Greetings from Hurricane Row

Considering a move from FL to AZ....Scottsdale/Phoenix. Born and raised in the Southeast....the Southwest will be a BIG change for us. What's great, what's not about living in AZ.

All feedback is truly appreciated.

soupershape,

Being a native Arizonan, my feedback might be biased in favor of Arizona, because I love this place so much. On the other hand, my feedback might also be based on fact :-).

Arizona is a great place to live.. other than the occasional dust storm and monsoon, there really aren't any natural disasters. Forest fires are common over the summer, but not anywhere near Phoenix.

You'll find that the weather is a lot drier. On the surface, the lack of humidity would seem much more comfortable and enjoyable during the hotter months. And it is. However, it's also more dangerous, and it's hard for newcomers to tell when they are overheating or dehydrating.. the symptoms are not obvious. So make sure you keep hydrated when spending outside. Plus, my wife says that the lack of humidity is great for her hair.

We have over 300 days of sunshine each year. To avoid the heat, summer months should either be spent indoors or up in the northern country. Winters are very mild.

many, many thanks for your feedback. Hubby is an artist (painting, sculpture) and I am a fitness trainer and author. From what we have seen we think that AZ would be a great place to be.

Planning a trip to Scottsdale during the Thanksgiving week (after hurricane season), to see what's available.

Any recommendations ????

soupershape,

The weather is starting to get back down to double-digits, and the monsoon is over, so I think you should be fairly comfortable. Scottsdale is pretty large land-wise, so trying to cover it all could be time-consuming.

What kind of recommendations are you looking for (places to sleep, eat, visit, things to buy, houses to look at, etc)?

we're on a mission to find our next home. We are searching for a community that embraces the visual arts, alternative health and wellness. If you could recommend any communities for us to investigate, we would be forever grateful.

blessings, Coach Deb St. Pete, FL

soupershape,

What you're looking for is Sedona. It's about two hours north of the Phoenix Metro area. The weather is also on average about 10 degrees cooler. The red rock scenery is magnificent. I would highly recommend visiting on your trip to Arizona.

Click on Arizona Info on the left, then go to Photo Gallery for some photos of Sedona (more to be added later today, actually). Also, try the new (and growing) Sedona section.. which you can access right from the home page of this site.

I'm from Chicago, but lived 5 years in Venice Fla. Have been in Az. for about 20 years now. Do yourself a favor and come visit in mid August, so you know the worst weather... Yes it is dryer here, but not the end of July and August...For those of us who have to work outside, it is brutal.. Good luck....

Hello, we are from Chicago and have been here for 1 month. An interesting up and coming, artsy area is Mesa. They are in the process of building this huge arts facility and are looking to attract people to it's recently/ongoing downtown revitalization.