Living in the Southwest for over 28 years(Las Vegas),I can defend the reasons for having homes in desert/beige/light colors,and for having desert decor landscaping.The adobe sand colored homes are for the benefit of helping you cool your home to an extent(Your home absorbs heat better),and you don't want to try and "force" anything to grow out there,that naturally doesn't(like grass,roses,etc.)so yucca plants,joshua trees,cactus,etc. fit right in,and only require little or no maintenence to upkeep at all(Water is a pretty valuable resourse,when residing in a desert climate!).Also,never bring/buy a BLACK vehicle into the hot Southwest(especially oxidized "flat black")white or silver is best,as they reflect(and not asborb)heat much better.You also want to invest in a dashboard/window indoor protector cover,otherwise the extreme heat WILL crack your dashboard over time.
1) hard water 2) choosing wrong place to live 3) buying a home before renting & exploring areas 4) not understanding the topography 5) long commutes 6) annoying & crazy drivers 7) “everything looks the same” (houses, yards, etc) 8) high utility bills (especially summer electric) 9) a “lack of things to do” because noobs don’t know what to do. 10) the heat 🥵 11) the sports scene - our teams never seem to make it to the top in playoffs 12) construction everywhere & dust
My husband and I bought a house in Gilbert back in June from Virginia without visiting the city first (we had visited / have family in Mesa). But we did a ton of research on the area and had a trusted realtor that gave us very detailed walk thru videos and tons of neighborhood information that wasn't easily researched online. We love everything about this area and it's surprisingly green for being a desert! We got a house on a greenbelt with a pool and there are trees everywhere - i love it! i was worried i would miss the green too much.
and yea the heat was CRAZY moving here in June - the temp was 118 that day and didn't get better. But we both work from home so it was easy enough to stay inside
@@quietsignal yea she is my cousin :) she's really good though and goes above and beyond - she even offers to maintain clients' pools until they can move in and also changes out all the locks as well.
It USED TO BE, if you drove at exactly the speed limit, you could drive clear across town and never have to stop at a traffic light... but that was in the 70's LOL I grew up in Phoenix, and will be moving back to Arizona when I retire, just not back to Phoenix!
AZ is a GREAT state! We value 2A. We have such a diverse landscape. Arizona Highways magazine once did an issue that took a snapshot of various places within our state and it could represent all 50 states. Such as the Havasupai Falls can be mistaken as Hawaii. Great varieties around this beautiful state.
You forgot the WATER BILL specially when you have a lot of trees, grass etc.... left PHX 6 years ago and trust me I see AZ becoming CArizona pretty soon
Thank you so much for the inside it's great to understand the difficulties you might face in Arizona but you never talked anything about the scorpions in the tarantulas in the residential housing areas
Of all those mentioned traffic is definitely the worst. Especially the west valley. It can really ruin your day. It’s getting too damn crowded. At least the winters are nice.
I'm in mohave valley What I do in the hot months is turn off my hot water tank and use it for cooler shower water. My hot water tank is in air condition garage which helps. Takes a little getting used to but it works and I can take a cool shower in the boiling hot afternoon. Imagine that fellow desert dwellers.
Ur intro is sick btw! - Water is terrible! (Get filters) -Rent 1st! Renter for a year, buying next month! -I just figured it out... the N & S markers and miles... pretty easy once I get it. -Best part; it’s gonna be alright! lol Look everywhere has these so U have to pick ur poison. I chose AZ over NY!
@@yeahsteeeve If you can afford it, buying new is not an issue. I bought new a 2021 vehicle two months ago. Paid cash, $61k. This was a budgeted purchase, and had no negative affect on our financial portfolio. Buying new, or used, my philosophy, is to use cash.
I live in minnesota and was visiting Tucson last summer when it hit 110 degrees, a few days ago here it was -20 degrees I'll take -20 over 110, that was brutal. The heat there ain't no joke. Lol....But he's right there is tons to do once you get out and explore in Arizona it's a beautiful state.
Moved in Scottsdale last summer from Washington state and hate it with a passion. Having two teenagers that just started driving, the aggressive driving and rude people on the road is insane.Also, air quality, dust and hard water just sucks.
I used to live in Phoenix, loved every minute of it. If I hadn't got transfered I would have still been there. That was in 1976 though. Not sure how much it has changed since then.
A year ago, my friend who I went to ASU with in the early 90s visited. We decided to go look at all our old haunts. When we drove and I really surveyed the city, I realized we didn't have any old haunts. They were all gone. Even the campus at ASU is alien with so much new build. Little of the Phoenix you must have experienced in 1976 remains. Back then there were a million of you driving those roads; now there are 4 million. In addition, the expansion of the area has created a heat island - in 1976 it was hot in the summer but at night it would generally get down into the 70s or low 80s. Add 10 degrees to that now. Relief from the heat no longer comes at night. If you remember things like the iconic Cine Capri or Camelview Cinemas - they're parking garages now. Very little in the way of preserving any sense of Phoenix's past.
Tucson has weather that is a might extreme in the summer. But we haven’t had freezing weather in a few years. When my sister in law was visiting from the Bahamas she asked my why all the buildings were brown.
if you don't like it , do yourself a favor go back to where you came from, on the other hand go ahead and stay if you like it. compared to other places you can come up pretty quickly, good jobs and good companies here , the heat is great you'll love it!!
We are from California and the first thing I noticed is how bright the sun is. It is blinding to those not use to it. I can handle the heat just fine, but need sunglasses and a hat, lol! No, we are not liberal idiots. We happen to be very Conservative Republicans and love Arizona!
Talking about electric bills. Utility companies are screwing people over. How? My total electric usage over the past summer working from home due to covid was at or lower from the past 2 years running the ac 24/7. Yup thats right so the SRP was actually making more off me the last two prior yearsonnthwir so called plan that was supposed be the most economical for me. This rule about raising your temp higher during non peak hours and then lowering is completely bogus.
38 year resident here. Most things on the list aren't a big deal to me and have workarounds. I love the heat BTW. My complaints: too many people moving here, and bringing their insane politics with them.
Best way to evaluate an area/ town is to visit in what you consider the least desirable time of year and spend as much time in these places as you possibly can. Try it before you buy it. Try being a Bears or Chargers fan (when they were in San Deigo).
One thing nobody touched on about Arizona,is that hardly anyone lived there before Air Conditioning was invented.A long term,Summer blackout of electricity,would probably kill most of the population.That's one thing I don't miss about the Southwest...putting my life in the hands of my Air Conditioner and electricity to remain alive!
True story. I think about that after moving here from the nw. But in those places when the power goes out they have generators to keep the electric heat going.
Good video, I truly enjoy your channel thanks for the info. Maybe use some sound tiles in your space to improve your audio quality. This video as some echo type affect. Cool green screen effects.
Great video, lots of important information. I plan on watching this once a month before I move to Arizona. You might want to apply some sound treatment to one of the walls of your studio.
Living in a beautiful tourist destination can be beautiful, until you see the traffic double very quickly, or they turn the town into an Airbnb, making it not affordable to to live and work there.
honestly i think az is a great place to live a lot of development more affordable than california if you got big bucks i say move to scottsdale or verrado in buckeye if you want more affordable i would consider estrella mountain ranch ,surprise,litchfield park ,chandler ,north peoria/ vistancia area domt move to avondale laveen or tolleson
I live in Colorado and recently spent 2 months in AZ mountain biking. Prescott, Buckeye, Phoenix, Tucson, Apache Junction etc...things I noticed. Bad Water TONS of roadside trash. Public lands...TONS of trash. Cmon people take care of the land! Aggressive drivers...I put two into together and realized why all around Phoenix there are many billboards advertising accident, injury lawyers. Obviously the good heavily outweigh the bad in AZ. It’s a gorgeous place, I really had no idea. The Bradshaw mountains, Superstition Mountains etc. gorgeous. Your mountain bike trails are great, too. I had a wonderful time
I've lived in Arizona for over 30 years and you'd think I'd know better. My Number one complaint is the heat! Time to move back to Prescott. I moved from there because it was too small, now I know better.
I'm learning a lot myself too. I'm looking forward in moving there soon. I could careless about the heat, they have sun glasses and sun hat to protect you from the heat. I'm still going there
Everything this gentleman said is spot on and great advice, but let me add one thing that people may not think about, if you own a pick up, it is in the eyes of would be thieves trust me, do everything you can to protect your pickups in Arizona!!!!!! I guess my 92 Sonoma pick up was really popular in 2000 and it was stolen from an apartment complex off of McDowell and 75th!
JLZ Media just as salty as the stupid west coast liberals who moved here because it went so far blue. Imagine being so dense that you can no longer tolerate living in the place of your own making & then repeating the same mistake elsewhere.
You forgot to mention that commuting to and from work includes extreme heat!(Couldn't stand the 6 Month+ Summers!)If you can swing it,obtain/work a graveyard shift,or commute when the Sun isn't out.It will spare you skin cancer,and you'll have much less wear and tear on your car!
The cities are concrete and asphalt heat islands situated in valleys surrounded by mountain ranges. Lousy public transit, so owning a car is pretty much essential. Plus being a desert and naturally dealing with dust, sand and wind doesn’t help.
@@SaltyBob355 public transit in Metro Phoenix is a joke & Tucson's trolley system is also a joke. Metro Phoenix public transportation is the nation's very worst.
I'm from Chicago and when I'm in the Surprise Az. area I can't believe how aggressive and fast people drive in that area it's dangerous. I'm 50 years old driving for a living so it's a marathon not a race on the roads that is my motto over the years. I plan to explore the westside of Arizona first on my list. How do you feel about the last monsoon season it was very active. My wife spent the whole summer out there. I'm watching your videos to learn more about the area I have spending some of my extra time in. thank you so much for making these. Don
To be honest, I can deal with the heat, I can deal with the traffic. None of those things is of concern to me. What I find really infuriating is when I see transplants, mostly from next door, ranting about how horrible California is, but then, they keep voting for the same policies they're escaping from. It boggles the mind...
You covered most of them. However I relocated from MN last year. Due to a generous monsoon season (rain / moisture) it brought out the Sonoran Desert Toads which can be deadly to dogs. I mean, they came out in doves! Also, the overall bug and spider situation was extreme due to the moisture as well.
The Terra Cotta colouring is because of the heat. Darker or brighter coloyrs attracts the heat and in Phoenix and Tucson has more heat than almost anywhere in America.Well,except for Yuma maybe. Oh,and there really is a lot of things to do out here. Fishing,hunting,hiking,biking(both motor and bicycles) camping,swiming,going boat camping on a couple of lakes(you can rent a houseboat),exploring areas and getting to visit historical placed,which Arizona has tons of,etc. As to construction,you forgot to mention downtown Phoenix. It's everywhere! They're constantly putting up orange ribbons and plastic barriers telling you that you have to go this way,and then two days later you have to go another way. It's just insane! Oh,and,....DIAMONDBACKS RULE!! PS...I love your videos and just subbed. :}
22 years in AZ. What I hate: Spinney prickly cactus including Jumping Cholla everywhere People drive aggressive and like crap It's hotter than Hades about 5 months a year in most of AZ
Arizona is perfect. I am about 40 miles from Kingman…….just right! 3600 feet elevation, maybe one or two vehicle a week go past my place. Been here almost 10 years and pujt around 4000 to 5000 miles per year on my side by side UTV’s spending a lot of time just out in the desert by myself. No people, no noise, no BS!
People who come here and plant grass in their yards. Arizona is a desert in the midst of a severe drought. Here in Tucson, we get most of our water (CAP) from the Colorado River. We share that with 7 other thirsty states and Mexico - some of which are also experiencing a drought. We haven't had our annual monsoon rains for three years! So if you're moving here and planning to put in a lawn, please, don't. Do us all a favor and plant heat tolerant native trees instead. I haven't had to water my mesquite and palo verde at all.
Lived in Phoenix for 4 years and just moved back to my home state. People drive soo slow here it is difficult to get used to how 'slow' things are again. Cashiers take their time, people walk slower lol I mean I know it's the country but damn yall get some motivation! Yeah our power bill with a pool was in 500-700 range, insane. Going to miss weekend trips to Puerto penasco!
If your a liberal, Do not move here. Great points you made Living, after 30 years in construction here it really takes a toll. The upside, I have to drive to visit snow and our Constitutional carry is Primo
Since you in construction.... I'll be looking to working for a natural gas company that runs services when I move to Arizona (looking in the San tan valley area) and is that a in demand job around there or anywhere else close to that area by any chance?
Very good video. I come here every winter, bought a place in Salome Arizona. The advice to not buy a property right away is very, very good advice, especially If you’re going to commute to a job. I am retired so that doesn’t apply to me. I can time my travels to correspond with light commute traffic.
Get a Brita filter off your sink water tap. Then refill your water filter jug and put it into the fridge for nice cool and delicious water. Maximize your house insulation to keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. From April to June I open all my windows all night long for cooling and then close them all at 6am. Stays cool all day long...well until June then I turned on the air conditioning.
Don't forget we have a vet strong gun culture here. Learn to embrace it and if you've don't now about them, ask. We have low taxes and small government intrusion allowing us to be free. If you like the government to control you, AZ is not the place for you. Freedom and great weather is why people move here.
Being from New Jersey it was quite a shock that I had to pump my own gas.It is illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey.It was also hard to find a gas station on a lot of the roads in Scottsdale they seem to be in all the shopping centers.The roads are in great shape but you have to drive a long distance to visit different areas since Arizona is so large. In New Jersey you can be kayaking down the Delaware River or hiking in the mountains and in 2 or 3 hours be biking or on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore.
I’m one who rushed out to AZ from FL. I went to Kingman AZ thought I would love it. After 4 years I moved to Henderson NV since it was only 1 hour away. wished I rented first and spent more time out probably wouldn’t of wound up in northern Arizona
No mention of the rude, sarcastic, hatefull folks that work at the auto license branches. these sorry individuals seem to migrate into these positions.
Actually, this should be titled "Living in Phoenix, Arizona"; other parts of the state (mainly north) are quite nice. The metro area is a smaller version of Southern California/Los Angeles.....wide spread, concrete, traffic, congestion, traffic, very little if any public transportation.
I moved out here over 5 years ago and still haven't figured out where I want to live in Phoenix and I've realized I missed my calling as a Nascar driver. I have figured out where I want to live in the state however.
Also, just my list which I don't think you addressed but it is more local: 1) Phoenix metro wasn't built for this many cars, the infrastructure is about 10-20 years behind. There's only one major thoroughfare to get around - the 101! Of course you can take the 17 and the 51 to cut through town, but not at rush hour! 2) Zero drainage in this burg. When monsoons actually hit, you get instant flash floods. No sewers draining to the canals. 3) Rain generally means your car requires a car wash. It knocks the dust down, at the expense of making your car look like it was abandoned. 4) We're so transient you have people from the other 49 (and other countries) moving here - so that means 50 different ways to drive and using your horn to let people know Right On Red is allowed in most cases 5) From Queen Creek to Goodyear is 90 miles. We are THAT spread out. 6) Everyone is a part time Realtor and you can't talk about houses with a stranger without getting a stack of business cards. 7) Inconsiderate people abound. They litter the roads, the hiking trails and the mountain preserves. People pick up dog poop on hiking trails in a baggie, and toss the baggie behind bushes. Seriously, zero respect. Go back to whereever you came from with that crap, don't bring it here.
In 1985, my wife said if we didn't move to Az. she was leaving me ; her parents lived in Sedona. We loaded up the truck and moved. She was happy for almost a year before she left and I was stuck here! I got used to a lot of things but not all. I like hunting, and that was good until the population tripled, and subdivisions grew up everywhere. I really miss having 4 seasons. Spring is about three weeks and fall is usually a Thursday in November! Also, there is not a real Green in Az , just yellow green and grey green. Mostly I don't appreciate the continual flow of more people into the already crowded urban areas , we've gained six traffic lights and two or three dozen roundabouts in 20 years. Oops it looks I got carried away! Really , it is a "dry heat" so is my oven and I know what it does to a turkey!!
Hey Jeff can u also do a video on the attitudes of people in AZ..? My wife & I are going out there a lot but we aren’t super social in public but we want to get a feel of people’s attitudes there. How are people’s sense of humor there...? Sometimes I get the sense that some people can be a bit humorless there but I may be assuming wrongly since people in AZ are naturally more of a humble type people. So maybe that effect has me assuming. My wife is waiting for her certification to teach in AZ but many of the open jobs tell her to apply anyway! And she’s telling me I could even be a substitute teacher out there lol! I have zero experience I’m a freaking e commerce guy. Perhaps a video on the mass shortage of teachers in AZ. It really seems like my wife could just walk onto a job out there especially with her experience working here in helL.A.
If you are coming from California I advise you change your plates ASAP I drove a friend's car with Cali plates I got flipped off threatened with gun gestures and cut off within a 20 minute drive.
I visited Phoenix for a week for the very first time a few years ago over Christmas coming from Ohio. It was my first time anywhere out west. I went alone just to discover and explore something new (plus I've always wanted to go to Arizona anyhow). Needless to say I was VERY impressed with Phoenix and the great hospitality I found there. I found the people super nice. I explored all over the city, went to many different restaurants and bars and had a blast. The first night I stayed there I got two free beers from my hotel room and a free burger from a bar in Scottsdale. I loved visiting there and didn't want to leave. I hope to go back someday permanently. Hope that helps.
