We are so lucky!

[sirena]

I was just in Chicago, visiting family. Even though I have lived in Tucson for 15 years, I always get the question "So, do you think you'll ever move back?" The question seems so ludicrous to me- why would I EVER want to leave this beautiful state? Especially to move to a place where the only means of getting elevation gain would be to walk up the stairway of a tall building and the landscape outside the city consists of either strip malls or corn! Then they ask "What about the heat? And I explain that in Arizona, one only needs to drive to a cooler part of the state or to the top of the nearest mountain to get relief. Every time I answer these two questions, I realize how lucky I am to live in this state. I showed many of my friends and family pictures from my Arizona Trail hike, and they were all astonished at the variety of beautiful environments in Arizona.

I moved here to attend the U of A without visiting first and I still remember how completely alien this environment was to me. It took a lot of adjustment in the earlier years, but I grew to love my new desert home. Yesterday, as my plane was flying in over the Rincons and I saw all my familiar landmarks outlined against the last rays of the sun, I felt such a sense of excitment and gratitude that I live in such a breathtakingly beautiful place.

[desert spirit]

Then they ask "What about the heat? And I explain that in Arizona, one only needs to drive to a cooler part of the state or to the top of the nearest mountain to get relief.

Whenever I hear that from people back East, I always reply with ... "you're so right! It's horrible here! Just today it was 120 in the shade, and last week three hikers died from heat stroke." ;)

[DarthStiller]

I get alot of the same questions when I go back to visit. My favorite is "don't you miss the change of seasons?"

[Jim_H]

We should tell everyone back there how horrible it is here. 135 degree summer days, flash floods wiping out homes, forest fires killing babies, that sort of thing. Convince them of how wonderful their place is and tell them how if you could only find a job, you'd move back in a heart beat.

[azbackpackr]

[Nighthiker]

If we do not have the summer heat, the snowbirds would live here year round.

[Ckzona]

I would tell people that Arizona sucks but I usually don't need to. When I was visiting my hometown near Chicago. A couple times I would hear people saying stuff about Arizona on how it's a flat hot desert and should be part of Mexico not the U.S. It almost gets me mad( in my head i'm thinking well you drive 2 hours from Phoenix and your in the cool mountains.) It's such a great state and people outside of Arizona don't realize Arizona is nowhere near all desert.

[Jim_H]

It's such a great state and people outside of Arizona don't realize Arizona is nowhere near all desert.

Lets keep it that way.

[Jeffshadows]

When we landed in Kuwait one time it was about 128F in the shade...literally. Some of the guys were saying: "Aren't you used to this, being from Arizona and all?!" I almost laughed but then realized I am in total agreement with Hodlof on this one and let them mislead themselves on.

[oceanwithin]

Arizona is pretty amazing indeed, so much natural beauty and tons of awesome trails - makes me laugh a bit when I hear anyone say "there's nothing to do in arizona!"

[dysfunction]

We should tell everyone back there how horrible it is here. 135 degree summer days, flash floods wiping out homes, forest fires killing babies, that sort of thing. Convince them of how wonderful their place is and tell them how if you could only find a job, you'd move back in a heart beat.

This has been my tactic since about '95 or so.. it hasn't worked

[Jeffshadows]

We should tell everyone back there how horrible it is here. 135 degree summer days, flash floods wiping out homes, forest fires killing babies, that sort of thing. Convince them of how wonderful their place is and tell them how if you could only find a job, you'd move back in a heart beat.

This has been my tactic since about '95 or so.. it hasn't worked

Indeed...much to my chagrin...

[cathymocha]

Just don't let them know that the Grand Canyon is here...not Colorado.

[writelots]

Serina, I couldn't agree with you more. Arizona is a spectacular and wonderful place, and we're lucky not only to live in the middle of it, but to have the health and freedom to see so much of it. As much as I like to keep people away, and hoard the place to myself, it's hard not to brag and beat the drum a bit. I'm a native, and in comparison to every place I've visited, I still like my home the best!

[snakemarks]

I moved here from Chicago 5 years ago. The rest of my family thinks I'm nuts to live in this heat, but I think 3 months of seriously hot is an outstanding trade for 9 months of seriously lousy, with 3 of them spent scraping ice off your car in subzero temps! And, unless you love glass and concrete, the scenery here is a whole lot better.

Signed,
Never Going Back

[dysfunction]

See, this is why I preferred WI. There was no concrete.. and every place has 3-4 months of lousy weather

I could never figure out why ya'll would come up for vacation.. but LIVE in that place

[base871]

I work outside every day here in Phoenix, so I know all about the heat! I just tell people you do get used to it, by about October or so! Reminds me of a time I was up around Moab hiking and came across a group from Jersey or something.(Guessing by the funny accent) They looked like they were having the most miserable time of there life! It was about 90 degrees that day. When they found out I had been backpacking for 2 days they nearly lost it. How can you stay out in this one said to me. I just told them look, this is nothing compared to where im going back home to. When they asked where and I told them Phoenix they FREAKED. They were heading there next!!!!!!!

[Grasshopper]

Arizona Trivia: Arizona's average elevation is 4,100 feet.

A good one to remember when discussing "why AZ" with out of state family & friends.

(I posted this recently on another thread, but do believe it is worth repeating here)

[azbackpackr]

Arizona Trivia: Arizona's average elevation is 4,100 feet.

However, in my experience, the average person from the midwest or east has no clue that elevation is a factor in climate. If you tell them that in Arizona, climate is a function of elevation and not of latitude they just give you a look. They have no clue, and they think it is cooler in Flagstaff because it's further NORTH, not because it's higher in elevation. Elevation means nothing to someone from the midwest, because they don't have any mountains there so they have no frame of reference. I even had a guy from Ohio say to me one time that it must be hotter in the mountains because it's closer to the sun. And he was my neighbor in Tucson and had lived there for years. (I had suggested to him he take his kids to Mt. Lemmon to get out of the heat.) Some people just have mush for brains and there is nothing you can do about it.

They also come to the White Mountains and refer to this area as Northern Arizona. Sheesh. Look at a map, will ya?

[nonot]

Most places elevation is 3 degrees per every 1000 feet elevation, which isn't all that much. I think Arizona in practice is more like 6 degrees, simply because the desert floor is so fricken hot that really you lose the first twenty degrees by getting away from the heat bubble caused by millions of city air conditioners, the second 20 you lose by adding 7000 feet.