Thinking of moving to AZ

DClongskate · 03-09-2009, 12:58 PM

Hey I’m trying to decide where I should move. I’m going back to school and need a place I can settle for a few years. I’m trying to decide between Portland OR and the Phoenix area. I like skating downhill and love garages! I also do some sliding. I don’t know anyone in Portland and only know one person in AZ(Scottsdale). Frankly I would love it if I never live through another winter again. What’s the skating like there, how big is the community? Also I’m a climber, what’s the climbing scene like there? What about schools? Like community colleges and universities? ANY INFO WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Persuade me!

DClongskate · 03-09-2009, 02:10 PM

P.S. Also looking at the Tucson area!

Reece Man · 03-09-2009, 05:23 PM

If you don't mind being in a 115 degree pollution stew It's great. The scene is blowing up and there are tons of great hills. The only suck about Arizona is that it's ridiculously hot and if you live in the valley it's like living in a cereal bowl full of all kinds of pollution, it's really not good for you. It's like it can't escape and neither can the heat. I really can't stand the state but I love the people in it and the skate scene. I love the hills too. Hope that helps

Reece Man · 03-09-2009, 05:25 PM

Tucson has Mt. Lemmon though and that is seriously the most awesome DH run ever! Tucson itself sucks though, ghetto as hell.

Dizi · 03-09-2009, 05:29 PM

I won't even fly over Arizona in a plane. Lived there for a short time, totally hated it.

Chopko · 03-09-2009, 11:41 PM

So the other guys told you about the bad, but I'll tell you the good. Arizona has FAN ####### TASTIC weather for a good chunk of the year. You can longboard year round, and the scenery is unlike any state you've probly lived in. Yes it's hot as #### in the summer, but you'll get a nice tan. Yes it's polluted, but it really depends on where you live and how the wind has been...and it might not be any different from your city unless you live in a smaller town or mountain area. But yeah, the heat...if it's not for you, you might want to reconsider moving here. Be prepared for 115 in the summer....but at least no humidity haha. Climbing is great here....lots of mountains to climb, tons of offraoding area....plenty of community colleges and 3 universities spread throughout the state. There are tons of huge garages in the downtown area, and plenty of hills around the valley. Might want to visit for a while to see if you like it.

Irish_ · 03-10-2009, 11:43 AM

the no humidity thing is the biggest bunch of bs i have ever heard. i have worked outside on pools sense i was fourteen and i dont mean cleaning them i mean building them. and when monsoon season hits which has been earlier and earlier and for longer and longer each passing year thats a load of crap. If you dont like sweatin i wouldn suggest it. If you can handle it then i couldn imagine a better place to live other than cali but The scene here is every growing like they said. Portland is freakin nice in the right parts just like phoenix but they both get real bad real quick but portland is nice if you dont mind rain. so your picking between to extremes here either hella rainy or hella hot and the climbing scene here is pretty good we have a huge indoor rock climbing gym in Phoenix and im sure you could find people there who know of all the spots. For colleges we got ASU in Tempe U of A in tuscon and NAU in Flagstaff and there is a community college everywhere you look and trade schools if you need anymore info let me know.

-Lance

Dizi · 03-10-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irish_

i have worked outside on pools sense i was nineteen

You might want to update your listed age.

DClongskate · 03-10-2009, 01:02 PM

Thanks boys! I have moved around a lot in the past 5 years and I never want to see a winter again! That’s why AZ sounds so good to me. I'm from near Denver which is pretty polluted (which sucks) but I can handle it. The heat doesn’t bother me! And the dry heat is better. You haven’t seen humidity till you felt 80-90% humidity. It will ###### kill you! Thanks again boys!

Chopko · 03-10-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irish_

the no humidity thing is the biggest bunch of bs i have ever heard. i have worked outside on pools sense i was nineteen and i dont mean cleaning them i mean building them. and when monsoon season hits which has been earlier and earlier and for longer and longer each passing year thats a load of crap. If you dont like sweatin i wouldn suggest it. If you can handle it then i couldn imagine a better place to live other than cali but The scene here is every growing like they said. Portland is freakin nice in the right parts just like phoenix but they both get real bad real quick but portland is nice if you dont mind rain. so your picking between to extremes here either hella rainy or hella hot and the climbing scene here is pretty good we have a huge indoor rock climbing gym in Phoenix and im sure you could find people there who know of all the spots. For colleges we got ASU in Tempe U of A in tuscon and NAU in Flagstaff and there is a community college everywhere you look and trade schools if you need anymore info let me know.

-Lance

dude...arizona is dry heat....if you think AZ is humid you are sadly mistaken sir....lived here all my life and it's not humid

TM_Cruzer · 03-10-2009, 01:48 PM

New Mexico--Arizona's cool step sister

Irish_ · 03-10-2009, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopko

dude...arizona is dry heat....if you think AZ is humid you are sadly mistaken sir....lived here all my life and it's not humid

so have and worked in the heat and trust me it gets humid

Irish_ · 03-10-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DClongskate

Thanks boys! I have moved around a lot in the past 5 years and I never want to see a winter again! That’s why AZ sounds so good to me. I'm from near Denver which is pretty polluted (which sucks) but I can handle it. The heat doesn’t bother me! And the dry heat is better. You haven’t seen humidity till you felt 80-90% humidity. It will ###### kill you! Thanks again boys!

ok try having 60-70 humidity on top of 110 degree dry heat thats only in monsoon season like i said the rest of summer is just a real bad dry heat.

jman1365 · 03-10-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irish_

the no humidity thing is the biggest bunch of bs i have ever heard. i have worked outside on pools sense i was fourteen and i dont mean cleaning them i mean building them. and when monsoon season hits which has been earlier and earlier and for longer and longer each passing year thats a load of crap. If you dont like sweatin i wouldn suggest it. If you can handle it then i couldn imagine a better place to live other than cali but The scene here is every growing like they said. Portland is freakin nice in the right parts just like phoenix but they both get real bad real quick but portland is nice if you dont mind rain. so your picking between to extremes here either hella rainy or hella hot and the climbing scene here is pretty good we have a huge indoor rock climbing gym in Phoenix and im sure you could find people there who know of all the spots. For colleges we got ASU in Tempe U of A in tuscon and NAU in Flagstaff and there is a community college everywhere you look and trade schools if you need anymore info let me know.

-Lance

Arizona is dry heat. I work landscaping, I would know.
I second the guy that said to update your age.
and also if you are over 19 you may want to consider taking some night courses to learn spelling and grammar and such.

Irish_ · 03-11-2009, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jman1365

Arizona is dry heat. I work landscaping, I would know.
I second the guy that said to update your age.
and also if you are over 19 you may want to consider taking some night courses to learn spelling and grammar and such.

no i fixed that it was supposed to be fourteen idk why i put nineteen? and i dont give a rats ass about spelling correctly or using good grammar on an internet forum if all you have to do all day is go check to make sure everyone is spelling and using correct grammar then you need to seriously reevaluate your time and start using it in a more constructive manner you pr!ck =) have a nice day =)

oh yeah. in my last post and in the first i never said it wasnt a dry heat i was just warning him off monsoon season where you have 110 degree weather and 50-60% humidity. that is all have a nice day.

Severian_Sidewalk_Surfer · 03-11-2009, 12:48 PM

Arizona? Santa mierda, porque? (Holy sh*t, why?) New Mexico is way cooler than Arizona, in every way. And Albuquerque is the ditch-surfing capital of the U.S.; our arroyos are far, far better, faster, wilder and way more fun than anyone else's!

Although working here can be a little harsh. We may be New, but we're still Mexico, in a lot of ways. Local employers have had a captive workforce for the past 600 years, and it shows: even doctors and lawyers typically earn 50% less in NM than they do in any other part of the U.S. Great place to go to school, though. Our law school and our medical school are top-drawer, and dirt cheap compared to other state schools. Admissions to law and medicine are heavily biased in favor of Hispanic applicants, however. New Mexico is like the Deep South, only with Chicanos running everything. Or it's like Mexico with white people and a couple of Air Force bases.

That is what it is. It's great, but it's like moving to a foreign country. It's not like anyplace else, and the locals don't care "how they do it in L.A./New York/wherever". (Arizona, on the other hand, is like New Jersey on Mars.) Oregon has a wonderful local culture, a great music scene, killer national forests, beautiful women, great food, good jobs, great schools, the sea, the beach...whereas Arizona has no real culture of its own, just lots of transplanted yuppies and strip malls. And Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the world, second only to Mexico City: the Mexican Mafia (MS-13, Los Surenos, et al.) owns that city. Lots of hard drugs and real gangsters, the kind that kill you. Forget it.

UNM is good for music (especially if you're a guitarist and want to become a serious flamenco player), and our anthropology department is one of the best in the country. For visual arts, or mechanical/civil engineering, go somewhere else, 'cause ours are no good. But for Latin American studies, UNM is the bomb...you can graduate hooked-up with all kinds of good connections. And we've got the most drop-dead gorgeous campus you'll ever see at a state school. If you're an artist, or generally bohemian, and not into money, you'll love it here. New Mexico girls are very down-to-earth, unpretentious, and incredibly foxy. Also not money-hungry. If you've got a car that runs, some camping gear and a job, any job, you're good to go. None of that East Coast/California bullsh*t where girls won't talk to you unless you drive a BMW!

Speaking from experience, go hang out in each city for a couple months, then decide...'cause university catalogs tell a lot of pretty lies! And as a member of the Old Man Army, in hindsight, if I were in my early twenties and had to choose between Arizona and Oregon, I'd choose Oregon. I lived up there for a while, and it's wonderful. Very civilized, seriously beautiful, a really great place to live. Arizona's lame by comparison.

DClongskate · 03-11-2009, 02:19 PM

Thanks Severian Sidewalk Surfer! That was one of the most insightful post I have ever seen on the fish! Clearly a little bias but I like it when someone has some pride for where they live! I am 24 and a drug and alcohol counselor and I am looking to go back to school for an eventual masters, id like to try get some education coursework done as well. I thought about NM! I’m form Colorado and have visited your great City many times! I just want nice weather and nice people and great skating and a place that I wouldn’t mind settling down for a while. And I honestly never want to see another winter again! So I don’t know… I think I may just go hang each place for a few months, I have to think of a why to get the funds!

SVVM · 07-03-2009, 08:07 PM

Arizona is an awesome state. LOTS of skating and rock climbing in Arizona. Phoenix has several great indoor climbing gyms and some great outdoor climbs. Within 1-2 hours drive of Phoenix are some notorious and legendary climbs. To top it off, you won't have to deal with cold winters in Phoenix.
If you do move out here and want help unloading your things- give me a call. Contact me via my website.
Arizona Moving

Chopko · 07-04-2009, 12:03 PM

I thought I should add something...while phoenix is one of the biggest cities out west, you can pretty much drive 45 mins in any direction and be in complete wilderness. AZ is amazing offroading, hiking, climbing, and other outdoor sports. It's hot as #### in the summer but the fall/winter/spring makes up for it.

edit: to the guy saying AZ sucks....speak for yourself. Doesn't really sound like you've lived here very much so why bash us? Speak highly of your state and of states you've lived in if you want, but don't criticize something you're not entirely sure about. AZ/NM are extremely close in comparison. You've got ditches, I'll give you that one hah but we've got amazing riding too....and from the sound of it you haven't experienced any of it.

Catalyst48 · 07-06-2009, 02:38 AM

i cant speak for the skating scene since im trying to get into it but Arizona has Mt. Boboquivari and that is one sick ass climb

if you ever make it up there sign the log book. . . im in there from april of this year and there was ice at the top