Anyone from Phoenix area?

[megs4413]

My Dh and I are considering a move to Phoenix and I'm wondering about raising a child in that heat. I have a 9 mo. old and we're from the midwest so i'm concerned about the climate change and don't really know much about the area as far as the school districts and that sort of thing. Anyone from around there?

[mommyj_2]

I didn't grow up there, but can tell you about growing up in the heat, since I grew up in AZ. We tried to stay indoors or in the shade between 11am and 3pm during the summer. Also, most places in Phoenix have air conditioning, so you can plan inside activities when it's really hot. Your body will probably adjust, and you'll be fine as long as it's in the 90s or below.
I'm a total wimp in the heat, and got sick from the heat several times growing up. We had All Stars for softball in the summer, and it was horrible practicing in the heat. But, the flip side is you can play outside all year (in the summer, just go out in the early morning or evening). You can also go to Sedona or the White Mountains for weekend trips, if you want to escape the heat.
If you're from a humid climate, you might want to buy a humidifier. I need one whenever I go to AZ because the air is DRY. I would definitely recommend one for your DC's room.
I don't know anything about schools.

[The Review Mommy]

Hi Megan!

I grew up in Mesa, Az which is just outside of Phoenix and moved to So Cal in my early 20's so I know a ton about it!

Schools:
I went to Mountain View High School which is the best school in Az. IMO :) No gangs here, definitely rare among schools! This area is great and all about the family, so if you can choose I'd definitely pick here. This is what I would call the family city of AZ, Gilbert is great too. FYI- The very popular city of Scottsdale is ritzy like La Jolla is to San Diego. Great for shopping! :)

Heat:
You won’t believe you're first A/C bill, or water bill for that matter. It was always higher than the mortgage and on continuously throughout the year. We wore bathing suits in the summer time when school was out and put shorts on if we went out in public. We never had a pool but constantly had the sprinklers on for cooling off. My advice, if you want to stay sane get a pool for the kiddos. ;) I’d install a non chlorine system for saving the eyes from stinging and redness and the hair from getting green. We were outside a lot growing up despite the heat so get some great sunscreen and you'll be set. Both I and my sister had seizures when we were babies if we were too hot because our bodies couldn't regulate temperatures. This is a family condition that wouldn't have been nearly as bad for us if we had grown up in So Cal. People can get heat stroke so make sure you have water on hand everywhere you go and you should be fine. In the summer it really is above 100, more like 115 and really dry. To get away from the heat we traveled a ton within Az. Here are some places to visit. On fun family weekends we went to lakes, botanical gardens, and the mountains for camping and hiking. Some of these places have snow.

Miles From Mesa
Flagstaff - 161 miles Grand Canyon - 248 miles Nogales - 180 miles
Sedona - 132 miles Kartchner Caverns - 168 miles Tucson 117 miles
Tombstone - 188 miles Lake Havasu - 217 miles Prescott - 116 miles

Winter:
Halloween night to the first day of spring (March 20th) was our "winter". No snow ever, no need for that kind of gear if you move to the Phoenix area. Your car windows just get a little frosty and that's it, very mild. Make sure you bring the family on down to see the temple lights at Christmas time. People come from all around it's quite a sight to see! They also have an Easter Pageant as well. (all free)

For Mesa City data
http://www.city-data.com/city/Mesa-Arizona.html

HTH! Feel free to ask me any other questions.
Rebekah

[kamal]

We moved to Scottsdale last summer (!) from the east coast with a then 15month old... The summer was definitely rough and she spent all day indoors in the A/C. BUT even in that heat, we made a point of going out for a walk or bike ride late in the evening and she did fine with it -so while the heat is pretty bad, we still managed outdoors time. Summer weekends do suck since you can't do much outdoors and we are outdoorsy people but we are reaping the rewards now with a beautiful mild winter :-)

With a toddler, I don't have firsthand experience with schools but I hear Scottsdale schools are pretty good and so are Kyrene (Chandler) schools.

Real estate prices have gone up significantly in the last 2-3 years so the cost of living advantage that Phoenix used to sport is definitely reduced these days.

So you can do it, with tradeoffs. Good luck with your decision making.

-Kamal

[cdlamis]

>I grew up in Mesa, Az which is just outside of Phoenix and
>moved to So Cal in my early 20's so I know a ton about it!
>
>Schools:
>I went to Mountain View High School which is the best school
>in Az. IMO :)

Wow- small world! I grew up in Mesa and went to Mountain View as well!
What year did you graduate in? I was class of 1993.

To the original poster- I am still living in AZ and will post more when I get a chance tonight.

Daniella
Mom to Julia 6-13-02
and Isabella 12-18-04

[The Review Mommy]

Hi Daniella!

1998! It's so good to know that someone from the board is from there too. I left in 2000 to pursue my dreams of "sun without heat" in So Cal and *LOVING* it! Seriously, perfect weather at all times! :)

You've got to get a box of navel oranges from the "Citrus Heights" stand and enjoy it for me. My mom (Robin) is still good friends with the owner there (also named Robin). Their stand is the best! I used to work there and people came from all around the world (even Europe) to get a box of these delicious oranges. Try the juice and chocolates too if so inclined! That's one of the things I miss. :(

Take Care!
Rebekah

[almostamom]

Hi,
I've lived in Phoenix since I was 4. I have lived mostly in the northern part of Phoenix (Scottsdale/Paradise Valley area).We currently live about 20 minutes north of Phoenix. I also taught in the Paradise Valley School District for 13+ years. Below are links to some threads from the last year about living in the Phx. area. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: almostamom 2004 @ yahoo.com (remove spaces)

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=205669&mesg_id=205669&listing_type=search

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=189970&mesg_id=189970&listing_type=search

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=186399&mesg_id=186399&listing_type=search

~Linda~
DS 11/9/04