OT - possible move to Arizona? (long)

On Sun, 28 May 2006 08:59:21 -0500, "Pat"
wrote:


"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote
Pat wrote:

Check this page for some pics of the smog situation in Phoenix:

http://www.weathersmith.com/index.html?WsSmogPics.html

I'll never forget how sore my throat always got whenever I visited that
city.

After some fifty years in Greater Los Angeles, I doubt I'd even notice it!

That would be all the more reason I'd want to get OUT of a polluted
environment.

I've been in L.A. a few times. The air there was amazingly clean, in my
opinion, given all the horror stories I had heard about it, I expected it to
be much worse.

You probably were there after a rain or when there was a off-shore
breeze. I remember when I lived there for a year or so, I was totally
amazed coming home from work one day, when, right there in front of
me, was a beautiful view of the mountains. I thought I must have been
blind not to see this gorgeous view before! Then, over the next few
days, it gradually disappeared again behind the haze and I realized
that I had, in fact, never seen the view before since it was hidden
behind the haze until it rained.

--Kim

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
...


wrote:


And a lot of NM is high desert, isn't it? Which would mean it wouldn't
reach the kind of temperatures that Phoenix would get. Of course, you
would get winters there, which might also not appeal.

It DEFINITELY would not "appeal"! I grew up in Minnesota,
and couldn't wait to leave those winters behind! I spent
Thanksgiving with a friend in Prescott one year, where we
were snowed in for most of the weekend. So long as there's
air-conditioning, I have no problem with really hot weather.
Los Angeles and vicinity is semi-desert, after all - and
if I'm retired, it will mean I won't HAVE to go out when
it's really hot. (Except briefly to a grocery store or
something like that.)


Evelyn, no way do we have winters anything like you're describing. I do not
do well in cold either (visited some friends in Minnesota in September once
and was appalled at how cold it was even then.). This past winter, I'd say
we had a couple of colder months where the highs were in the 50's and lows
in the 30's (January and February). We've also had 60's-70's even in
December. Once in a while we get snow but nothing in the past few years --
high desert here means greater temperature ranges between day and night,
e.g., our highs today are 86 degrees F and lows 56 degrees. We do get wind
in the springtime; however, we don't get hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes,
floods; or mudslides. We do have some fire danger in summer months like so.
Calif and Arizona and other western states.
Christine

jmcquown wrote:

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:

wrote:



And a lot of NM is high desert, isn't it? Which would mean it
wouldn't reach the kind of temperatures that Phoenix would get. Of
course, you would get winters there, which might also not appeal.

It DEFINITELY would not "appeal"! I grew up in Minnesota,
and couldn't wait to leave those winters behind! I spent
Thanksgiving with a friend in Prescott one year, where we
were snowed in for most of the weekend. So long as there's
air-conditioning, I have no problem with really hot weather.
Los Angeles and vicinity is semi-desert, after all - and
if I'm retired, it will mean I won't HAVE to go out when
it's really hot. (Except briefly to a grocery store or
something like that.)


I don't think it's the same as Minnesota. It is, after all, the desert

Indeed! (That's why I'm considering Arizona rather than
Minnesota, although I have relatives in both places.)

Pat wrote:

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote

Pat wrote:


Check this page for some pics of the smog situation in Phoenix:

http://www.weathersmith.com/index.html?WsSmogPics.html

I'll never forget how sore my throat always got whenever I visited that
city.

After some fifty years in Greater Los Angeles, I doubt I'd even notice it!


That would be all the more reason I'd want to get OUT of a polluted
environment.

I've been in L.A. a few times. The air there was amazingly clean, in my
opinion, given all the horror stories I had heard about it, I expected it to
be much worse.

At one time, it was! (I understand Phoenix is addressing
the problem, too.) Also, in L.A. it depends upon the time
of year - maybe you were lucky.

Pat wrote:

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote


The only way to be comfortable in the summer in Phoenix or Tucson without
a MASSIVE electric bill is to live in a rammed earth home with walls
three feet thick. I know, because a friend of mine built such homes and
I've been inside them when it was over 100 F. outside and without A/C it
was still nice and cool.

How about genuine adobe? I saw a two bedroom house in Tempe advertised
for $550 a month (only a "swamp" cooler, but window air-conditioning in
the bedroom).


A house in Tempe for $550 is probably going to be either very small or
somewhat of a dump, or both. My friends in Cottonwood lived in an adobe
home. They were at 3500' elevation and without a/c. Their place got terribly
hot in the summer. Adobe absorbs heat during the day and radiates it back
out (into the house) at night. It's perfect for the high desert. Down low
like that the walls need to be at least 2' thick for the concept to work in
summer. If you have shade, that helps immensely.

Yes, well, it's too early to be seriously considering ANY
property, since I don't plan to actually move ANYWHERE
before September. (And "small" is okay, so long as there's
room for my video and stereo library and my computer - I
plan to get rid of some of my furniture.) I'm just getting
ideas of what's available. Nevertheless, when I go to an
internet rental site search page, leave "minimum" blank and
only key in the maximium I feel I can afford, quite a few
apartments in the Phoenix area come up with only $400, $425
and $450 rent. (On L.A. rental sites, only rooms in private
homes go for that - some without even a private bathroom!)

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote

when I go to an internet rental site search page,
leave "minimum" blank and only key in the maximium
I feel I can afford, quite a few apartments in the Phoenix area come up
with
only $400, $425 and $450 rent.

If you find something under $500 it is either going to be a studio in a
complex or something in a ratty neighborhood.

Did you remember to use "cats allowed" as one of your search criteria? That
will narrow the choices..

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote

plan to get rid of some of my furniture.) I'm just getting ideas of
what's available. Nevertheless, when I go to an internet rental site
search page, leave "minimum" blank and only key in the maximium I feel I
can afford, quite a few apartments in the Phoenix area come up with only
$400, $425 and $450 rent.

What you're probably seeing in those search results is the price of the
"move-in special" deal, or studio apts. in big complexes, or small apts. in
ratty sections of town.

I'm trying to give you a realistic idea. When I was looking for a place in
the Phoenix area in '89, I had a very hard time finding anything affordable
and bigger than a studio outside of the slum areas. The cheapest thing was a
trailer in a mobile home park for $350. Mind you that was almost 18 years
ago.... I highly doubt that prices have not at least doubled since then.

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:

According to my brother, they are no longer ALLOWED to have
lawns in Phoenix! (Water is too precious, never mind the cost.)

I realize my posts are apparently being ignored because I'm not one of
your little clique but I'll continue to post anyway since I do live in
Phoenix and actual information *might* be more accurate than hearsay
from 15 years ago by one of your members. Your brother is incorrect.
I have a lawn in Phoenix. New houses generally have desert
landscaping, as they should, because this is a desert, after all, but
older homes often have lawns because I guess back when they were built
that was the norm. I live in an older neighborhood--my house is over
50 years old--and all the lawns are grass and heavy trees around here
as well as in many other areas of the Valley. It does cost a lot to
maintain them in the summer but to keep these neighborhoods genuine and
historic requires water and I will continue to use water to maintain my
lawn as long as I can. These sorts of houses wouldn't look "right"
with desert landscaping.

How about genuine adobe? I saw a two bedroom house in Tempe
advertised for $550 a month (only a "swamp" cooler, but
window air-conditioning in the bedroom).

That would probably be fairly cool but it is awfully cheap so it could
easily be a dump. Tempe has nice areas and really crummy areas as do
most towns here. Even Scottsdale has a ghetto area.

Prior to buying my house in 1994, I lived in apartments for many years.
For a one bedroom apartment in 1994, I was paying $600. It was nice
but certainly not ritzy, just kind of middle-of-the-road, 850 sq. ft.
It was on the Phoenix-Scottsdale border. I thought rents were running
around $1K now for comparable units.

I agree that those rents you are coming up with by searching that are
$400-500 must either be move-in specials or dumps.

As for the smog, yes, we have it although I don't really notice it that
much as I don't have asthma or allergies. The sky is very blue most of
the time and not all that hazy. Only if we have an extended period of
no wind do I notice it.

Basically, a lot of people love it here (hence the fact that it is one
of the fastest growing areas in the US) and a lot of people hate it
here. It seems that a lot of people leave after a year or 2 but if you
can get through the first couple of summers and get used to the
traffic, you usually grow to like it or even love it as I do.

Okay, you can all ignore me again

Candace

"Candace" wrote

I realize my posts are apparently being ignored
but I'll continue to post anyway since I do live in
Phoenix

I don't have you blocked but in case EVG does I am responding because I
think she'll want to read some of this.

I have a lawn in Phoenix. New houses generally have desert
landscaping, as they should, because this is a desert, after all, but
older homes often have lawns because I guess back when they were built
that was the norm. I live in an older neighborhood--my house is over
50 years old--and all the lawns are grass and heavy trees around here
as well as in many other areas of the Valley.

How about genuine adobe? I saw a two bedroom house in Tempe
advertised for $550 a month (only a "swamp" cooler, but
window air-conditioning in the bedroom).

That would probably be fairly cool but it is awfully cheap so it could
easily be a dump. Tempe has nice areas and really crummy areas as do
most towns here. Even Scottsdale has a ghetto area.

Prior to buying my house in 1994, I lived in apartments for many years.
For a one bedroom apartment in 1994, I was paying $600. It was nice
but certainly not ritzy, just kind of middle-of-the-road, 850 sq. ft.
It was on the Phoenix-Scottsdale border. I thought rents were running
around $1K now for comparable units.

I agree that those rents you are coming up with by searching that are
$400-500 must either be move-in specials or dumps.

As for the smog, yes, we have it although I don't really notice it that
much as I don't have asthma or allergies. The sky is very blue most of
the time and not all that hazy. Only if we have an extended period of
no wind do I notice it.

Note: I couldn't say how often there are extended periods of no wind in
southern Arizona, but up north where I spent most of my time (Cottonwood,
Sedona, Flagstaff and on the rez) a lot of places are extremely windy a
whole lot of the time. That was the biggest part of why I left the state.

Candace wrote:

I realize my posts are apparently being ignored because I'm not
one of your little clique but I'll continue to post anyway

Hey Candace, I hear ya! It can get kind of cliquey here. We don't flame
each other, but sometimes certain people do get ignored, for what reason
I don't know. I sometimes feel that way myself. (Not always.)

Your brother is incorrect.
I have a lawn in Phoenix. New houses generally have desert
landscaping, as they should, because this is a desert, after all, but
older homes often have lawns because I guess back when they were built
that was the norm. I live in an older neighborhood--my house is over
50 years old--and all the lawns are grass and heavy trees around here
as well as in many other areas of the Valley. It does cost a lot to
maintain them in the summer but to keep these neighborhoods genuine and
historic requires water and I will continue to use water to maintain my
lawn as long as I can. These sorts of houses wouldn't look "right"
with desert landscaping.

That's unfortunate, though. Desert landscaping might not go with that
type of architecture, but it seems to me that neither the architecture
nor the grass goes with the climate! I personally love desert landscaping,
love cactus and other succulents and drought-resistant plants in general.
I saw some beautiful desert landscapes in Tucson years ago, when I spent
some time there.

Joyce