Pros and cons of moving to Arizona

Moving to a new city is always an adventure of sorts and moving across the country can be a real challenge. When moving to Arizona, you might need to take on a new lifestyle, from the weather to living a less hectic life than you may have lived before. As moving itself is not easy at all, it’s likely that  you will need assistance while moving home and we’re going to assist you with providing some info about pros and cons of moving to Arizona.
If you’re going to be living in Arizona, you’ll probably end up in one of these cities:

• Phoenix
• Tucson
• Mesa
• Chandler
• Scottsdale
• Glendale
• Gilbert
• Tempe

Let’s take a closer look now at some pros and cons of moving to Arizona.

Weather in Arizona

This is quite a complex topic to discuss as Arizona has a large area with variations in elevation, so weather can be very different across the state. To give you a hint, the metropolitan area with the most days with over 100 °F is located in Arizona (it is Phoenix). At the same time, the metropolitan area with the most days with a low temperature below freezing in the lower 48 states (Alaska excluded) is in Arizona as well (this is Flagstaff). So it matters a lot where you decide to land in Arizona, as well as where you’re coming from.

Living in the desert

Pro: The Arizona climate is mainly desert in the lower areas, with mild winters and very hot summers. If you choose an area like this, you’ll enjoy a great weather most of the year, as the average temperature from the late fall to early spring is 60 °F. So you get eight months of great weather a year and a chance to spend a lot of time outdoors. You also get to enjoy an abundance of sunshine and more than 300 sunny days a year. Another big thing, dry climate means no mold and very few mosquitoes.
Con: The summer heat can be quite oppressive. Expect a dry heat in the summer months of up to 120 °F, occasionally even exceeding 125 °F. Also be cautious not to get sunburnt.

Living in the mountains

Pro: If you’re not ready to embrace the heat and choose to live in the northern part of the state, there’s a plateau over there situated at significantly higher altitudes. That means you’ll enjoy mild summers.
Con: Be prepared for cold winters. The temperatures sometimes go even below 0 °F.

Nature and landscapes

Pro: Arizona is a big and very diverse. So whatever you’re looking for – deserts, forests, canyons, you’ll find it all over there, within a short distance from one another. It’s the home of Grand Canyon National Park, but also to some more national forests and national parks. You can go hiking and explore in every area of the state. On top of that, sunsets are amazing, which is one more advantage of moving to Arizona.
The Grand Canyon is a gorge of the Colorado River and it’s the main attraction of Grand Canyon National Park, which received more than six million visitors in 2017. It was the second most visited national park in the States (right after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). The Grand Canyon was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO back in 1979. It’s best known for its gorgeous scenery and its colorful rocks dating back to Precambrian times, as well as for its size and depth.

Con: If you like green and lush landscapes, moving to Arizona might not be the best option for you. The state is beautiful in its own way, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Weekend getaways

Pro: Wherever you end up living in Arizona, you can opt for great weekend getaways. Along with The Grand Canyon trips, you could also go to the mountains in the north for some skiing in the winter or you could easily get to California for your summer vacations (another reason to do so is to escape the Arizona summer heat). Arizona is also well-connected to some other states, as there are many domestic routes from Sky Harbor airport. If you prefer to drive, it would only take a few hours to get to the West Coast or Vegas. For example, the state’s capital Phoenix is 5.5. hours of driving away from Las Vegas, 7 hours from San Diego and 8 hours from Los Angeles. If you head south, Sedona in Mexico is gorgeous as well. Or it will just take about an hour to fly to any of those places.
Con: No direct international flights to anywhere outside of North America.

Low costs of living

Pro: You’ll definitely notice the difference if you’re coming from places such as New York or California. Housing and rents are very affordable and Phoenix is one of the cheapest major metropolitan areas in the States. Other costs of living are quite low as well. For reasonable costs of moving check out tucsonelitemovers.com.
Con: Keep in mind that you’re likely to end up with high utility bills upon moving to Arizona. Your AC will be on all the time in the summer and you’ll be driving everywhere due to spread-out distances. Your water bills will probably be pretty high as well.

A car is a must when moving to Arizona

Pro: The freeway system in Arizona is very good – great roads and no tolls. Phoenix, in particular, is a modern and well-planned city that’s easy to navigate. Compared to cities of the same size, it’s very uncongested, so no traffic jams or at least not so much of them. It may be a rather long commute in miles, but traffic normally flows pretty well, so it doesn’t take that much time. Driving is also easy as there’s no ice, snow or potholes out there and many areas are very flat.

Con: The area is very spread-out and almost nothing is within walking distance. You could get nowhere without a car around here and that is something to consider before you pack your bags and move. With the infamous summer heat on top of that, you’ll end up being very dependent on your car. If you’re not too happy about this, maybe you should consider moving somewhere else.

Sports, entertainment, and arts

Pro: You can do quite a lot in Arizona when it comes to sports, entertainment and arts. If you’re into sports, you’ll be happy with the situation here. Arizona (specifically Phoenix) has sports teams in all four professional leagues (MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL) and golf courses. If you’re an art lover, it’s good to know there are many museums in the state. There are also a great symphony, opera, and ballet.
Con: You might find any of the Arizona city boring compared to some of the biggest cities in the US.
Arizona is not the best option for everyone, just like any other place. If you’re positive that you’d like it over there, pack your bags and get ready to move.