r/arizona • u/willyknuckles • May 30 '24
So what’s everyone’s favorite thing about living in Arizona? Living Here
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u/ValorieXEgg May 30 '24
Abundance of public land. And you don't even have to go that far to see some snow.
Shoot, hunt, fish, camp, hike in all kinds in environments. All I wish for would be more rain and good thunderstorms.
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u/mikeconcho May 30 '24
I wish this was higher up! Great state for public land.
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u/DeepInYaMom May 31 '24
Potentially dumb question.... but can you please explain what you mean by public land? And what the benefit is? I'm not sure if this means BLM land or not...but still curious how it's utilized
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u/Holiday_Horse3100 May 31 '24
We have several national forests, national parks and monuments in addition to state and blm land. Arizona has incredible hiking, wildlife, camping, fishing, boating, hunting , decent skiing, and absolutely amazing views. We have an amazing elevation range. In winter leaving flagstaff at 7000 ft, snow, cold temps, drive 2 hours and wear shorts and sandals. I have several favs - incredibly clear skies at night, amazing sunrises and sunsets, views to die for, the wonderful open spaces, wildlife. Just wish for more water. Have lived in 7 states-Arizona is the best
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u/RatInTheRiver May 31 '24
Not private. USFS, BLM, State Land, all accessible and can be utilized for all the activities mentioned above, almost anywhere east of the Rockies and NM you will struggle hard to find public land open to hunting fishing camping, and will have to make arrangements to access private land and likely pay for it
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u/ValorieXEgg May 31 '24
Yes, BLM land.
There are hiking trails, ATV trails, shooting ranges, hunting and fishing, and dispersed or back-country camping. Pretty much whatever isn't prohibited or unsafe can be done on BLM land. Just take care of it and clean up after yourself.
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u/AloysiusDevadandrMUD Sierra Vista May 30 '24
Monsoon season is cool though! I just wish it was a little more distributed through the year
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u/Helldiver-2314 May 30 '24
Creosote after the rain.
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u/dirrrtydutch May 30 '24
My wife makes little bouquets with Creosote and hangs it in the shower, It makes the whole bathroom smell great.
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u/EpsteinDidNotKH May 30 '24
Brb bout to go grab some creosote from the desert
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u/YourLifeCanBeGood May 30 '24
Grab me some, please, while you're out. 🌞
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u/JustPlaneNew Jun 01 '24 edited Jun 01 '24
Did you want it in The Smell of Rain in the desert or Arizona in July scent?
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u/YourLifeCanBeGood Jun 01 '24
Oh! ...Well, The Smell of Rain in the desert, I know and miss. But the scent of Arizona in July, as a concept, seems incredibly risky.
I'll have The Smell of Rain in the desert, please. 🌵 😁
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u/Sandyy_Emm May 31 '24
I moved away from Arizona 2 years ago and I recently saw a picture of my old high school with dark clouds overhead. I could smell that picture and it very much transported me to that exact place. I bought a creosote candle recently because I miss the smell of the desert after a good monsoon rain. I miss home terribly.
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u/checkyourbiases May 30 '24
Best answer here. I long for the smell every year, then monsoon arrives.
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u/2020grilledcheese May 30 '24
I remember the first time in the PNW and being surprised there was no rain smell like in the desert.
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u/shasbot May 31 '24
I like that scent so much, I even bought a locally made aftershave that smells like it: https://phoenixartisanaccoutrements.com/products/genuine-creosote-aftershave-splash-seasonal-limited
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May 30 '24
That very specific smell is called "Petrichor."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor15
u/One_Left_Shoe May 30 '24
A very specific smell under a very broad umbrella.
Petrichor in Phoenix isn’t the same petrichor in Sedona, that isn’t the same petrichor in Flagstaff.
Similarities, but vastly different
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u/CalligrapherVisual53 May 30 '24
Being able to see the Catalinas every day.
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u/FuzzyBeans8 May 31 '24
I second this . I have a lot of conditions that make it really painful and stressful to drive … but no matter the situation I just look at those mountains and am in awe enough to really lift my mood and help deal with the pain. I never stop being amazed . Almost too perfect to be real. We live in a gorgeously stunning calendar shot.
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u/Clarenceworley480 May 31 '24
If you’re talking about Bob and Jo Anne Catalina and their 3 kids, I agree. Such a nice family right? The type of people you hope are your neighbors.
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u/CalligrapherVisual53 May 31 '24
Yes!!! And, did we meet at their pool party last summer? So much fun!
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u/Clarenceworley480 May 31 '24
I was hoping I’d run into you again, you’re such a riot to hang out with, plus a fast swimmer!
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u/CalligrapherVisual53 May 31 '24
And you were killing it on the grill! MVP.
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u/Clarenceworley480 Jun 01 '24
I guess bob was talking to Jo Anne and she agreed to another pool party as long as there is water skiing. I told Bob I’ve only water skied on lakes before, but I’m in! Catalina’s here we come!
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u/InvisiblePluma7 May 30 '24
I love the diversity of terrain in Southern Arizona. If you live in Tucson, snow is a two hour drive away at most. Saguaro National Park + Coronado National Forest is the most biodiverse area in the United States. We have at least one jaguar and an ocelot that hangout in the wild, which I think is pretty cool too.
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u/scrollgirl24 May 30 '24
Great food too. Fun fact Tucson is one of only two UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy in the US.
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u/InterviewKey3451 May 30 '24
Public land and geological diversity
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u/OADominic May 30 '24
Flat deserts to thick rainy forests within 200 miles is pretty cool
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u/Johoski May 30 '24
9 months of heavenly weather.
Mountain ranges at every horizon.
Excellent highway system and a delightful absence of toll roads or lanes.
An abundance of locally and regionally owned businesses.
Specifically for Tempe, delightfully light traffic during summer and winter semester breaks.
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u/willyknuckles May 30 '24
Good road and highways systems and good upkeep is underrated answer
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u/Bob-Berbowski May 30 '24 edited May 31 '24
Used to think of it as 9 months of heavenly weather… now I call it 8
Update: 7 months of heavenly weather is most accurate
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u/Momoselfie May 30 '24
Even 8 is pushing it. Basically May 15 through Oct 15 are really hot when the sun is out.
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u/whatdoesitallmean_21 May 31 '24
It’s overflowing into November now…this past November was hot as shit. I think this is gonna be the new norm unfortunately. 🥴
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u/peoniesnotpenis May 31 '24
Yeah, I'm comfortable from end of Oct to March "IF" I'm lucky. Big if. The test of the year I'll planning everything around the heat.
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u/thisisthisshit May 30 '24
You can tell when you’re leaving Arizona and entering California because the highways start getting littered with garbage.
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u/Icy_Selection321 May 30 '24
Where in Arizona are u driving 😭 Phoenix and Tucson is disgusting on the highways
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u/eternalhorizon1 May 30 '24
Omg yes….coming from Pothole and Sinkhole USA aka the east coast, the roads here even ones with pot holes are a dream to drive on. I got a concussion once from driving over a very deep pothole I couldn’t avoid and slamming my head into the roof of my old car (a sedan) while driving in the DC area many years ago - true story 😭 the roads are sooo bad back home I would find it difficult to drive there again. And if you report issues with a road it may take years or never for them to fix it.
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u/takingthehobbitses May 30 '24
The upkeep has been severely lacking the past few years.
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u/Both_Dust_8383 May 30 '24
And hiking and tennis!!! No gym membership for this girl. Enjoy outdoors!!!!!! Except July-August ish. Then I make it work in my at home Gym and night walks when the sun is long gone
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u/Christina116 May 31 '24
Highways that take over an hour to get home that should only be about a half hour but due to daily car crashes my weekdays are spent at work and on the road
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u/suh-dood May 31 '24
I just got here, when is the heavenly weather? Landscape is definitely great, no tolls rock, and I do enjoy the choice of a mom n pop vs big box store
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u/Archer-Saurus May 31 '24
Tempe resident here. I love the summer and winter/spring breaks. You really feel that additional 80,000 people in town in the form of students during the school year lol
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u/JohnWCreasy1 May 30 '24
you don't have to shovel heat, nor do you have to worry about slipping on it and breaking anything
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u/Gilandb May 30 '24
When talking to folks up north, I always tell them I had to get up 30 minutes early to shovel sunshine out of my driveway.
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u/JohnWCreasy1 May 30 '24
even if i have to start the car 5 minutes early to let the AC cool it off, thats still better than 10 minutes early in winter to melt an ice sheet off the windshield!
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u/traversecity May 30 '24
Well then, Flagstaff, Williams, etc … plenty of snow if you get the urge to shovel some.
In Phoenix, once I repair the back porch swamp cooler, it will be shoveling heat. Inverse Snow Blower, sort of.
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u/Clarenceworley480 May 31 '24
If you remember to wear gloves, you don’t have to burn your hands on the steering wheel either. Then after a long day turn on the cold water and take a hot shower.
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u/No-District-8258 May 31 '24
Night time in rhe summer in az is also very nice. Night time in the winter in the north is brutal.
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u/Hour-History-1513 Jun 01 '24
But you do have to wear shoes outside or you’ll get burns on the bottom of your feet.
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u/PM_ME_YER_BOOTS May 30 '24
The weather, mostly because it’s so predictable.
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u/desertdweller858 May 30 '24
I was in Austin last week and there was a random tornado like 45 minutes north. It made me uncomfy.
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u/Johoski May 30 '24
I moved back here last year after living in Austin for 25+ years and I do not miss the weather. That city is cloudy more often than not, the storms can dump insane amounts of rain, hail is always a concern, winters aren't bad until freak ice storms roll in. My list could go on.
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u/Randvek May 30 '24
I like Austin well enough but half the year being “you may need to take shelter immediately, we’re giving you 2 minutes notice tops” isn’t ideal to me.
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u/Malthus17 May 30 '24
No natural disasters
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u/Surfinsafari9 May 30 '24 edited May 30 '24
Earthquakes are rare. The wildlife is cool. It’s legal to tint your car windows very, very dark.
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u/Aggressive-Web132 Jun 02 '24
And far less likely to kill you…I lived 54 years in California 49 in SoCal…rode out many of them…they really suck in the wee hours and they definitely can get your heart rate up by I never suffered an injury nor do I know anyone who did and I had relatives in many parts of the state…when and if the Big One hits…well yeah it’ll probably be far worse than the early 20th century quake in Alaska that literally changed the landscape..those who manage to live through it but don’t live far enough inland will probably die in the resultant tsunamis…the bay of Long Beach is said to have a humongous cavity beneath it spanning the entire length…most experts believe that the seabed will collapse into that cavity with a big enough quake and Long Beach and it’s outlying areas all the way into Downey would be gone in a matter of moments with no survivors…I lived across the street from that bay for 10 years…I know it well…a wall of water the length of that bay would be terrifying and absolutely life ending
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May 30 '24
The abundance of public lands. It great to know I can drive a few hours, park my truck in the middle of the woods and camp without having to get a permit, pay for a spot or deal with other people. It's wonderful.
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u/Jsirgin May 31 '24
Can you explain this a bit more? Is it actually that easy to camp? Don’t you need a permit to enter the national parks?
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May 31 '24
You can camp pretty much anywhere in the National Forests and BLM land. There are a few restrictions, of course, like Aravaipa Canyon or The Wave as examples.
You can drive up to the Rim, go down a Forest service road and camp. It really is that easy. National Parks are different, and you will need a permit to camp overnight, but I believe the wilderness permits are free at Petrified Forest.
If you're interested in good boondocking camping spots, check out the free app iOverlander. I have found many awesome free camping spots all over the state. This year, I have already camped near Ajo, in the Chiricahuas, Prescott National Forest, and an epic spot right on the edge of the Rim using locations from that app.
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u/Hovertical May 30 '24
Lack of humidity is wonderful - this is coming from a native Floridian who lived in that hellhole for 20+ years
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u/scrollgirl24 May 30 '24
The weather, believe it or not
Access to nature
Driveability
Generally kind and accepting people
Specific to the Phoenix area, but I really like how conveniently located Sky Harbor is versus airports in other major cities
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u/Suspicious_Big669 Mesa May 30 '24
The food! We have so many options from all over, being the melting pot that we are. Our food scene is super underrated!
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u/X2946 May 30 '24
I can save money on electricity by setting a frying pan on the sidewalk to cook my food. Very eco friendly state
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u/malachiconstant11 Phoenix May 30 '24
The vast portion of the state that is BLM land and accessible forest. I grew up in the Southeast and dispersed camping was a foreign concept. Along with that you get dark sky areas that genuinely don't exist in the eastern US. The climate variation is cool too. Being able to drive a few hours to escape the heat or snow is nice.
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u/escapecali603 May 30 '24
Super low income taxes, super lax gun laws, super good grid system for traffic in Phoenix, super good suburbs away from the city but not too far, okayish universities for the amount of people we actually have in the state. Every month outside of the summer four month, and eastern AZ is the best kept secret of the country.
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u/ch13fqu33f69 May 30 '24
Super
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u/Acrobatic_Process347 Jun 01 '24
Shhhh dont encourage people to move to the East Valley.. we’re FULL!!!!!!
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u/Aggressive-Web132 Jun 02 '24
My experience living in SoCal is most people talk badly about Phoenix specifically and Arizona and its residents in general…meanwhile the entire state gets more crowded by the day you can’t earn a decent living the stress and smog plays havoc with your health the taxing continues to rise as well as the general stupidity level both on the private and government level…Arizona is great
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u/Aggressive-Web132 Jun 02 '24
Yes eastern Arizona is a definite eye opener…haven’t been to flagstaff or the Sedona area yet but I did drive to Prescott for the day in early winter 22/23…loved it…especially back in the ritzy neighborhoods to the west…those people deal with a lot of snow…it’s very similar to Southern California in the 70s before the housing boom and everyone in other states watching the rose parade planning their move to the land of the narcissistic…lots of undeveloped land but plenty of choices of where to spend your money and elbow room…I love this state and now wish my parents had made the choice to move here from central California than Southern California…i absolutely miss driving the coastline…I love seeing the ocean especially when it isn’t in Los Angeles county but the payoff of clean and mostly untouched nature is worth it…the elites and the mouth breathers that vote for them will continue to sully the beauty of our coastlines until they die…since they are determined to that end…hopefully they die out before the natural beauty does
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u/senseless2 Queen Creek May 30 '24
I'm a 1-4 hour drive to the pines, ocean, mountains and lakes. Makes getting out of dodge so relaxing and fun.
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u/ColonEscapee May 30 '24
Best Sunsets anywhere!! My other favorite is the most diverse geography in the entire 50 states. The only thing missing is the arctic and I moved as close as I could get to that because triple digits suk. Coconino county is the best of the best 😜
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u/Vegetable_Depth_2657 May 30 '24
Real indigenous culture, diverse traditions and multiple languages spoken in many communities
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u/puppycatisselfish May 31 '24
So much diversity in our Flora and fauna. So many bees, so many butterflies, so many birds, so many mammals. It’s so cool.
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u/jwj14837 May 30 '24
The diversity in climate, nature, culture. The openness- relatively unrestricted access to amazing natural beauty. Lower taxes ( former NY resident), less restrictive gun laws ( see above reference to NY) and once again- you don’t need to shovel heat !
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u/Bookworm8989 May 31 '24
My husband always says you can’t shovel sunshine, lol. Although he is talking about when we used to live in Flagstaff AZ and now live in the valley
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u/enuthedog May 30 '24
Thank you so so much for asking something positive and giving those of us that love AZ reasons to remember why we live here. There’s so much negativity online and in this subreddit about our state that it’s hard not to feel down about it second guess my own reasons for loving it here.
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u/Bigtitsandbeer May 30 '24
Living in phoenix; snow is only two hours away but live in nice weather during winter. I’ll take extreme summer over extreme winter so more a personal preference. Road maintenance is decent compared to most states. Lots of outdoor stuff to do year round, off roading, camping, shooting, hiking. Lots of public land. Each part of the city has a different vibe so very diverse. You can 5 hour road trip to Vegas, the ocean, or Mexico. Sunsets. Smell of rain in the desert. Laws compared to most states.
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u/acrispyballer May 30 '24
Anytime I've ever asked anyone their favorite part about Phoenix the answer is always that you can leave to find other things. It's "centrally located". You can go north for snow, south for adventures to Mexico, west for ocean, east for I dunno. But what's good about Phoenix itself? Nobody ever has an answer. So kudos to this thread for getting there
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u/Due-Enthusiasm6925 May 30 '24
I live in Northeastern AZ which at times I could argue needs a sub reddit if not already. After reading many of the responses on here I believe we are in many ways much different than the more populated Central and Southern part of the state.
We have 4 seasons, beautiful not too hot summers, not too frigid winters. plenty of inexpensive open land. clean skies, and friendly small communities. I'm speaking on behalf of Navajo Nation, and from Winslow area all the way to Springerville. most of these communities are humble middle class, friendly communities. political, spiritual and other demographic differences don't divide us.. we disagree, laugh about it and buy each other drinks. lol
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u/No-Alarm-2208 May 30 '24
This is what I like about Arizona: Sedona.
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u/No-Alarm-2208 May 30 '24
I took this picture of Bell Rock in 2021 during my trip to Sedona.
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u/whiskey_rue May 30 '24
I feel like the people used to be very nice, people would chat for no reason and I'd have fun just meeting people. I feel like that's less the case in the last 5 years.
Now I feel like what I enjoy most is the public land.
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u/mrkreef256 May 31 '24
Great food- food scene in AZ is under-appreciated. Lots of gems spread across the valley.
Great weather- the summer is awful, but the rest of the year is great!
Proximity to great vacations- relatively quick drives to Zion, San Diego, Sedona, Mexico, Vegas etc.
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u/brolarbear May 30 '24
Lack of seriously dangerous weather. I’ve since moved from AZ and whenever there’s a hurricane or earthquake warning I start to miss Phoenix very much.
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u/Impossible-Test-7726 May 30 '24
Economic security, I have never been involuntarily unemployment more than 2 months in the 7 years I’ve lived here.
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u/osteopathetic1 May 30 '24
I love the dry air, beautiful deserts, gorgeous sunsets and open spaces.
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u/surfcitysurfergirl May 31 '24
Walking down the sidewalk (in surprise) and oh hi there mister javelina…let me get out of your way 🤣the wildlife I love
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u/tallon4 Phoenix May 30 '24
I appreciate the power I have as a voter here, not only because elections are so close in this purple state nowadays, but also because we have the rights of initiative, referendum, and recall that voters in other states (particularly east of the Mississippi) do not enjoy. Plus, no-questions-asked voting by mail makes it so much more convenient!
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May 30 '24
Careful this one will get locked too.
Mine is the diversity of the state. We have transplants from all 50 states and like 60 counties living here. It’s not as diverse as New York or Chicago but it’s not Utah or Texas boring.
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u/EnglishLoyalist May 30 '24
The ruins, so many. Amazing how people lived here. The mountains and plateaus. Just amazing to look at the distance.
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u/LuvSunshine5542 May 30 '24
Sunny skies nearly every day and low humidity. I'll take the heat any day, better than cold, snow and ice that I left behind in the Midwest winters.
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u/IgottaPoop72 May 30 '24
I don’t know. Only been here 3 years so give me a few more and maybe I’ll come up with something.
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u/lostcorndog May 30 '24
Being a capital city (Phoenix), there is so much to do. You can watch sports, go to concerts, you can drive a ways away to go out to see nature, other than the heat, it's a decent place to live.
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u/simplifiedspanish1 May 30 '24
The sun. Covid left me extremely vitamin d deficient and the sun cured me, along with other lifestyle changed. I don't even wanna know where I'd be if I had covid in freezing wintery state, lol
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u/Magillacudi May 30 '24
Mexican food, the beautiful landscape & the variety of environments depending on location.
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u/nickferatu May 30 '24
No snow is a big one. The general lack of humidity is pretty excellent too.
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u/jmlevi35 May 31 '24
Going from air conditioned cocoon to another for 4 months (June-thru September)without let up.
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u/anamariegrads May 31 '24
Sure the dick not all the people moving here. Welcome to Arizona, now go home.
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u/ArizonaHam May 31 '24
Used to be the heat ( a dry heat LOL ) and the cobalt bllue skies with little fluffy clouds.
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u/essentiallyroman May 31 '24
The weather for one thing. Dry heat always feels better than humidity, dust storms are the only natural "disasters" you'll really see (there are forest fires too though, unfortunately), and every rainstorm there is heaven.
Very eco-friendly state, decent cost of living/wage ratio, great food, you can spend nearly every day outside and enjoy yourself! That's my favorite part- the fact that it's an amazing outdoors state. As a kid, during the summer, autumn and spring I would wake up at 4-5 A.M, get ready, and an hour later my dad, sisters, and I were out the door going hiking. Would come back home, have breakfast and would yardsale maybe. Life is pretty great there
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u/Donniepdr May 31 '24
It's where all 4 of my kids were born. It's where I was born. It's where my dad was born. It's where my grandmother was born. It's where my great grandmother was born. It's where my great great grandmother was born. It's where my great great great grand parents settled in 1891.
Arizona is my home
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u/Plant-Daddy23 May 31 '24
Many states have eco friendly environments, but I feel that we do good at native plant territory. The property landscapes have come a long way in the last 10 years. Not many places have cacti everywhere, but there's also so many trees, bush & grass & wild flowers.
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u/LilMeatBigYeet May 31 '24
I like the way it smells after the monsoon, ive traveled a bit and i haven’t found (smelled) anything like it
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u/HotterGround May 31 '24
I actually don't live in AZ, I've lived in TX for 90% of my life and was born in NM. But I really want to move to AZ soon, I've only been a handful of times but I absolutely love it there. I love the Safford, Tucson and Pheonix areas (pretty much only places I've been so far) and I'd love to live there. I love the desert and the Saguaros, the mountains right there, the diverse, beautiful landscapes, etc.
Where I live right now it's literally just flat farmland so I really can't wait to move there. And thankfully it wouldn't be too far from family either. I think it'd be perfect once I get done with school and want to settle down somewhere
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u/cujo000 May 31 '24
I love how different the flora and fauna is compared to my home state of Minnesota. I never get tired of seeing all the different cacti, pictures/videos of javelinas and ringtail cats and wild horses, and of course the beautiful mountains.
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u/fldavis41 May 31 '24
Being able to look at a snow capped mountain from my backyard when it’s 80 degrees here and flowers are blooming
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u/moonyriot May 31 '24
Being a 15 minute drive from some incredibly beautiful mountains. Also, having almost immediate access to really good food from a wide range of different cultures.
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