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I would say today is the start of what I call heat in Arizona humidity is coming up with 110 degree heat you can't really cool off even in the shade right now. I was working in my garage last night didn't feel comfortable until about midnight with the door open and a fan going.
Nah, it comes with the territory. Anyone asking those questions clearly didn't understand what they were getting themselves into. Still wouldn't trade it for going back to winters, on summer number 11 now.
I was born and raised here with about double the number of summers as you, and my family has been in the state for a couple of generations now living specifically in Phoenix (pre- WWII) so it wasn't my choice to be here. Granted if I was a transplant like most of the posters and Arizonans overall then it would be different. But you don't get to choose where you are born or where your family is at the end of the day, and all of that for me is within the Phoenix metro.
I'm glad you like it here, I still don't think you haven't spent one day outside in the summer and thought, "holy hell, why am I here again?" At least once. You can try to twist your narrative on this anonymous forum to try to prove me wrong and fit your argument but we all have the same summer experiences from burning ourselves, from A/Cs that break in the summer whether your car or your house, that produce these thoughts. Our summers aren't anywhere close to a joke or something easy to deal with unless you never go outside ever, which I'm starting to think you are one of those people. I walk anywhere from one to five miles outside every day and I used to have an outside job (thankful to not have that anymore believe me). I'm used to what our temperatures are as I live an unfortunate life of my house A/C constantly going out, when you deal with the elements as much as I do you'll be singing a different song. You should try sitting in your house with no A/C all day long or go on a three mile walk at 2 pm like I do all the time.
I'm not saying this as some sort of bragging rights but if you have legitimately never asked that question to yourself then you have never truly dealt with a summer here and that is point blank. I don't care how long you have been here otherwise. It isn't in our genetic makeup to tolerate temperatures that can get that high easily and that is OK to admit. Just like heavy winters aren't either. Just because you would rather take on Death Valley over Siberia doesn't mean summers here are a breeze.
I was born and raised here with about double the number of summers as you, and my family has been in the state for a couple of generations now living specifically in Phoenix (pre- WWII) so it wasn't my choice to be here. Granted if I was a transplant like most of the posters and Arizonans overall then it would be different. But you don't get to choose where you are born or where your family is at the end of the day, and all of that for me is within the Phoenix metro.
I'm glad you like it here, I still don't think you haven't spent one day outside in the summer and thought, "holy hell, why am I here again?" At least once. You can try to twist your narrative on this anonymous forum to try to prove me wrong and fit your argument but we all have the same summer experiences from burning ourselves, from A/Cs that break in the summer whether your car or your house, that produce these thoughts. Our summers aren't anywhere close to a joke or something easy to deal with unless you never go outside ever, which I'm starting to think you are one of those people. I walk anywhere from one to five miles outside every day and I used to have an outside job (thankful to not have that anymore believe me). I'm used to what our temperatures are as I live an unfortunate life of my house A/C constantly going out, when you deal with the elements as much as I do you'll be singing a different song. You should try sitting in your house with no A/C all day long or go on a three mile walk at 2 pm like I do all the time.
I'm not saying this as some sort of bragging rights but if you have legitimately never asked that question to yourself then you have never truly dealt with a summer here and that is point blank. I don't care how long you have been here otherwise. It isn't in our genetic makeup to tolerate temperatures that can get that high easily and that is OK to admit. Just like heavy winters aren't either. Just because you would rather take on Death Valley over Siberia doesn't mean summers here are a breeze.
I have you both beat. lol I was born in Phx. in 1942 so I've seen LOTS of summers there and all over the state. My dad's family got smart though and started moving north in 1930 and by the time I was born most of them were in the Verde Valley. My mom's family is all still in Phx., or the 'burbs. Heck you could be one of them for all I know. My great granddad moved to Phx. from Chicago in the late 1800s and had a small farm where the airport is now. He wimped out though and went back because it was "too hot". lol Then my grandparents moved out here in 1930 and liked it.
Maybe, as kids, we tolerated the heat much better than we do as adults although I accept it as "just summer" and part of my life. No biggie. I listen to people at work complain about it allllll day long and it gets old. I've reached the point where I just say, "Yup, it's hot!" and that's that. I grew up without AC but we all had swamp coolers and were glad to have them. My maternal grandparents though owned a plumbing and heating company, DID have AC and put many many AC units in homes built following WWII. As kids, living in a very small town without a lot of neighbors, we slept outside many nights...unless a storm came through and then it could be chaos for a bit. lol
I've lived in some mighty cold winter places like Detroit, Fairbanks, AK and North Idaho. Since I have options I choose AZ every time! I, and my body, deal MUCH better with the heat than the cold. As for sitting in a house with no AC these days, or going on a two mile hike, *I* am the 'wimp' these days. Maybe I'm just getting old but I appreciate my amenities.
I was born and raised here with about double the number of summers as you, and my family has been in the state for a couple of generations now living specifically in Phoenix (pre- WWII) so it wasn't my choice to be here. Granted if I was a transplant like most of the posters and Arizonans overall then it would be different. But you don't get to choose where you are born or where your family is at the end of the day, and all of that for me is within the Phoenix metro.
I'm glad you like it here, I still don't think you haven't spent one day outside in the summer and thought, "holy hell, why am I here again?" At least once. You can try to twist your narrative on this anonymous forum to try to prove me wrong and fit your argument but we all have the same summer experiences from burning ourselves, from A/Cs that break in the summer whether your car or your house, that produce these thoughts. Our summers aren't anywhere close to a joke or something easy to deal with unless you never go outside ever, which I'm starting to think you are one of those people. I walk anywhere from one to five miles outside every day and I used to have an outside job (thankful to not have that anymore believe me). I'm used to what our temperatures are as I live an unfortunate life of my house A/C constantly going out, when you deal with the elements as much as I do you'll be singing a different song. You should try sitting in your house with no A/C all day long or go on a three mile walk at 2 pm like I do all the time.
I'm not saying this as some sort of bragging rights but if you have legitimately never asked that question to yourself then you have never truly dealt with a summer here and that is point blank. I don't care how long you have been here otherwise. It isn't in our genetic makeup to tolerate temperatures that can get that high easily and that is OK to admit. Just like heavy winters aren't either. Just because you would rather take on Death Valley over Siberia doesn't mean summers here are a breeze.
I guess I just don't agree with your logic, I never ask why do I live here? I live here because I like it and every place has it's good and bad sides. When I walked around at -20 degree windchill living in the northeast I knew that was part of life there and when I walk around when it's 110 here, I realize that comes with the territory. That doesn't make me ask why I live here, weather is never the biggest reason I'd live anywhere, although I love sunny weather so being in the valley is generally better for me, but many other factors make up while I live here.
perhaps the fact that I have lived elsewhere gives me a different perspective than someone like you who has never seen anything different. You do realize cold cities are equally as miserable in the winter right? When you spend 20 minutes putting on layers and still freeze after being outside 10 minutes, it's not better.
By the way, I spend way more time outdoors than the average indoor office worker. I'm not going to pretend I work outdoors, those people have a different level of toughness that I'll never even pretend I have and I say this for people who work both here and in cold climates. But I do spend 3-5 days on the local trails year-round, most of my excursions are between 2-4 hours, although I'll run longer in the winter months when heat isn't an issue. During the summer I get out as early as humanly possible or even go at night, but overall I find it manageable. When I lived in a winter city, it was impossible to adjust my timing for cold weather.
I guess I just don't agree with your logic, I never ask why do I live here? I live here because I like it and every place has it's good and bad sides. When I walked around at -20 degree windchill living in the northeast I knew that was part of life there and when I walk around when it's 110 here, I realize that comes with the territory. That doesn't make me ask why I live here, weather is never the biggest reason I'd live anywhere, although I love sunny weather so being in the valley is generally better for me, but many other factors make up while I live here.
perhaps the fact that I have lived elsewhere gives me a different perspective than someone like you who has never seen anything different. You do realize cold cities are equally as miserable in the winter right? When you spend 20 minutes putting on layers and still freeze after being outside 10 minutes, it's not better.
By the way, I spend way more time outdoors than the average indoor office worker. I'm not going to pretend I work outdoors, those people have a different level of toughness that I'll never even pretend I have and I say this for people who work both here and in cold climates. But I do spend 3-5 days on the local trails year-round, most of my excursions are between 2-4 hours, although I'll run longer in the winter months when heat isn't an issue. During the summer I get out as early as humanly possible or even go at night, but overall I find it manageable. When I lived in a winter city, it was impossible to adjust my timing for cold weather.
This.
For someone to say something like "unless you work in the heat you can't say you love it" (paraphrasing) is just wrong. Just because I don't work construction doesn't mean I don't understand or love the heat. My favorite part of my workday is when I can get out of the AC and walk outside and feel that hot wind. I literally say "That feels so good" nearly every time. The heat energizes me. It makes me happy even if I can't be outside all day, just knowing that when I do finally get outside...it will be hot. The opposite was true when I lived in the Midwest. I wasn't out in the cold all day, thankfully, but just knowing that it was going to be painfully cold (and possibly snow to remove from my car before I can leave) when I did go out depressed me!
When I am not at work, I am outside all I can be, whether it is 90 or 118. I do think that those who have lived elsewhere and experienced what you describe above (20 layers to go out and you are still cold) may have a different perspective. It's amazing how nice it is to be able to leave the house without even a jacket for 10 months of the year here. If you have been here a very long time I can see how you take that for granted. (It really can take and extra 20 minutes to get suited up to go out on a very cold, snowy, blizzard-y kind if day! Here, I grab my keys and go without thinking about it! It's nice!)
Heck, I am thrilled that I can look for boots when it is cooler here and not need to worry about whether they have the right non-slip tread on the bottom, or if they are insulated, because I will no longer be walking on ice or snow! (Dress boot season is very short, really, December and January are really it for me)
I may not be running marathons, digging ditches, or doing anything otherwise super strenuous in the heat, but YES, I still love it and it is the main reason I moved here and stay. The dust/poor air quality will be why I eventually leave, not the heat.
I also respect the heat and the sun. Sunscreen always, lots of water. You just gotta!
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Who in the funk takes 20 minutes to put on a coat, a hat, and some gloves? Exaggerate much?
Nope, not an exaggeration. Layer upon layer, boots with socks over pants first to keep them tucked in and snow out, scarf, hat, gloves...took a lot of time. (Think A Christmas Story getting the kids bundled up for school. It is a process)
But because this is the Phoenix forum, I am not going to spend any more time justifying my comment so we can stay on topic.
Here, where it is warm, running out the door takes zero extra time at all. That is a definite plus.
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My posts as moderator will be in red.
Nope, not an exaggeration. Layer upon layer, boots with socks over pants first to keep them tucked in and snow out, scarf, hat, gloves...took a lot of time. (Think A Christmas Story getting the kids bundled up for school. It is a process)
But because this is the Phoenix forum, I am not going to spend any more time justifying my comment so we can stay on topic.
Here, where it is warm, running out the door takes zero extra time at all. That is a definite plus.
A coat, hat, and gloves took me a whole 30 seconds. More like 20 seconds, actually. Were you guys going out on Arctic expeditions or something? Or are you guys grossly overweight? lol
I wont argue its far easier to slip on flip-flops and walk out the door.
We just got back from 4 days in Arizona (flew in/out of Phoenix). Coming from a hot & humid environment we were interested to see what "dry" heat feels like. On any given summer day here it can be 95 with 50% humidity and feel like 110'ish. After feeling 110 with low humidity that supposedly felt cooler, I'll take the humidity. I'm sure it's all about what you are used to, but damn, I just didn't like it. And to be honest, it surprised me, I just knew that I was gonna like the heat. Last night we were outside after dinner and it felt like a hair dryer blowing on us. Just crazy....not to mention seeing the dust storm off in the distance that I thought was a rainstorm.
We had actually put Phoenix on the "possible retirement location" list, it's no longer on the list (which I'm sure is good news for folks that are tired of transplants ).
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My great granddad moved to Phx. from Chicago in the late 1800s and had a small farm where the airport is now. He wimped out though and went back because it was "too hot". lol Then my grandparents moved out here in 1930 and liked it.
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