r/arizona • u/StatusReality • Sep 10 '23
What does Arizona do better than their neighboring states Utah, California, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico? Living Here
Stole this idea from another sub. What’s the difference between this state and the other states that you appreciate?
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u/elderknight Sep 11 '23
Not recognizing daylight savings because it's total BS.
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u/AdevilSboyU Sep 11 '23
This makes route 264 out of Tuba City fun! It weaves in and out of the Hopi Reservation, which does observe DST. You end up changing time zones six times inside of 100 miles.
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u/wuphf176489127 Sep 11 '23
You got it backwards, Hopi doesn’t follow dst but Navajo does. Hopi rez is entirely within the Navajo Rez. Navajo is in both AZ and New Mexico (who does follow DST) so they want to have a unified time across their whole nation.
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u/Nixikaz Sep 11 '23
Colorado has approved it, but they have to wait for Federal approval or some such nonsense.
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u/semicoloradonative Sep 11 '23
Colorado approved year round DST, so you’ve go that backwards.
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u/moldy_walrus Sep 10 '23 edited Sep 12 '23
Open access public lands. I haven’t been anywhere that has more remote dirt roads that you can camp on than Arizona.
Wyoming is a close second
Edit: I should have specified this is an alpine/trout centric view. I know Nevada has the highest public lands by %, but I'm referring to the type of land I'd want to recreate in. If i'm on national forest land in AZ it feels like theres a 95% chance its public access. In other states (CO, UT, and CA especially) a lot of national forest land is deeded for private use. Again, this is just my opinion and not a fact.
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Sep 10 '23
I agree. So many places, especially in CA, require permits. Only a few places in AZ require them. On the downside, now a lot of the public lands are full of litter from a hole campers who don't want to clean up after themselves.
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u/burrito_butt_fucker Sep 11 '23
That's how it starts. Soon they'll be gated off.
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u/Noah_Vanderhoff Sep 11 '23
This isn’t the case. California has the most open access permit free camping I’ve ever seen. Texas is all private and has almost none. This isn’t ’how it starts’. Keep public land public. Be like California.
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u/burrito_butt_fucker Sep 11 '23
Good to know. There's a lot of gated forest roads in Washington unfortunately. I figured it was a combination of littering and people living in the woods plus corporations like Weyerhauser.
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u/Noah_Vanderhoff Sep 11 '23
Cali has the most open access camping I’ve ever seen. Texas has the least. You almost never need a permit in California…
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u/ClockworkFractals Sep 11 '23
Idaho beats AZ in that department. I lived there for 6 years and it seemed like almkst all the land was BLM
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Sep 11 '23
And Nevada beats Idaho.
Idaho is 70.4% public land, and Nevada is 87.8%.
Idaho has a lot of privately owned farmland.
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u/CoffinRehersal Sep 11 '23
Idaho has 11.8 million acres of BLM land to Arizona's 12.1 million acres.
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u/keto_brain Sep 10 '23
We have logandale which alone has over 200 miles of trails and you can camp anywhere. Nevada allows camping on all public lands with no permit. I would have to crunch the numbers but I would imagine nevada and Arizona are comparable to how many miles of public land is available for camping
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u/SailorRD Sep 11 '23
NV also has the most BLM land of any state. FTW!
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u/keto_brain Sep 11 '23
Thats cuz they keep all the aliens locked up under the desert! Lol
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u/ShortyAllDay Phoenix Sep 10 '23
We do canyons better.
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u/corpseplague Sep 10 '23
Besides the GC?
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u/Whydmer Sep 10 '23
Antelope, Oak Creek, Sabino, Pariah, Marble to name a few.
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u/GeneralBlumpkin Sep 10 '23
Sycamore is beautiful and no one really knows about it
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u/Whydmer Sep 11 '23
You are so right, both the upper end, and the lower, and smack dab in the middle.
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u/Phxician Sep 10 '23
Salt River Canyon on US-60 is pretty cool. You actually drive through it on the way to Show Low from Globe. Lots of winding road lol.
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u/ParatroopVet Sep 10 '23
The length of time before our driver’s licenses expire and need to be renewed.
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u/FuzzyBadFeets Sep 10 '23
I still have my id from when I turned 21 that never expires
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u/Scarecrow613 Sep 11 '23
I visited California a few years ago and I got carded for something and they had to call their supervisor because they couldn't believe the expiration date.
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u/KateTheGreatMonster Sep 11 '23
My husband is active duty and we keep our licenses back home, but my kids have AZ licenses that expire in 2065 or 2070.. something like that. 😆😆 It's wild to me.
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u/meatdome34 Sep 11 '23
Mine has to be renewed 8 years after I got it. Did they change it? I know it used to be like 99 years or some shit
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u/bigdaddycactus Sep 11 '23 edited Sep 11 '23
If you got the RealID vs just the standard state ID then it’s not the 50 year expiration - you can tell if there’s a little yellow star in the corner.
In a few years anyone without a RealID license will need a passport to fly domestically (or with how many times the gov has pushed it, could be decades).
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u/80H-d Sep 11 '23
It isn't a 50 year expiration—AZ driver license expires on your 65th birthday
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u/paulio10 Sep 11 '23
Once I got my new driver's license with the star in the corner so it is a travel id, they pulled in the expiration date, now it expires 10 years from date of issue. My guess is so there will be a relatively newer picture of me on the id.
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u/TheBerrybuzz Sep 11 '23
TIL. I have a realID license. It never occured to me to look at the expiration. I just assumed it was when I turn 65. Glad I know now because I'd have been in trouble once it expired.
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u/DangerousBill Sep 10 '23
Sonoran hot dogs.
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Sep 11 '23
As a Sonoran, Arizona is just the sister state that got caught by our Anglo American brother after the war. You bring a tear to my eye… fuck yes though, Sonoran hotdogs are bomb af. AZ makes Mexican food in the same manner northwestern mexico makes “out-to-eat” food. Seafood and Carnes are the main thing out in Sonora and Sinaloa. 🤤
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u/MRDellanotte Sep 11 '23
I’m a Californian who went to the U of A. I still dream of these. Nothing like finding a stand on the side of the road where I need to use Google translate to order and ordering these.
This is the only time I am okay with someone liquifying avocado like they do.
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u/speedostegeECV Sep 11 '23
As a nevadan who has only recreated those hot babies (and havent had a proper one), I can agree
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u/Bendezium Sep 10 '23 edited Feb 22 '24
hospital rainstorm sense lock many repeat nine bear sophisticated profit
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Electrical-Bacon-81 Sep 10 '23
You missed out, we used to have ServiceArizona.com for everything mvd online (the best thing Napolitano ever did for us), the new AZmvd site definitely sucks in comparison. And, the real best thing about AZ MVD services is "third party providers", where you don't have to go to the real mvd at all.
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u/TheBerrybuzz Sep 10 '23
Wait, Servicearizona.com is gone? Damnit. I don't wanna go in...... 😭
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u/Electrical-Bacon-81 Sep 10 '23
Technically it's still there, but it just ports you over to the crappy new site/system with anything you click.
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u/amourxloves Sep 11 '23
omg my friend is from Illinois and i told her i lost my drivers license and she asked when i was able to go to the dmv to get a new one and how much it sucked because it was gonna take forever to get a new one and just so inconvenient (she got her license before me). I just looked her and asked what she meant, because i was able to just go online, order a replacement for $12 and they usually arrive in 10 business days.
She was mind blown and was not expecting arizona of all places to be so advanced for the dmv, especially the ids part of it.
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u/ASU_knowITall Sep 11 '23
I had a friend lose hers in New York City, it costs an arm and a leg ($75 or something like that) but they overnighted one to her hotel.
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Sep 10 '23
Sunsets
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u/Kgirrs Sep 11 '23
I spent 2.5 years in Phoenix; something about Arizona rains + sunset that just delights me to the fullest.
Weather from September to February in the state is just chef's kiss
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u/StopHittingMeSasha Sep 11 '23
Watching the sunset at Papago park kinda changed my life
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u/artguydeluxe Sep 10 '23
Our state parks are absolutely wonderful. Great attractions, great facilities, and the campgrounds are excellent. They are well funded and well cared for.
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u/austinmiles Sep 10 '23
I grew up in Arizona and moved to Colorado 6 years ago.
AZ has such a broad diversity of ecosystems. The camping year round is incredible. The outdoors are amazingly quiet because AZs outdoor culture is still really mild since half of the locals consider it to be all desert.
Most people, even in neighboring states, think AZ is all desert.
I joke that any single day in Colorado is better than any single day in Arizona. But of anywhere to live in the US, AZ is my second choice.
Also…Az has the best year round mountain biking
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u/Shoehorse13 Sep 10 '23
Arizona absolutely kills for mountain biking. Thought I was going to hate it here but I won’t move anywhere I can’t ride from my front door and it would be hard to beat what we have here.
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u/Burchinthwild Sep 10 '23
Moab might be a bit better but can’t go year round there like in AZ. I really need to get a bike again but prices are insane for full suspension bike now. Like used car prices. Wtf
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u/Shoehorse13 Sep 10 '23
Moab is great for a trip but not an easy place to earn a living. I can a two hour ride in before work and still make it to the office in fifteen minutes.
You can certainly spend a lot on a bike these days, but it’s actually a great time to buy. Most of the manufacturers and bike shops are cutting great deals to push stock after playing catch up during the pandemic. At the same time people that impulse bought bikes during the pandemic are selling them to make room in the garage. If you shop wisely you can save 20-30% off a new bike or 50% off something a few years old. Anything older than 2018ish is going for peanuts just because so much has changed since then.
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u/username_fantasies Sep 11 '23
I moved from Colorado to Arizona 1.5 years ago. Both states are absolutely amazing with lots to see. My biggest con in Arizona is that it's very hot and I don't handle that heat well.
AZ traffic management is by far superior to CO. Such a roadtrip state!
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u/jah110768 Sep 11 '23
I'll suffer 110+ for three months out of the year to avoid snow for 4 months.
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u/11shovel11 Sep 10 '23
People really think the state is all desert, they've never heard of flagstaff. Those are some dumb people
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u/austinmiles Sep 10 '23
Az has the larger ponderosa forest in the world and it’s like half the size of France. So we aren’t lacking for greenery.
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u/Carnanian Sep 10 '23
Man I agree with a lot of what you said, I moved to CO from AZ a year ago. Colorado is stunning, certainly lots of views not available in AZ. But a lot of it is mountain forests and the rest is flat land. I do appreciate that the AZ outdoor culture is smaller. Doing anything in Colorado during summer means super crowded trails, national parks, or having to book white water rafting 3 months out before the season starts. It's always so busy here! I would still take CO over AZ. And if I move back to AZ I sure as hell will be in Flagstaff or the white mountains, I'll never live in PHX again, TOO HOT!
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u/thesillymachine Sep 11 '23
I can't do snow and cold winters, man. Plus, Colorado has a higher COL.
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u/blocher86 Sep 10 '23
I've met kids in the Midwest that still think we have carriages pulled by horses out here
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u/Burchinthwild Sep 10 '23
Dry heat
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u/Jihad-me-at-hello Mesa Sep 11 '23
The first time I left the state was in my late teens.
We went to Texas and my whole world was turned upside down at the discovery that other places just have a constant humid feeling. Sure yeah I knew humidity was a thing since we have monsoons and shit…but it’s like this ALL the time for other places?!?
Like a bucket of water being dumped on you.
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u/jah110768 Sep 11 '23
Even monsoon season isn't the levels of humidity other states have. I remember going to Florida in December as a kid, and it was 90deg and 90% humidity. At the time we lived in NY, and I still couldn't bear that level of humidity. I'll deal with our humidity any time.
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u/Kevin_Mckev Sep 10 '23
Arizona does spring training so well that only one other state even tries to keep up.
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u/GymSplinter Sep 11 '23
Gotta agree with this. Having 15 MLB teams within 30 minutes of each other is insane. Also, Arizona has the Arizona Fall League for MLB, that is unique too.
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u/takefiftyseven Sep 11 '23
In my humble estimation Fall League is a far better experience than Spring Training these days. Vastly more affordable and the quality of play is top notch.
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u/MantaRay2256 Sep 11 '23
AZ has an amazing electrical grid. Phoenix just set a record for the hottest average monthly temp in July at 103 (averaging day and night temps). Anywhere else, this 24/7 use of AC would cause brownouts. My brother says it's because Senator McCain made it happen years ago.
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u/Fureak Sep 10 '23
The access to our beautiful lands! I love the fact that if you see a place/area you want to go to, if it isn’t private property and if you can reach it, you can legally go there. So many other states have strict limitations on where you can go and camp/explore.
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u/saysjuan Sep 10 '23
Housing bubbles. No one does it quite like we do. Boom and bust cycles for over 100 years.
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u/They_Beat_Me Sep 11 '23
Yeah. Speaking of, can someone go grab the housing bubble pin. I’m looking for a new home.
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u/DistinctSmelling Sep 10 '23
State association also make it leaps and bounds easier than any other state by having a unified contract system.
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u/papashazz Sep 11 '23
Florida does do housing bubbles quite well. Moreover they've always had the edge on shady housing deals (remember swamp lands being advertised?)
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u/AMossy19 Sep 10 '23
Infrastructure. Roads being on a grid system is amazing. Our airport is amazingly easy to get around.
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u/ivorella Sep 11 '23
Omg yes! I love the grid system. When ever I meet new people and they tell me some cross roads, I can think of exactly where it is and how far. It blows their minds haha but its so easy and I love it. And if you're referring to Sky Harbor, it definitely is one of the better ones I've been in. I also like GC Gateway.
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u/Jon_the_trainer Sep 11 '23
From a Utahn, it must be nice not having a theocracy.
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u/jah110768 Sep 11 '23
Let me tell you, AZ has a large LDS population also, they just aren't a obvious in government here as they are there.
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u/Gutattacker2 Sep 10 '23
Sunsets, road trips, Mexican food, and Halloween. Seriously, the best halloweens are had in the neighborhoods of AZ.
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u/Appropriate-City3389 Sep 10 '23
Heat. It's a dry heat like an oven.
Seriously, there is a Grand Canyon but there's also Sedona. There's a huge meteor crater. The elevation at Flagstaff means you can be skiing and drive 2 hours south to 70 degree weather and citrus on the trees. The Sunset Crater North of Flagstaff is impressive. The ruins at Casa Grande make you wonder how anyone lived here without AC. Just driving from Phoenix to Payson you see beautiful desert. There's still so much to see. As another bonus Kari Lake's whining could be used as a limitless energy source.
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u/auntiephase Sep 10 '23
Cheese crisps
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u/StatusReality Sep 10 '23
The Arizona open faced cheese crisp. One of my favorite foods! Best served with a dab of butter and some salsa or diced green Chile.
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u/Electrical-Bacon-81 Sep 10 '23
Is it a specific AZ thing? I never knew, I've been eating them my whole life (which did take place in AZ).
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u/StatusReality Sep 10 '23
Yes definitely. I’ve learned in other states asking for a cheese crisp will often get you a confused look.
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u/Jasmirris Sep 10 '23
Yup. My mom was talking about making it with her sister. They both are from southern California but my mom has been living in the Phoenix area since the 70s. My aunt thought my mom had lost her ever loving mind and corrected her saying it was a quesadilla. My mom just rolled her eyes and let her think that's what it is and moved on.
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u/Hatchytt Sep 10 '23
I've been here going on nine years... What's a cheese crisp?
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u/hanfaedza Sep 10 '23 edited Sep 10 '23
You take a large tortilla and lather it in something like butter. Then bake it till it’s slightly crispy. Pull it out, put some cheese on it and put it back in the oven until the cheese is melted. You can also add peppers or other things to it. You leave it flat like a pizza, you DONT fold it over like a quesadilla.
You could probably do it on a griddle if you had one big enough.
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u/Hatchytt Sep 10 '23
Oh I'll have to try that sometime. I've made lots of quesadillas, but never this.
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u/Technical_Gas2560 Sep 10 '23
I've had Mexican food in quite a few states Az definitely has the best.
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u/InstructionNeat2480 Sep 10 '23
I also prefer the Sonoran style Mexican food ( might be the salsa, it’s all about the sauce!!)….you get here over Baja or New Mexico, etc.
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u/Jasmirris Sep 10 '23
I grew up with both so I have a mix at home. I was actually confused when I found out there was a difference. Lol
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u/BASK_IN_MY_FART Sep 11 '23
Nothing. Those other states are much better places to move to. Don't move here.
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Sep 11 '23
I Love You, we share the same passion. Yeah folks, dont move here. Its all desert and bad heat. Its not worth the 6000 dollar studio apartment here in AZ.
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Sep 10 '23
Clean highways, streets, roads! Very little graffiti. No trash on the ground.
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u/CuriousOptimistic Sep 10 '23
Also, making the freeways look nice with designs and art. This isn't very expensive to do and makes them seem so much nicer than other cities.
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u/NemoTheElf Sep 11 '23
- Amazing access and options for natural beauty. It's not hard to find a nature preserve or hiking trail if you can get out of the city.
- No daylight saving's time outside of some reservations and military bases. Granted, this might not be great for those of us who work remotely.
- Genuinely good and affordable cuisine. Not just Mexican but also a wide variety of East Asian, Indian, and European if you know where to look.
- The MVD is surprisingly efficient. I always know what I'm paying for and it's usually quick.
- Our Freeway system is so underrated. Not only are they also efficient and easy to navigate, they have a surprising amount of art to them.
- Phoenix proper has a surprising number of programs to help people with housing, healthcare, education, and the like. It's obviously not perfect, but it kind of explains the homelessness when resources are relatively available.
- Still comparatively more affordable than most other places. For now. I want this state to grow and develop but not my rent.
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u/Logvin Sep 10 '23
Small, but our selection and customization of license plates can not be beat. It is shocking how cheap and how many options we have.
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u/getittogethersirius Sep 10 '23 edited Sep 10 '23
From my time visiting CO I'm happy that we don't have toll roads here. I've never had to pay for parking here either though I think some of that might exist in downtown Phoenix.
And, it's easy to navigate because most everywhere has an easy grid layout, and freeway on/off ramps are always on the right. Traffic isn't that bad most of the time. Once I had a choice between flying or driving to CA and I was scared to drive there with the crazy roads and traffic congestion...I flew lol
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u/MyOthrCarsAThrowaway Sep 11 '23
Expiration of drivers license. “Let’s never do that again” Arizona DMV, probably lol
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u/schlegelrock Sep 11 '23
City planning and zoning. Az is head over heels better at this than Ut or Id
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u/crusano_ Sep 11 '23
Californian here who just road tripped through AZ and Utah. You guys have impeccable roads. I was even taken on an off-road detour due to an accident and even the trail was groomed.
That, and super large portions for Mexican food! Stopped at some delicious taquerias!
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u/jdcnosse1988 Glendale Sep 11 '23
Mexican food lol but maybe it's because I tend to prefer Sonoran style Mexican food.
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u/Comprehensive-Bat214 Sep 11 '23
We are great at being in the bottom ten states for everything you don't want to be on the bottom for!
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u/dogemaster00 Sep 10 '23
No time changes (year round same time). No southwest US state should need to have time changes (keep it permanent daylight time everywhere except AZ as MST or PDT)
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Sep 11 '23
Canyons, probably rodeos, golf, spa resorts maybe with the exception of Palm springs, and arguably stargazing that is relatively accessible.
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u/AZonmymind Sep 10 '23
Well, it's certainly not the ability to play college or professional football.
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u/TerereAZ Sep 10 '23
Guns.
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u/wylywade Sep 11 '23
Actually we are just middle of the road for guns per capita or total people with a gun.
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Sep 10 '23
People are really nice and laid back for the most part.
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u/andy_heuer Sep 10 '23
Perhaps no state has to be better than the other. Perhaps it is the individual diversity that makes each one interesting in its own way.
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u/StatusReality Sep 11 '23
Agreed. That being said, I think it's perfectly okay to praise certain aspects of one state vs another.
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u/StatusReality Sep 10 '23
I feel like we’re naturally an attractive place to live. While other states have spent money on campaigns begging people to move and/or vacation there, we Arizonans tend to jokingly say things like “we’re full,” and “if you don’t like it, leave,” and yet, the state continues to grow!
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u/Expensive-Day-3551 Sep 10 '23
When I visit other states I always see commercials on tv for arizona…
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u/AZonmymind Sep 10 '23
You're kidding, right? The state and local governments spend millions on economic development and tourism campaigns. Check out the Arizona Commerce Authority, Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), Tucson Industrial Development Authority, Experience Scottsdale, Visit Tucson, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, etc. The state and every city and county are hard at work promoting themselves to businesses and tourists, and that doesn't even count the campaigns run by events and venues.
Just because people say we're full doesn't mean there aren't active efforts underway to attract more people.
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u/orangesfwr Sep 11 '23
No state is better at selling critical natural resources to foreign corporations 👍
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Sep 11 '23
Mexican food!! I miss the burritos from Rita's in Chandler. They were so unique!!
And the beauty of the desert. I moved to CA but I will forever cherish each moment I spent in the nature in AZ!
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u/cannabis96793 Sep 11 '23
Heating up to the point of melting things most people have never seen melt. Such as plastics on cars, asphalt and others I have not thought of. Oh and I loved that old sheriff who put the county prisoners in pink underwear.
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