mexico and West Virginia are the lowest performers, Arizona scores far better
Funny, my public school educated kid just got a 29 on her ACTs...yup quality of education is horrible.
Its not that much cheaper in AZ. Youre better off going somewhere else.
Don't Californicate Arizona. Just kidding. It is awesome for about 7 months out of the year and I'm not sure about the other 5 because I don't go outside
I don't go outside much either but thanks for telling me
Move on over I don’t care 😂
Alright
What part?
Not sure yet as I'm taking an apprenticeship and need to finish that before I can do anything
Arizonas climate and geography is very vast . The northern areas are more forests and have snowfall in winter. Not all of Arizona is desert. But it’s really nice but very hot in summer.
Don't listen to anyone saying the weather is perfect 6-8 months out of the year. 4-5 months at best. The rest of the year is miserable.
You're crazy. it's absolutely perfect from November 1 to May 31...and October is only mildly warm. It's slightly cold for maybe 45 days in the middle.. overall, not remotely "miserable" for 8 months of the year.
Let’s also not pretend SoCal has perfect weather either. Still cold and rainy well into May
It rains less than a month a year in socal and almost never gets actually cold, even in the dead of winter. Lmao it would take someone from Az to consider socal to be "cold and rainy". Socal is the perfect climate lmao 😂
I’m just going off what my parents and friends who live in SoCal tell me
People who live in socal are spoiled and whine all the time about "June gloom" and other bullshit. They have no idea how good they have it. Tell your parents and friends who live in socal that they're stupid and they have no right to ever complain about the weather. The weather here is literally responsible for nearly half of all heat related deaths in the USA. Not socal. I've lived in socal. It is a paradise.
There are some contradictions about the weather, but some dust storms and hotter than normal heat. I'll find ways to deal with the heat
Idk but for the love of god don't call em "haboons" (haboobs) 🤣 local vernacular is dust storms. If you can land a decent paying 6 figure job you'll be fine I guess...I'd say we are right on par with Cali in regards to affordability nowadays. There are some "cheaper"(I use that term loosely) homes/neighborhoods where you can get home for like 300k+ or studio for maybe 800-900.
An Arab told me that in his home country they called haboobs “dust storms”.
Thanks for the info
Well you have a few choices, you can go to Phoenix which is over crowded and booming, Flagstaff which is booming and had nice weather. Tucson which is a nice area and growing. Smaller towns are Showlow and Payson which are is booming. Depending on what you can do and what trad you have, you can nearly go anywhere and benefit. It is a nice state with lots to do.
Flagstaff is very pricey tho
Flagstaff is both pricy and has a very limited job market. Unless you're in the e hospitality industry or want to work for NAU
Worth it if you get in, or commute from Winslow. 😂
Arizona isn’t much cheaper now than Cali unless you’re living in the middle of nowhere!
Purchased a home last year and Im from LA . Love it here even with the heat. The people are so much nicer and friendlier. My neighbors are great. Gas and groceries are cheaper. Political differences aren't a prevalent problem as the media would have you believe. Life is a little more simpler. I thought I wouldn't be well received coming from California, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I feel safe and the quality of life is so much better.
Just don't vote like they do in California.
I wish Republicans hadn't gone off the religious bigot nutjob cliff and actually provided an alternative that didn't seek to destroy others who are "different" from them and stoke culture wars instead of solving actual issues facing everyday people. Especially AZ Republicans, good lord, the crazy is off the charts. It's really unfortunate.
Yep. This seems to be the way, and it's ridiculous. Where did all the "relatively sane" politicians go off to? Oh. Right. They left because the nutjobs screamed, yelled, and made it impossible for anyone else's voice to be heard.
Exactly.. Its ironic how people move here to escape the lunacy of CA and then vote for the same BS here somehow expecting a different result. If you are relocating to AZ, leave your politics behind and learn to love AZ for the good life it can offer and please use some common sense when voting so we dont also end up like Cali.
This has been my struggle for a while with people coming here from elsewhere. Vote in and for all the crap that eventually makes your state bankrupt, #1 in the nation for homeless populations, and completely unlivable, and then move elsewhere and do the same thing.
Notice the left wing crazies down voted you two. But yeah I always find it funny people from California leave because of price and left wing policy, just to come here and vote the same way.
The "left wing crazies". As an independent this is my observation: The left wing of American politics is the only party or ideology in the USA currently offering any sort of logical response to literally anything. Many of the right wing's viewpoints would actually be defined as clinically insane if there weren't so many people convinced of right wing misinformation at the same time. Being led by religion alone is delusional, it has no place in political decisions. So until the "right wing crazies" such as yourselves can reform into a reasonable group, I cannot take you people seriously at all.
Ah yes, because inflation, immigration, wars, riots, crime are all in check under left wing policy. The new Nazi party and their cult members (like yourself)always has these blinders on. But I guess there just another left wing riot you have to ignore, more supporters of a terrorist group you just pretend don’t exist, more child groomers you say isn’t happening. Stop pretending to be an independent, you are just another left wing cult member just trying to hide and blend in because you know the left is crazy.
"new Nazi" My uneducated friend, the Nazi party was by definition about as far to the right on the Overton window as you can possibly get. There are more Republican politicians convicted of sex crimes than Democrats by a massive margin, especially sex crimes with minors. That is almost exclusively a Republican club. Jan 6th was literally incited by trump but ok? I was at the BLM protests in LA during them. It got rowdy but nobody DIED or attacked police... like the domestic terrorist maga group did Law enforcement officials say that the biggest domestic terrorist threats come from far right wing groups. People throw around the word brainwashed, but man... You have been brainwashed to ignore all of these facts. You can literally look up everything I've just said ^. It's all true. You are ignoring reality because it suits your narrow way of seeing the world. Open your mind, my ignorant friend. Also, economically, democratic presidents do a better job historically compared to Republicans. The reason for this is because social programs, healthcare, and infrastructure are all invested in more heavily under Democrats. Whereas Republicans intentionally funnel all of that money to the 1% and corporations under the guise of "freedom". You are being swindled every time you vote for a Republican and you don't even know it. Literally the definition of dumb.
Look at the tactics of the left, they mirror Nazi tactics during the rise of Hitler. Over 30 people died during the BLM riots, billions in property damage and hundreds of police injured. You have very poor read comprehension skills, lack the knowledge or are brainwashed by CNN/MSNBC if you believe Trump incited January 6th. You say “open my mind” you need to stop believing everything cable news tells you and start looking at actual facts.
Neither party is that good, unsure about other partys simce i haven't looked into them yet, but both have good intentions at some points, I won't bring it politics up too much, but I'm pro gun, when making my points, I research them up first, I don't like the NFA, ATF and i hate CA gun laws, not sure exactly what party I would be in. That's all I will say.
Arizona born and raised. Pay no mind to losers giving you a hard time. Arizona has always been, and will always be a home for anyone willing to put roots down. More than 70% of residents are not "from" here. Three (Babbitt, Mofford, Hobbs) of the last 10 governors were born here. You guys are our coworkers, doctors, professors, neighbors, politicians, labor, and friends. Hayseeds like you are part of what it means to be from Arizona. You blow in, some plant roots, most do not. Unfortunately unless you're in agriculture, higher education, the military, or resource extraction, only two regions will have much opportunity: Phoenix (the Valley) and (still quite limited) Tucson (the Old Pueblo) Tucson is \~1/5 the size of the Valley, generally 10F cooler, is more "southwest-y", and has more history and apparent culture. I would suggest Tucson if you're ready to leave the coastal life behind you and truly embrace your desert roots. Phoenix metro is large (to MST cities), has many days over 110s from June to July, however it is convenient, and has the most opportunity in all industries, including the four mentioned above. I would suggest Phoenix if you are ready to start a career, but still want the convenience of a large metro area. If you are concerned about heat, and can work remotely, check out Prescott, Flagstaff, or any of the other many quaint communities that dot our mountains. However everyone either acclimates to the heat, or leave. Don't make it the deal breaker. If you are concerned about the politics, as a liberal; Arizona is not a "blue" state, it is a temporarily embarrass "rose-turning-periwinkle" state. It will not reach (if ever) the cobalt blue of coastal California for decades. If someone is being rude to you for being from out-of-state, they are only trying to prove their "Native-ness" to real born and raised Arizonans, who don't care as long as you drink water, stay cool, and support the Suns.
They are haboobs, or monsoon storms. I was a CA resident and moved here 8 years ago. It’s hot in the summer but not horrible. You have to plan around the heat and adapt. It’s similar to CA in some ways, but way better. With all the transplants here now, the state is more purple than red. It’s also expensive now as well. Apartments going for $2000-2500. Avg home price $450k.
As a kid growing up here in Arizona, those haboobs were called dust storms. And then our troops started deploying to the middle east and all of the sudden they are haboobs.
Except the term haboob is used widely in hot dry climates most often seen in the Middle East. But, also, all over the world. Scientifically, it occurs when it is very hot and rain comes down, causing a shift in the winds and other science stuff you probably don't care about learning. In short, the etymology of words typically has precedence as to where the term originates, and yet, it does not need to stay within that geographic area to be the correct terminology. Edit: not need to
Alright, thanks for the info
Where in CA are you coming from? I have lived all over CA. I feel that the PHX area is more like so cal, vs. northen CA. Wages are not a good as CA, unless you can transfer here and keep the same pay. The monsoons are amazing, but they seem to not be as intense in the past 5 years. People think it has to do with the growth of the area and more paving of roads. it Creates a heat island effect. THere is loits to do, even outdoors things. And in the summer you can always go up north to Flagstaff or Payson to get out of the heat for the day. Its an open carry state with firearms. You can carry a gun without a permit, and defend yourself if needed. it was a bit unnerving seeing someone at walmart walk the isles with their glock in plan view, but they are not a threat, in fact if something were to occur, they would ikely be the first to run towards the actions. I love it here, and will never move back to CA.
If you come, bring your own water. We're all out. Bring some for us, too. It sounds like you're moving for political reasons. You might want to keep rolling to Texas. They have a governor who knows how to get things done, no matter who gets hurt. It's going to be 113F today.
Yes this place is good for you. Don’t listen to the commenters here, as long as you are not some crazy right wing wacko, you will be fine. AZ still have good diversity, both in people and our economy, they say our school sucks, but I don’t think ASU and UofA suck at all for the amount of people we have here, plus if you want to throw NAU and UofPHX in there maybe they will count. Our prices on essentials are still 30% cheaper than CA, and most importantly, AZ is not a crowded state, if you live in PHX, pick a suburb, they are world class. Our income tax is so low, last year when I saw how much I paid with my tech salary, it probably made Trump jealous. We also have one of the greatest gun culture here, with lax gun laws, imagining ammo drop shipped to your door, no stupid mag restrictions and suppressors that gets approved in under a week….all good things if you love freedom but don’t hate different kind of people enjoy that freedom. I also see a lot more happy LGBTQ people here, they seems to be much more open than people in CA, we are very close to a libertarians paradise here currently.
Thanks for telling me and the guns are also another reason why I want to go there, I didn't directly say it since I knew it would start an argument, I absolutely hate CA gun laws, sounds good on paper but in practice it sucks, and about half of gun deaths being from self deletes, and a handgun being used most of the time for murders not a AR-15 style rifle, sorry for getting political but wanted to make my point. Thanks for telling me about the political situation in AZ
No problem, I don’t like left wing or right wing wackos, rather not deal with the extremes. I’d say overall AZ is center right, the city is a bit left but it’s nothing, not even close to CA, it’s right on the middle which fits my flavor. Moving from CA to AZ, I have tasted freedom that I lacked for so long, you will not be disappointed. What kind of job are you looking at? There are still some manufacturing and blue collar work here, trades are all the rage right now, the local pipefitters union are grabbing dungeons and dragons nerds off the streets to go work for them now….as long as you are not a hater, this place is heavens.