<Greetings all,>
Welcome to Arizona| Arizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') | The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. |
Paths!
<Anything
I may not have thought of?>
I would compare the Phoenix area
with the Tucson area, not just the two cities within their own boundaries.
Tucson is very much by itself, though there are a few surrounding areas.
Phoenix is has plenty of surrounding cities, including Tempe, Scottsdale,
Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Avondale, Anthem, Apache Junction,
and the list goes on. So you may not find the things in Phoenix that you
like about Tucson, but they are likely to be right next to Phoenix.
<At
first glance, Tucson is more charming. I like the way the natural look
of the desert is used in landscaping.>
You will see more
and more of this on the outer edges of the Phoenix area, like north Scottsdale,
or out in Gilbert.
<And the views of mountains from all around
town.>
The Metro Phoenix area is in a valley, so it is surrounded
entirely by mountains: South Mountain| South Mountain | (so'wth MAWN-ti'n) | Serving as the "exclamation point" of pride, South Mountain is the largest municipal park in the world. The 16,500-acre park is home to more than 300 species of plant life and a variety of fauna, including rabbits, foxes, coyotes, snakes, lizards and birds. |
, Superstition Mountains| Superstition Mountains | (soo-pe'r-STI'-shu'n MAWN-ti'n) | A large mountain range making up the eastern edge of the Phoenix valley. |
, etc.. and is dotted throughout with some smaller
ones, like Camelback Mountain and Piestewa (Squaw) Peak.
<In
Tucson, I like the fact that there are lots of community activities listed
in the weekly paper.>
You will see more of this in the smaller
cities (like Tempe) than you will in Phoenix.
<One good thing
about Phoenix is that most people I talked with who live in the center
of the city have not seen scorpions in the house. The comparable central
area in Tucson is much smaller, leaving me with fewer housing options there,
since I am terrified of seeing a scorpion inside! And worried about my
tiny pets.
Any thoughts?>
The closer you live to natural
desert landscaping, the more likely you are to see scorpions. I know you
like that type of landscaping, so there will likely have to be a trade-off
of some sort.
I've been to Tucson plenty of times, but I've
never lived there, so I can't compare what it's like to live in Tucson
vs. living in the Phoenix area. I just know that everything you've mentioned
that you like about Tucson is readily available in the Phoenix area as
well.
|
