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I moved out to AZ from MN/the Twin Cities 7 months ago and I HATE IT! I don't understand how anyone would want to live here long term! I moved out here to be near my now-fiance. I've tried to sway him to move back as both our families are there and we're expecting a baby, but he's reluctant to leave. gggrrr!
Life in the desert is just weird compared to my Midwestern upbringing. Some people are over joyed with the constant sunshine, I'm not such a fan! The same boring thing day in and day out...it's enough to drive a person nuts! I miss the winters, the summer T-storms, the grass, the lakes, the people...life is just more fun in the Midwest.
i agree! i love the minnesota summers so beautiful. u see kids running around and there is soooooo much fun things to do with kids. here in arizona it's all indoor things like amazing jakes or chuckie cheese and it costs a ton of money to do anything!
I personally never visited Arizona, but as an engineer my father went there once when I was a kid and all I remember was how it got him so riled up.... especially because He was used to always be sent to states like PA, NJ and the Mid-west... So It
was
a tremendous shock to him.
He complained the areas (Tucson and Phoenix) were extremely dry, you get sweat and thirsty all the time, you can't see greenery, people are harder to deal with, you can't stay out in the sun for too long...
"stuff for cowboys"---He said---"if they send me there again, I'm not going..."
"It's an amazing place to visit on vacation...only on vacation, though"
So, you'd better think twice before making your decision....!!!!
Arizona people are weird. DO NOT MOVE HERE! seriously i moved from Mn about 3 years ago and living here has opened my eyes to how great MN is. The people are genuine. The air is clean. Arizona is so weird i mean for real just everything has gone downhill since living here. stay away from this place
I am a transplanted Minnesotan living in Santa Fe. I friggin love it!!! I have a mountain to ski on 30 minutes out my door. I don't mow lawns anymore, and there are literally no bugs. I can sit out and grill with no humidity and not one damned mosquito. I should not be telling you all any of this, because we have enough midwesterners down here already.
The Twin Cities are not what they were 30 yrs ago, but remain the most cutured
and civilized urban areas in the US and are likely to remain that for the time the USA has left.
For those who have no need of hearing say,a Bach Cantata or seeing a Chekov
play ,that is to say 90+ percent of the american population its just a big city with
a long winter so they move south.
We have been in southern AZ for 6 months now (moved because of husband's job). My heart is in Ely, though. I grew up just across the border from the Twin Cities. I love living in different places and I spent a month in northern AZ and had a great time. AZ doesn't necessarily suck, but I miss the woods and the water and the big lake! In Ely, we were 6 miles from the border as the crow flies. Now we are again 6 miles from the border as the crow flies!
The monsoons have started so we actually have weather now. Can you imagine--missing weather??!!
As for bugs, we were discussing which we would rather have--harmless but annoying bugs everywhere you go outside (mosquitos, black flies, etc) or a few potentially nasty bugs (scorpions, black widows, centipedes). Well, its pretty nice being able to eat dinner on the patio without screens and go to a movie in the park without bug spray, but.... the bugs are rearing up with the rains and they seem to find every crack and opening in the house! Last night I found a bark scorpion in the house too! (vacuumed it up) I'm starting to think the annoying but harmless bugs are the way to go!
In all truth, we know we won't be in our location for very long, but we most likely won't ever live in the midwest again. We want to stop moving for our sons' sakes, and there just aren't that many jobs in my husband's field in the northern midwest. I've actually been a little depressed over it. I tried to convince him to apply for a job in Ely at the place I use to work, but, alas, he doesn't want to....
There are many good things about AZ, its just not the northwoods.
We moved to Corpus Christi TX Jan 2,2008 (born and raised in Eden Prairie, MN) and we love it so far. We know more people in 6 months than we did in 12 years at our last home in MN. Havent seen a spider, snake or scorpion yet but have seen a wild bore, wild peacocks and of course many dear. Our custom built home cost us 1/2 what it would have cost in MN and the workmanship of trayed ceilings and crown moldings (even in the hallways and bathrooms, not an upgrade, is wonderful. Kitchen and bathroom maple cabinets all hand made as well. No personal income taxes, propety taxes frozen at age 65, less for car license and property taxes as well. Since Corpus has a constant tropical breeze off the gulf the heat and temperature is approx. 10 degrees less than the rest of TX in the summer and 10 degrees warmer in the winter. The tropical vegetation and palms make Corpus unlike most of the rest of TX and the last tornado was in 1953.
We are wondering why we didnt make this move years ago. Six months is not a long time, but so far we are loving everything about TX and missing nothing about MN.
To echo the sentiments of the last post, we moved to central TX last summer and have only wondered why we didn't do it years sooner. Sure, there's things that aren't perfect here either, but all in all... The summer heat isn't nearly as oppressive as you'd think (at least to me) and the mosquitoes aren't NEARLY as bad as MN. Most of those nasty bugs everyone up north worries about are easily controlled by a good pest control company. There's lots of recreational opportunities here too with lakes, river and the hill country nearby.
Anyway, like the poster from Santa Fe said, better shut my mouth, there's enough people moving here as it is.
I am currently living in Las Vegas, but was born and raised in Minnesota. My husband and I moved here 3 1/2 years ago so he could start his own business (better small-business opportunities here vs. Minnesota) and so we could enjoy a better quality of life (you know, more time spent outdoors, no snow to shovel, growing city, etc.).
Having lived in Minnesota my entire life (and in the Twin Cities area for the last 13 years before relocating) but never really embracing the cold winters (I have friends who play broomball or snowmobile to help make them through it!), I was excited for the change of scenery in the southwest and the prospect of no snow! My husband is originally from CA and had lived in Las Vegas since 2001, so I was "on board" after hearing all of the great things about Las Vegas (he had also lived in Minnesota for about 12 years or so, which made him quite familiar with that area also).
After arriving in Las Vegas right around New Years', it was incredible to think that I was now living in a place where there's no snow on the ground and quite temperate in the middle of winter! WOOO HOOOOO! I was so excited about the idea of spending much more time outside and couldn't wait to walk my dogs in the middle of winter without being all bundled up and looking like the Michelin Man in order to do it!
However, as the first few months of life in Las Vegas transpired, I quickly realized what a different place this is vs. the midwest. Honestly, I guess it all depends on exactly what you're looking for but, personally, I can't wait to return to Minneapolis!
The community events are EXTREMELY lacking here! I can give Las Vegas the benefit of the doubt, since it is a fairly "young" town in terms of being an established city, so I understand that these types of things will happen in time. But it really made me realize how spoiled I was in the Twin Cities! I fantasize about the Uptown and Powderhorn Art Fairs, the Minnesota State Fair, Basillica Block Party, Taste of Minnesota, Walker Art Center, Sommerfest (Minneapolis & St. Paul), the St. Paul Bike Tour, the Grand Avenue area, Stillwater, Calhoun Coffee Festival, the downtown skyway system, concerts at the Minnesota Zoo, Hudson's Hot Air Affair, and some great eateries and hangouts (too many to name!) that I miss.
And for you sports fans, sorry -- no major league teams here. Yes, yes, I know -- Oscar is working on it. I'll believe it when I see it, though. And did I mention that because this is a different region of the U.S., you don't get to see any regular Vikings or Twins games here either unless it's chosen by the network to air (and if they are having a horrible season, forget it) or if you buy the million dollar package from Direct TV (the local cable company doesn't offer them).
EVERYTHING here is centered around the tourists. Granted, that is the industry here being "the entertainment capital of the world", but all of the people who live here that make it happen want things to do in their neighborhoods, too! As many of you may have heard, most people who live here want nothing to do with being on the Strip because it's such a PAIN in the butt to get there, parked, into the casino, and then where you need to be, AND it's quite expensive as well (restaurants, shows, etc. -- there's no such thing as a locals' discount anymore).
It's also true about what everyone has said regarding work ethic in the southwest vs. Minnesota. I hear it all the time from people -- one day an employee will just stop showing up, like they just fell off the face of the earth or something. Or they think they should collect a paycheck because they show up but shouldn't have to actually do WORK for it. The same goes for the "genuine-ness" of people here. They are VERY flaky and many times are interested in you for ONE reason and ONE reason only -- "what's in it for me", usually from the financial pespective. Of course, this is a broad generalization, and I HAVE met some great people (people that live here do come from all over, but mostly California), but they are much harder to find, and this along with the transient nature of this town makes it very difficult to make and establish friendships.
This town (and state, for that matter) does not value education, so if you're looking for a job that utilizes your education, good luck. The casinos are obviously the largest employers here and if you want in, they want you to start at the bottom at their crappiest property. And if you have a college education and want to start in a corporate position, good luck getting in if you have NO casino experience. They won't even look at you. Unless you know someone who works there, that is -- then you might have a fighting chance.
In a nutshell, the culture is VERY, VERY different. Sadly, you don't see a lot of people doing things outside -- I think it's because there's no sense of urgency to enjoy the great outdoors while you can like there is in Minnesota. But because of this, it's also no surprise that Las Vegas recently won the "fattest city in America" designation, especially with all those buffets and world-class restaurants. I thought those places were mainly frequented by the tourists, but I guess most of the locals must be eating there, too!
People here drive like they're racing in the Indy 500. I think it's because we rarely, if ever, have any type of elements -- like rain, snow, or ice -- that they have to slow down for or that prevent them from driving so fast (average precipitation is 4 inches per year). And people LOVE to run red lights here -- you have to make sure you wait a few seconds before you pull out when the light turns green or you may risk getting hit by a red-light runner.
We have cinder block backyards, which doesn't promote getting to know your neighbors, our yards are much smaller, and everything is brown. Granted, we live in the desert so, obviously, that makes sense. But if you're coming from a humid climate with lots of greenery, it's a dramatic change.
Obviously, there are people who love it here or they wouldn't stay. And there are definitely trade-offs -- no state income taxes IS nice, but from that we get crappy schools (which, truly, doesn't affect me directly since I have no children, but I do value education and think it's deplorable that Las Vegas has the lowest high school graduation rate in the entire COUNTRY!). And I'm not even going to get into the lack of good medical care here in the valley.
The most challenging aspect for me has been the lack of quality people (or just not being able to find them!) and really missing my fabulous friends and family in Minnesota. We have plans to move back to the Twin Cities area, hopefully in the next 12 to 18 months, depending upon several factors, and I can't wait to get back! This adventure has given me a renewed appreciation for the rain, snow, and change of seasons, the value of friendships and family, and everything that is so great about living in Minnesota!
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AZ vs MN
(vacuumed it up) I'm starting to think the annoying but harmless bugs are the way to go!
I thought those places were mainly frequented by the tourists, but I guess most of the locals must be eating there, too! 
