10 SHOCKING Things Learned Living in Arizona for a MONTH

[@bevbevan6189]

Minor correction: AZ State is in Tempe. University of AZ is in Tucson.

[@MileageMike485]

Oh boy, better prepare for the influx of comments on that lol.

[@michaelwillever3522]

Came here to say that. Them's fighting words in Tucson. 😂

[@markn866]

Yeah, minor correction, not to those fully in on the rivalry.

[@KrausHaus0]

Also westgate isn’t downtown Glendale, Old Towne is

[@faithnevaehmartinez4509]

He didnt say that ASU was the university of Arizona he said it was Arizonas iconic University!

[@Will0398]

A dry heat may be more tolerable than humid heat, but after 105° it doesn’t matter

[@rirkc]

I reckon the only diff is you dry off nearly instantly, unlike the "air you can wear" in Rhode Island.

[@jdog22c34]

Wrong. Virginia summer felt much worse than Phoenix. I'll take Phoenix over Houston or Tampa any day.

[@crashedmonkey2589]

hm, I feel the total opposite, I miss Virginia summers (and having actual seasons)... its currently 0013 as I'm typing this and still 95 degrees.. only living in this oven to help my Dad out because he has to live here for his specialists and crap :P I will gladly move back east again when I can

[@jdog22c34]

@@crashedmonkey2589 I lived there. The humidity was oppressive. Even when it was a decent temperature, you still stick to everything. Gnats fly up your nose, in your ears and eyes. Mosquitos and flies are brutal. Phoenix has the 2nd best weather in the country behind coastal California.

[@crashedmonkey2589]

@@jdog22c34wha? Why are you trying to describe it when I clearly said "I miss it..." I too lived there, and am actually FROM there, and it was not as bad as sticking to everything and flying bugs all over unless they took over the coast since 2012? Phoenix weather is awesome for 2 or 3 months, the rest of the year is terrible unless you are a rich indoors person who loves shoveling money to APS

[@rirkc]

Holy cow, what a great video. I just moved to AZ from RI after thirty five years in Providence. I chose not to live down in "the valley"(Phoenix) for your first point -- the incredible summer heat. Instead, I live up at 5.5 thousand feet in Prescott. Easily fifteen degrees cooler up here, no traffic, very few homeless but no encampments. It's got lots to offer me, including other family members and old family friends. Again, great video -- all points are valid.

[@rirkc]

@@rayb.6537 *you're

[@calmgirlify]

How funny! I moved from Prescott to Westerly RI. I lived in AZ for 20 years. Moved out of Phoenix to Prescott in 2010. I found Prescott is getting hotter too. Plus with the VA there are quite a few PTSD vets living in the homeless encampments in the mountains. That’s why you don’t see them . I lived in the Mountain Club about a mile from Whiskey Row. Between Prescott getting hotter, Gosar being my elected rep, the wildfires, the drought threatening the water supply, and living in a landlocked state, it was time for me to leave. I don’t miss AZ or Prescott and I love living by the ocean. Plus climate change has made RI winters very mild. I got more snow living in Prescott!. To each their own.

[@TwistedRootsMelody]

​@@calmgirlifyexactly. I'm in Phoenix and everyone knows the homeless that have the ability will hitch a ride with a truck on the 89 to Lynx lake area to escape the heat and be back when it starts to snow up there. The Rangers used to be chill with them as long as they stayed invisible and didn't bother the locals. I haven't been up there since 2020 though so no doubt there has been changes

[@rirkc]

@@calmgirlify Too funny. I live in Mountain Club.

[@cubanpete1290]

Sounds good, I will make sure we send a ton of migrants there!

[@MotoringAdventures_KE7SAI]

Excellent job! As a military brat who claims Arizona as his adopted home state, you did it justice with a very comprehensive overview. I will say, that as beautiful as Arizona is, and it can be an acquired beauty to some folks, it is from the backroads that most if it can be truly appreciated. And I don’t just mean backroads of the paved variety. I’m talking about the hundreds of miles of dirt and off-road trails that lie on public land throughout the state. Once I discovered this, it opened up a whole new world of what was out there to see.

[@MileageMike485]

Sounds like I need to upgrade to a vehicle that can handle the off-road in these parts of the country.

[@TheSchwartzIsWithYouToday]

It's always fun to hear the viewpoints that visitors have of our great state! I've been driving for Uber + Lyft for a while, and I love having visitors as riders. They ask all kinds of questions, and being a native they enjoy it when it's a long ride and I point out lots of our local attractions like the different types of cactus, shrubs and trees. Many visitors are blown away with our unusual vegetation, especially when it's in bloom. Unfortunately, you did not bother to say WHEN you were here, as things are VERY seasonal. You'll find that for most of the winter months, Nov thru April, there are far more people outside walking around, especially in Scottsdale and Downtown Phoenix. That's because it's our peak tourist season and we're flooded with "snowbirds" who come here from colder climates to thaw out. Go to one of the local hiking spots and you'll see people all bundled up, as well as lots in T-shirts and shorts. The former are mostly locals, while the latter are snowbirds enjoying the 50 degree (F) weather. For us locals, that's COLD. In summer, people leave town. And when the temps start going over 100, people stay inside. Since you were complaining about the heat and lack of people outside, I'm guessing you were here in May or early June, after school was out and the snowbirds have left, and nobody is really out and about. But lots of places that still have outside seating open will have their misters on. They don't work very well if there's a breeze. I was born and raised in Phoenix, and yes our tap water is pretty disgusting. Frankly, I don't understand why so many people pay for bottled water as there are plenty of places around town to fill up your own jugs for 25¢ - 40¢ per gallon, and most of them taste the same if not better than bottled water. (Lots of bottled water isn't even filtered!) Tempe is the home of AZ State University, not UofA. UofA is in Tucson. Northern AZ University (NAU) is in Flagstaff. The main street in Tempe is Mill Avenue, not Mill Street. Most of the restaurants and activities in Tempe are along Mill, University, Apache, and Rural roads. Also, it's worth noting that the City of Tempe is relatively small and land-locked, unlike most other cities in the area, and the only way the can expand is by building UP. So there's a LOT of skyscrapers being built in Tempe, especially along Tempe Town Lake -- which soon will only be visible to people inside of the tall buildings going on on both sides of the Salt River. (The "lake" only exists courtesy of some dams built to hold the water in, because the Salt River is dry for most of the year.) Downtown Phoenix has been undergoing a transformation over the past 20 years. Today it's mainly it's a sports mecca where the Diamondbacks play baseball, where the Suns play basketball, where there are tons of sports bars, not to mention several concert facilities. When there are games on, it's swarming with people. Otherwise, it's pretty dead. Except there's now a big and growing ASU campus north of the stadiums, and while school is in session it's bustling with college kids, just like in Tempe. When school is out, they're mostly gone. You seemingly avoided our traffic during rush hours, so you think there's not much traffic. Well, it can get pretty bad at certain times of the day, but it's lighter now than before COVID. I think a lot of people are moving here from more expensive cities because: (a) they can work from home; and (b) homes are a lot cheaper here. You can't walk to the store in most areas, but there's usually a large grocery store and restaurants within a few miles of most residential centers. Uber and Lyft make it easy to get there and back when needed if you don't have a car. Overall, I'm glad you enjoyed your stay and had lots of nice things to say about it. Arizona residents still have to travel to LA or Vegas to see big shows that don't bother to stop here in Phoenix, even though we may be the 5th largest city in the country. Although it was fun to see Taylor Swift kicking off her Eros tour here in Phoenix with two (!) shows.

[@jdog22c34]

@@TheSchwartzIsWithYouToday The water thing is weird to me. The tapwater tastes fine. I also use an RO system. I've lived in 7 states in 4 timezones. Not seeing much of a difference.

[@faithnevaehmartinez4509]

Hers an interesting fact that most people don't know. Is that the salt River and Tempe town lake was actually an assignment to some ASU students as part of their final grade. They were tasked with coming up with A solution to bringing water to Tempe from the salt River. And though their idea as a solution was infact used, and has been very profitable to many industrial contracting companies and the city itself. They never recieved any form of recognition or compensation for their idea! An A+ was all they got for solving one of the cities biggest problems hindering the massive growth that the cities been able to see in the years since! There should be A plaque or memorial of recognition for those students but there isn't!

[@TheSchwartzIsWithYouToday]

@@jdog22c34 The water here is extremely hard, lots of dissolved salts, including lots of calcium. It clogs up hot water heaters, metallic pipes, and makes the water taste really bad to lots of people. RO helps, but that's not affordable for most people. Go to a Starbucks and get a cup of water with some ice in it, then go to a QT and get a cup of water + ice, then taste them. You'll notice a world of difference, unless if you smoke. Starbucks uses a really fancy filtering system, QT doesn't.

[@TheSchwartzIsWithYouToday]

@@faithnevaehmartinez4509 I think there was some kind of a competition in the late 70's when I was there about things the city could do make it more "attractive" to residents and visitors, and I remember that proposal getting a lot of attention ... it also became the butt of lots of jokes at the time. I think it was a riff of sorts on Big Surf -- Arizona's Ocean In The Desert. This was going to be a lake in an otherwise dry riverbed that sustained three 500 and a 1000 year flood in that decade, wiping out all but one of the bridges over it. The proposal to build a couple of dams led people to think it would end up flooding the area around ASU.

[@bixbysnyder-00]

"This is the middle of the Sonoran desert, you can't build a major city here!" "Hold my beer, this is fine."

[@schinken2356]

"This city should not exist. It is a monument to man's arrogance." - Peggy Hill

[@faithnevaehmartinez4509]

And yet it does exist and is A monument to strategic planning and innovation. Using the Hohokums play book for canals. We've been able to get water across the entire valley.

[@bixbysnyder-00]

@faithnevaehmartinez4509 Man's attempt to beat the desert is generally futile. Climate change will wipe Phoenix off the map. You are already seeing major strain on water resources in the Southwest, and it isn't going to get better.

[@austinmorse6518]

I live in the Northern part of Arizona, I highly recommend visiting Prescott, Arizona, or Flagstaff, it is so green up here, it doesn't even feel like Arizona.

[@nicoleflores6757]

I got job in prescott but i cant find place to live i want to go

[@franks5360]

As a 45 year resident of Phoenix, you are pretty accurate. The heat in the summer is horrible. Besides heading north, many people here head to San Diego to cool down. You are so right about car batteries. You may get two years (or two summers max) out of them. It’s wise to keep a jump starter in you vehicle. As for traffic, I agree it’s not as bad as other large cities, but there are areas of congestion such as I 10, I 17, Loop 101 that can get really bad. You will also notice a significant increase in traffic in the cooler months when the rest of the country comes to AZ. Just like anyplace, there are good and bad points. I’ve been here so long, I’m just use to how it is. Hope you enjoyed your trip to Az!

[@meed8738]

Yes I agree with the car battery. About 3 weeks ago I had to start my car twice because the battery was being weird. After that incident I pulled my portable battery start out my truck and now leave it in the front seat just in case. My battery is only like 2 years old. I’d like to add to traffic as well. The video guy said he came at the end of May and what happens in May is school is out that month(elem., h.s, and coll.). So the traffic might have seemed less because of no school.

[@ryder7984]

You hit the nail on the head. I moved to AZ from NC in 2011 and immediately noticed the taste of the water and lack of heavy traffic when compared to Raleigh. I also noticed, as a southerner, how "hard" the people were. Doors closed in your face, no greetings or thank yous, mean mugging for no reason...they're a different breed from what I grew up with.

[@johnd.2114]

I think the state's environment and development kind of help to create a highly individualist, isolationist culture. Nothing about it really says 'friendly' in a typical manner.

[@charlesedwards3577]

Ayee moved from NC in 2015. From Raleigh as well its definitely a different world out here

[@rdinnan82]

Correction...the tire itself does not melt. It's the asphalt itself that melts and the car sinks in just a little bit, particularly in neighborhoods where they use the slurry seal.

[@blairhoughton7918]

I'm surprised Mike and CityNerd didn't notice how the lines across the road at intersections creep because of cars accelerating across them when the asphalt is soft. But the cities have been redoing a lot of streets in recent years so maybe there are a lot less of those than there used to be.

[@FrostyStardust]

I moved here in 2020 to get away from snow and cold in general. I have not been disappointed and I don't plan on moving elsewhere. I'm home.

[@phoenixarizona8441]

Same

[@BlayzBrooks]

Phoenix weather is really pleasant November-March. Rest of the year too hot 🔥

[@jdog22c34]

I keep the windows open from mid October to mid April.

[@allstar2709]

It’s too cold

[@SpidermanandJeny]

April is rather good weather as well and depending on your preferences May can be good as well, especially in a cooler year.

[@CJ3WT]

Going from 76 degrees to 107 degrees is crazy 😳

[@MileageMike485]

And some nights doesn’t even drop below 90.

[@ace20016]

@@MileageMike485Temperature doesn’t drop below 90?! 😮

[@Wyomingchief]

@@ace20016 nope...I'm inn tucson and most nights in July/Aug it NEVER gets below 90

[@vibrantgleam]

@@MileageMike485 worse than texas it seems. don't get me wrong, we have awful summers, but at least we get down to the 80s or 70s, even under our hottest days

[@ace20016]

@@Wyomingchief Yike!

[@grahamturner2640]

When it comes to auxiliary interstate highways, State Route 51 got its designation because it was meant to be Interstate 510. Also, at 7:10, when it comes to telling the differences between the suburban cities, it usually comes down to the smaller details, which are usually more noticeable outside of a car and outside of the suburban subdivisions. The most noticeable difference is the design of traffic lights. If you take transit, there are other noticeable differences, such as the likelihood of seeing certain amenities as well as how they're designed.

[@garcjr]

The inner loop of I-10 in Phoenix was supposed to be I-410, Loop-202 was I-217, and Kino Pkwy in Tucson was supposed to be I-710.

[@betamax1091]

The thing with Phoenix is it's sunny. And if you're from cloudy, depressing climates, it's gorgeous. There's 115-sunny half the year and 65-sunny half the year. More than worth the dry heat. I visit often for business and am thinking of buying a second home just to enjoy the city. So much cleaner than almost all the cities I've visited in the US. Almost no graffiti and everything is fairly modern.

[@SacredAssault]

If you’re coming here for business I’d imagine it’s not likely that business takes you to places where you’d see the bad stuff 😂 you go 5 minutes off the main roads, especially near downtown, and you are in a sketchy situation

[@03focussvt943]

You didnt see the real PHX then. No grafitti? Thats hilarious. Its disgusting here.

[@brimopm]

20yrs ago we moved to the Phoenix metro and it is hard to believe we have absorbed nearly two million more residents since. Admittedly, despite the sprawl you speak of, I'm still amazed how quickly I can get around. Best of all, due to the grid layout there are multiple ways to get places to avoid the frequent accidents from new residents driving 20mph over the limit. New residents and visitors from out of town seem most hurried in their travels as license plates would suggest. It's like a prison break for them. Ya, the municipal water is disgusting, but well worth the price of entry.

[@brianmiddleton2956]

Very interesting tidbits about Arizona, right on target too. On another note, RoadGuyRob has a very excellent video about the Phoenix freeway system.

[@jimspies2775]

I have no idea if the Venn Diagram of Mileage Mike fans and CityNerd fans is just me; but it's interesting that Mr Nerd also did a Phoenix/Tempe review recently. You came from different angles, but came to reasonably similar conclusions on the topics that overlapped. Such as walkability with an asterisk. He focused on the transit opportunities more than you, you mentioned the highways more. You both found trying to eat outdoors even late in the evening with the misters to not be pleasant!

[@ace20016]

Well Mileage Mike is a road and highway enthusiast. Considering Mileage Mike started out just doing driving tour videos on his other account 'Mileage Mike Travels' before he started this account focusing on commentary.

[@Intersteighty]

@@ace20016 Quick correction: "Mileage Mike" was the first channel, hosting all the tours and commentaries. I think 2 years ago he moved the tour videos to the new "Mileage Mike Travels" and kept the commentaries here.

[@blairhoughton7918]

If you haven't lived here a while and truly acclimated, the misters will do you no good, and hardly any locals will sit out there.

[@ace20016]

@@Intersteighty Actually 'Mileage Mike Travels' account was originally named 'Mileage Mike'. He change it to 'Mileage Mike Travels' when started this account.

[@dallasguy3306]

One of my best buddies lives in Scottsdale. Some years ago I flew in to Phoenix where we started a road trip up north, through Utah. Many sites. Grand Canyon. Flagstaff. Sedona. Monument Valley. Zion. Lake Powell. Glen Canyon. It was mid-March, a perfect time to visit. It was almost chilly in Zion. AZ is a land of scenic beauty. Forget cell service up north. Miles of no signs of civilization in AZ and Utah. Nothing but gorgeous buttes. I was struck by the large number of solar panels. On roofs, breezeways, everywhere. We just don't have that in Texas. And also the fact that almost all land adjoining the highways was fenced off. Federal land? But in the end, as they say, "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."

[@MirzaAhmed89]

A lot of highways go through Indian reservations.

[@disiostudio1559]

Much of Phoenix was once farmland, and so some neighborhoods where you find the canals can be very green and a shade (no pun intended) cooler than other areas in Phoenix. Unlike more humid and green areas of the country, the tap water is very hard with minerals, especially calcium. A good rule of thumb is to never park your car in the sun during the summer unless necessary. You might be able to afford a larger home in Phoenix than in other cities so you've got more space to enjoy indoors during the hot summer months. And many have private swimming pools.

[@edwardj64]

I travelled to Arizona several times over the years and always wanted to live here. I finally moved to the Phoenix area a couple of months ago and enjoy it very much. Prior to moving here, I spent my entire life in the NY/NJ metro area. The heat and dry desert are definitely not for everyone. For me, however, the heat this summer hasn't really bothered me that much. I've explored a few downtowns (Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale) on foot during some really hot days (105F-110F) and managed it well. I can relate to many who would rather live in walkable, vibrant East Coast cities and not have the need for a car. I spent decades living in both NYC and near great walkable New Jersey shore beach towns. Every place has its good and bad points. The humidity in the Northeast during the summer (and even Winter) makes it very difficult to enjoy the outdoors (away from the beach) to the extent that I can here in AZ. I just find the dry heat here to be a great positive. Back East there are many days and weeks, not to mention the winter months, where it can be gray and overcast for much of the time. I love that here in the valley there is a lot of light (sunshine), and much less gloomy throughout the year. The landscape, nature, and beauty of Arizona is, of course, at another level. Even so, I still can relate to someone that enjoys green mountains, forests, and landscapes more like can be found in the Eastern states. The drinking water here in the valley is very poor. I used to drink from the tap in both NY and NJ. Here, I rely heavily on a water filter. The highway system here is fantastic. The traffic doesn't compare to NYC or other large metros, but I know it can be bad in some places at certain times. People here in the valley tend to drive a little too fast than is necessary, but being used to driving in the NYC metro for decades makes the adjustment to driving here quite easy.

[@brucegoolsby1470]

I was born and raised in the East (Massachusetts) and lived in NY and Philly so I was used to living in humid environments and green, walkable cities. It took me some time to adjust/accept living in the greater Phoenix area. The summer heat still makes me question living here, but the winters balance things out. Not gonna lie, I do miss the greenery back East, but not the humidity.

[@Slaythehippies]

I regularly go to Mobile Alabama and Pensacola Florida. Yeah, its hot and humid. But I stepped out of the car in the West Texas Desert last year in July, and I don't care that it was dry heat. It was worse than Mobile.

[@qbrown4239]

I visited Arizona 5 years ago in July of all times. With good reason though. My friend and I share the same birthday so we wanted to do something different. I went to Vegas before heading to Phoenix. Phoenix was even hotter. Did the Grand Canyon tour from Vegas. Did the West Rim on Native territory which has the Skywalk. Also hit Hoover Dam and the Joshua Tree Forest. Did a hot air balloon ride for our birthdays just outside Glendale in the Sonoma Desert. That was awesome. Definitely beautiful there, but HOT!! Thanks for sharing. Also been in November which was more comfortable indeed.

[@faithnevaehmartinez4509]

Joshua tree is in California not Arizona

[@SuperCornTVwithMrsDee]

Love your commentary. We just moved from Mississippi to Phoenix Deer Valley area and we love it. The heat here is nothing compared to Mississippi.

[@Jacob-pt5xz]

You gotta love how the sign at that intersection said don’t drink and drive 😂 12:15

[@grahamturner2640]

ASU used to be a notorious party school. What else would you expect?

[@Jacob-pt5xz]

It’s still funny

[@meed8738]

@@grahamturner2640 Yeah it was especially during the time I was in college (in the early 10’s). It would always be ranked in the top 3 party schools in the USA. I never attended ASU Tempe or any of its parties 😂

[@DesertJoe]

Tempe resident here. I recall the discussions about what to put on that intersection at the time (unique to the area due to the style of traffic lights in Tempe with street names). Usually the name of the crossing street goes there, but doesn't make sense at that specific location. So being that it's right on the edge of the ASU campus, which deals with a lot of drunk college students, the city landed on putting "Don't Drink and Drive". Not sure how much impact that made on lowering instances of drunk driving.

[@TheBlackWrapperDude]

The heat is the main reason why I wouldn't move to Arizona but you do have a good point 12:32 Arizona along with Hawaii is the only state on permanent daylight Time which is a good thing because many people in the state don't have to worry about changing their clocks

[@silvermineband2719]

We are on permanent Mountain Standard Time in AZ.

[@grahamturner2640]

Permanent no daylight savings time. The federal government doesn't seem to allow permanent daylight savings time.

[@TheBlackWrapperDude]

@@grahamturner2640 Arizona along with Hawaii has that implemented I kind of wish that fans out to the rest of the United states so we don't have to constantly change our clocks 2 times out of the year

[@blairhoughton7918]

That would be good everywhere. Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time because it's the last thing Arizona needs more of. The Navajo reservation still does because geographically they're more connected to New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, who do. But the Hopi res that is inside the Navajo res don't.

[@TheBlackWrapperDude]

@@blairhoughton7918 that is true

[@colin8449]

banger video mike!

[@terryjoslin1536]

I am an Arizona Desert Rat.. I love Arizona and yes in the summer it can get sweltering hot, There are many places that are beautiful around Arizona... Crown King, White Tanks, superstition Mountains, Sedona, mugion rim. Phoenix is nice during the winter but beware when ya go camping in the desert during the winter! Parts of the desert can get well below freezing and when you wake up you'll find frost on your tent and the water in your water jug will be frozen. Things have changed along in Arizona over the years.. As we expand our city and add more concrete and blacktop the tempeture gets warmer and warmer. Our so-called monsoon season that used to come like clockwork doesn't happen too often. Look up Arizonas monsoon back in the 90s. It started with a wall of Dust that was visibly tall and long and when it got to you it was windy and blinding that you could hardly see a few feet in front of you, airports was closed while the Dust cloud was there and resumed afterwards. During the Dust storm it sandblasted everything and ripped shingles off of homes and such. ThecRains came 2-3 days afterwards and would rain off and on at various degrees flooding areas of Phoenix and areas of our Riverwalk. This rain would last for a week many 2 before it would stop. That's when Arizona for the next 3-4 days would be Humid which can be compared to parts of the east coast. I hope you have injoyed my thoughts and love of this wonderful state. Forever will I be an Arizona Desert Rat

[@liamclover]

I've lived in phoenix my whole life (currently go to school in Florida) and I genuinely believe that within the next few decades the state is gonna become nocturnal bc it is just so inhumanely hot. I've alr noticed that grocery stores close way later and open way earlier in Arizona compared to fl cause people want to get their shopping done before or after the sun is up, and unlike everywhere else, the company Im getting a job with in AZ actually pays a dollar extra per hour if you work during the day instead of the night (its an airport hangar, so you work outside). I also think they're gonna have to put a limit on how much water each house can consume per year or the whole city is gonna be shit out of luck within the next decade I wouldn't mind the nocturnal thing I love the desert nights but I am very nervous to see the government act like the water situation isn't as serious as it very obviously is cause despite the heat AZ is so beautiful and Ill be so mad if I have to uproot my life over something that could've been avoided with proper planning

[@PopLightBrown]

The traffic is definitely manageable in Phoenix. I also recommend visiting during the winter months.

[@blairhoughton7918]

But in the winter all the snowbirds are here and the traffic gets significantly worse. Still way less stressful than traffic almost anywhere else, even when it's congested. ADOT is a few days from opening a major restructuring of the Broadway Curve, and then we'll see if it's still jammed up most of every day. No hope for the other rush-hour bottlenecks yet.

[@MultiRocknroll123]

Rush hour here unfortunately is very bad with traffic, especially going east bound out of the downtown

[@crashedmonkey2589]

Yeah , I was really kinda confused on "not that bad with no bottle necks"... ummm... Surprise to Phx metro is pure murder in the summer during either rush hour, mustve toured the 10 during the off hours or stuck to the east side

[@MultiRocknroll123]

@crashedmonkey2589 by far the worst one is the section of az 101 between the 202 and the 60. 4 way interchange getting pinched in like a 3 mile area

[@crashedmonkey2589]

@@MultiRocknroll123 Yup, Ive seen a few videos now looking at PHX freeways lately and they all say "its not that bad" but they are looking at everything from the tunnel east during off times :P Lord help them if they try to drive out to buckeye or further west on a friday afternoon

[@davidlandry3487]

I lived in Tucson for about 2 years for a job. Some of my observations: - As mentioned, the state is indeed beautiful. I especially enjoyed southern Arizona, which seemed like an entirely different world than the likes of Seattle and New England, where I spent the majority of my life. You can add Saguaro National Park (east and west), the Sonoran Desert Museum, Old Tucson, Mt. Lemmon (and the drive up to Mt. Lemmon), Bisbee, Tombstone, and the unassuming underrated Davidson Canyon to the list of cool and beautiful places to visit. - Arizona as a whole is a great place to road-trip. There are so many wonderful scenic drives both north and south. I especially love the drive to Nevada on "The Future I-11". That bridge blows me away! There is one exception to this though... - It's difficult to traverse east from Phoenix or Tucson. I think there are only 2 major routes- I-40 and I-10- that head east into New Mexico from the Phoenix/Tucson corridor. - Monsoon season is a shocking experience if you've never been to the Sonoran Desert before. It's a stark contrast to the ordinarily hot and dry summer days there.

[@davidgreenhow7811]

My first visit to Arizona was to Tucson. I loved Saguaro National Park and the San Xavier Mission, and Nogales, Mexico was only an hour away. Great place.

[@billlong8385]

Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff regions are all very different. Yes, we deal with heat but other parts of US deal with snow, tornadoes and hurricanes. And, yes there is lots of snow sking around Flagstaff and even a small ski area outside Tucson.

[@nothat0therguy992]

The heat and lack of greenery alone is enough for me to never want to live in Arizona, to hell with that "It's a dry heat" argument hot is hot lol

[@x-90]

Yes same. Phoenix is amazing but the heat is an automatic no for me. I need rain or something these hot hot days are a nope from me

[@kevinweber5129]

I would never live there. It’s like San Antonio but worse.

[@Jjjaaahhnn]

Who cares about greenery. That translates to more bugs. I hate bugs.

[@Alejandro0821]

Bruh, I've been here all my life deal with it

[@Jjjaaahhnn]

@@Alejandro0821 lol 😆 solid answer

[@dylanphillips4554]

such a great, informative video -- many thanks!

[@myofficegoes65]

I moved to the Phoenix area a few years ago and keep forgetting an important summer thing. When going through a drive-in window (I don't want to get out of the air-conditioned car) don't lean your arm on the door. That chrome trim on the window frame gets really hot!

[@caseymoore4759]

So glad we picked northern Arizona to move to. Weather is amazing in the mountains

[@persnikitty3570]

Lived in Yuma from 2000-2005, spitting distance from Mexico and a stone's throw from Cali: both were hobbies. Monsoon season was always beautiful, with bluebonnets out in display, and how I learned that moonflowers (variant of morning glories) are illegal in the state: their vines mess up AG machines. Only thing I didn't like about monsoon season was snowbirds, Canadians and other yankees mostly, who didn't know how to drive their massive vehicles, including 5th wheel mini-Macs with handicap plates and hangers of all things. Now, the heat part, which was late Winter into late Fall, was brutal, but dry: heat hot, not sauna hot like on the Gulf Coast. GF at the time had a Goth wannabe kid, who gave it up inside of a month due to hot clothes and melting mascara.

[@davidmathis-xd6nf]

I visited the place in the early spring with my kids. It is a beautiful state. The grand canyon was amazingly beautiful

[@jeffha4057]

I moved to Phoenix at the beginning of June for family reasons and I agree with everything you said. The major pro is the light traffic as I was expecting it to be much more dense given how big the population is. The major con is the heat as you can't really go outside. I'm a homebody, so I stay inside most of the time anyway, but it's hard on my dog. Also, even though I'm not a morning person at all, I find that I am also waking up before 6 AM everyday, and even sometimes before 4 AM. My alarm is set for 6:30 AM everyday, and it has yet to wake me up since I moved her. I also really dislike how much every home looks the same and there is very little character in comparison to the Midwest. I knew all this before I moved here though, and I'm really just here for family reasons, not because it's where I want to be.

[@YTEH38]

Midwest is trash

[@addanametocontinue]

Depends on what kind of water filtration you're using, I suppose. I installed a reverse osmosis filter for my home and the water tastes fine. Of course, an RO system is light years above your typical Brita, gravity-fed filter system. But yeah, the water here has a high PPM count.

[@cathrynm]

I'm in Las Vegas, and Reverse Osmosis is a requirement for living here.

[@elbolsillo]

Cool video! Maybe if you ever get back to AZ, you can check out the area around the mogollon rim. Lots of forest and mountains

[@grapplr975]

The Colorado River wouldn't be the dirty water issue since it supplies many other cities. Not sure what it is. Nestle??? I don't know, but another great video.

[@stogieguy7]

Great video! My only little quibble is that New Mexico (and far west Texas for that matter) are on Mountain Time, so you only go back 1 hour during the DST months driving into AZ, not two. Then again, it’s actually more confusing than you described because it’s the Navajo reservation that maintains daylight savings time but the others - like the adjacent Hopi reservation- does not. Pretty wild stuff actually. Great insight on the traffic flow. I never realized their freeway system worked that well.

[@kanealoha]

Another excellent video. Well done!!!

[@silvermineband2719]

I live in central AZ and I guarantee New Mexico is NOT two hours ahead of AZ. During DST, we are 1 hour behind. During Standard Time, we are the same.

[@silvermineband2719]

And thank you for your military service!

[@WakandaleezaRazz]

NO ITS MAAAAAAM 👰🏻‍♂️

[@blairhoughton7918]

Correct it's Texas that is 2 hours off after only a 3-hour drive.

[@ModernClassic]

I live in the valley and everything you say is true, including the good stuff like the relatively light traffic - I moved here from NYC so I'll take Phoenix traffic! I'll add that in the month you were here, it was a dry heat... but during the monsoon (late July-September), it very often gets humid even in Phoenix. Moisture comes up from south and that creates storms but it also creates just relatively wet air. We can have temps in the 110's with dew points in the 70's, which feels horrendous! Just non-stop sweat *and* a feeling of being broiled alive even sitting down. Most people just don't even go outside on days like that unless they have no choice. Anyway, great video about my current hometown.

[@harrisonbergeron9119]

Another excellent video!

[@sarysa]

That whole dry heat thing was a T-shirt slogan in the 90s when I visited with family, and probably still is. "Above body temperature" is still dang oppressive though. Not even a parasol will save you.

[@RDNCK0378]

Lived in the Valley since '82, grew up in Mesa/Tempe/Gilbert mostly, currently in North Phoenix, 40+ years living & working here. For the most part this is correct. However there is a slight error in 1 detail in this list. Traffic. Now it definitely isn't like CA/LA traffic, but we're catching up quick. If you don't have the 9am to 5pm work schedule, everyone knows to stay off any & all freeways. Our "Rush Hour" (M-F 4am to 9am & 3pm to 7pm) is close to giving our neighbor to the west a run for their money. I mean what would usually take maybe 20-30 minutes to get home after work....in rush hour, it would take close to 2 hours. Sure, traffic moves smoothly, most of the time, but it is a crawl at 5mph to maybe 25mph in some areas. Also you claimed no bottlenecks, there actually is 1. Located in the interchange of the I10/US 60 Highways near the Phoenix/Tempe borders. But is it currently under construction to be updated. So not a big deal...the only other thing people complain about is unfortunately Phoenicians (long time residents) are rude, & mean. And yes, there is a healthy mix of the more negative folks, I agree. But there is also a substantial number of good nature, kind hearted individuals here as well. I promise. Just like any large metropolitan area, there is going to be a mix of all types, the good & bad. I loved this video despite that silly little blip, it was refreshing to finally witness a positive review of AZ for once.... Definitely come back & visit again. 🤗😁🥰

[@richardcrossley5581]

It’s 30 years since I’ve been to AZ. I stayed in the Flagstaff area. I visited in early November and coming from the UK it felt hot even then.

[@ThePumpin1]

Your video was spot on. I used to live in Arizona and all the things you mentioned were accurate. I somewhat wish I never left the area even though it is so hot during the summer.

[@jricoc3475]

My college roommate joined me on my first vacation, which was to Phoenix, early May. We were there during Cinco de Mayo, which was fun for a couple of guys from NYC and Ohio. the daytime highs every day were around 105, but I have to say, it did not feel bad at all. It truly is a Dry Heat. We hydrated the hole time and never had issues. I vacation on the Carolina coast in late May and August/Sep every year, where highs are in the mid 90s, but the heat feel more oppressive due to the humidity, which seems to rise from the soil and grass! The crazy thing about those areas is that the locals are immune; you see people walking around in black tee shirts or sweats in the daytime! Why would you even OWN black clothing in places like that? Or they will put their convertible tops down during the day. It's insane ...

[@rickclark4714]

Always keep your hole hydrated

[@connorsanchez9585]

I’ve lived here my whole life so I’ve definitely heard complaints about the tap water, but for whatever reason it doesn’t bother me…. I drink a gallon straight from the tap every day 😨 Also, though the traffic is generally much better here than other big cities, it does get notably worse in the winter months when the snowbirds and tourists are in town. Summer traffic is great though.

[@brianroe88]

I like that you commented about the traffic here in the Phoenix metro. I've done a lot of traveling and while I don't commute here in AZ, I just about always find the traffic OK. It might slow down on the freeways some in the afternoon, but it rarely comes to a halt and the gridlock I've experienced in other major cities is very rare here. I live on a cul de sac in Mesa hahah. I understand the hate for sprawling single family homes... but the personal space and livability is very very nice. The light commercial spaces every mile help with the convenience factor. We have over 20 restaurants within a 10 minute walk.

[@im4udevco]

Thanks Mike. Az is on my bucket list and maybe we’ll visit sometime in December when it’s cooler weather.

[@MileageMike485]

Definitely!

[@speedfiend925]

I would like to hear you compare and contrast Phoenix to Tucson. 😁🌵🌵🌵🌵🌄

[@Intersteighty]

4:32 AZ State vs U of A!

[@daveed4475]

Totally different vibe, pace, driving experience (Tucson roads are worse, not as easy to get around town quickly). That said, I do love Tucson also.

[@gack1015]

@@daveed4475 I lived in Phoenix for 17 years and still do. Tucson has actual Southwestern culture; Phoenix is more of a melting pot.

[@RubyMonkey530]

As a resident for 9 years, I don't know he missed Interstate 10 at rush hour. It's a DISASTER! We very much have traffic in the Valley. It might be isolated to rush hour, but it's bad.

[@calmgirlify]

I used to live in Mesa and commute to ASU. Traffic was a disaster during rush hour and especially in the winter

[@bryanjohnbeck]

I was born and rased in Tempe AZ and my family move here in 1890. Currently live in northern Arizona. I love exploring the state. The traffic in Phoenix is nice in the summer because we are a Winter Haven. It gets bad in the winter but still not terrible. The flavor of the water in Phoenix area varies greatly depending on where you are in the valley. The downtown Phoenix area tends to cater to more business like night life. There's quite a few rooftop bars and pools in Phoenix. The younger crowd tends to go to Scottsdale. They have a whole District catered to clubs. Sedona is amazing if you can connect with a local that knows how to work around crowd. It gets very touristy there.

[@garypippenger202]

AZ heat: Yah, but . . . look up the humidity level when you look up the temp forecast. In the mornings, it is often 50% humidity or more in the house. The A/C has a steady stream of condensation dripping down to the ground, but the house does not seem to be de-humidified as you would expect.

[@YTEH38]

Your a/c is trash

[@sethdymondlee]

I was gonna mention the difference between ASU & U of A but you’ve probably heard enough by now 😂 glad you gave insight to us native locals here in AZ as this is just our normal to not drink tap and find a way to deal with the heat every summer

[@chrisbunka]

Planning to visit Tucson eventually, but I gotta take care of car issues in the land of the Detroit Lions and make sure I can drive safely on I-275.

[@screwthisin]

Fun fact: During Daylight Savings, for a three hours of actual driving, you can cross two timezones 7 times.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

It was 103 in Dallas today. But our horribly hot weather is limited to just July and August. I couldn’t take that heat almost all year.

[@YTEH38]

It isn't like that all year lol it's just 3 months and then the rest of the year is very nice.

[@connorsanchez9585]

The worst of Phoenix weather is June-August, the highs stay above 105 the whole time and it is still warm most nights too. Sometimes we get those temps in May or September but typically it isn’t too bad in those months. So really it’s just three really bad months with maybe a few extra weeks of heat at the beginning or end of summer. Then the weather between October and April is absolutely perfect.

[@bearchow1929]

Definitely not a location for a delicate person.

[@jdog22c34]

Interesting fact, while being called "spread out" by KZbinrs, the Valley is one of the most densely populated metro areas. Efficient planning with density that does not fall off to the edges.

[@johnd.2114]

The 'density' in question just means an endless sea of car-dependent beige grids with no real natural barriers. It's not that impressive.

[@jdog22c34]

@@johnd.2114 quite impressive. Far smaller cities deal with far worse traffic as a result. Denver, Seattle, St Louis all battle far worse traffic. I'll take the Phoenix area backyard over east coast vinyl siding, patchy crab grass and a ridiculous wood deck any day.

[@MileageMike485]

True that it is spread out but what makes it work as far as traffic is that they have built the infrastructure to support the style of development that's dominant in the area. One could say that Phoenix flies in the face of the claim that there can't be enough roadways to facilitate smooth traffic in a large metro area.

[@bobdurna3588]

It’s not always a dry heat…during the monsoon season which officially starts in mid June, the humidity rises substantially and can last until late September. I’ve lived in the Phoenix area almost 15 years and last two summers have been HOT. Last year 31 consecutive days over 110, this year we’re breaking records for the most days over 110 and over 115…love my AC😂

[@fun2916]

You can thank the founder of phoenix, Jack Swilling, for putting a major city in the middle of a valley desert. One of his original adobe houses still stands in Phoenix.

[@meed8738]

For someone who only stayed for 1 month your overall assessment was spot on. I’m from Phoenix born and raised. I might add to when you mentioned the downtown, Phoenix is hot and if buildings are built to close it’ll bring more heat. I think builders understand this so my guess is that’s why it’s not “built up” like other downtowns. I’d have to disagree with the tap water. Maybe it certain areas of the metro it’s like that but I live in North Phoenix and my family’s main source of water is the tap. It tastes amazing but growing up on the west side of Phoenix the water was nasty.

[@dannelson6980]

You visited during the cool spring month of May. I'm not sure where people are going downtown when they visit, and I don't want more people coming in from the suburbs. But is getting hard to get into places these days. I have 43 restaurants within 10 minute walk, 3 concert venues, a theater, a mixed use theater, bars everywhere and little further away, a stadium, arena, and a convention center.

[@West_Endian205]

Had a stop in Phoenix while traveling to California from Alabama via Greyhound Bus in April of 2023. It was like 2am and cold as hell outside 😂

[@Ben77788]

I lived in Phoenix for a while. The oddest thing I found was in the summer it looked like it was going to thunderstorm…but it wasn’t rain, it was dust. You couldn’t see anything! The heat there is another level. It’s hot during the day in the summer, but at night there’s no relief. It’s low 90’s! Best time to visit isn’t the winter imho, but late fall and early spring. Honestly, with the low humidity, the winter time there can be kind of cold. I’d much rather visit early November or late February. Only thing I regret was not buying a house there after the 2008 crisis. Nice, custom homes (3-4k square ft) were for under $200k. You could even get one in Fountain Hills for under $250k then. Now you’re looking at double that minimum.

[@sethwikle8927]

My drinking water in Tucson tastes like bleach. But i dont drink bottled, theres water stations all over the place and i fill up a gallon jug for 35-50 cents. ALSO, i would have never guessed phoenix traffic is considered 'lite'. But Tucsons entire county is like 1/5th the size, and its the biggest city ive lived in so far.

[@johnchedsey1306]

I'm also living in Tucson and although I've lived in bigger cities, I find it to be "just right" here. We got everything need, including a crazy amount of good restaurants, but we're not claustrophobic.

[@manofgoat]

Please use compression and eq and get your vocals louder it’s hard to hear you but great video brotha man

[@glennhenson6495]

As a 30+ year citizen of AZ I absolutely LOVE being on PT. However, everyone should know not changing clocks brings its own challenges.

[@rjmcallister1888]

Hot is hot. Here in Misery, the heat indices can rival those of the Southwest, but not for as many days of the year. In the winter, it gets real cold after dark. It's walkable, but the sprawl of the metro will drive New Urbanists nuts. They want you piled up in apartment buildings with whatever services you need right there. Hasn't worked that way since the 1950's. The views, as in much of the West, are spectacular, but sometimes hard to get to. It appears the new I-11 will intersect I-10 on the western edge of the current metro, and growth will slow if they can't fix the crummy-tasting water. Some studies show the Phoenix metro could lose a large amount of population in the next 20-30 years, and water (both taste and availability) is the primary reason. And Indiana rivals Arizona for screwy time changes, especially around Chicago.

[@MileageMike485]

Yeah that idea will never work on a large scale in the US. Too much cheap land and at the end of the day most people want their space (single-family homes). There's a reason why the places that you typically see it done are near college campuses where the population is young, single, childless, and broke.

[@TwistedRootsMelody]

One thing you didn't mention in point 2 about the water: water&ice stores. As a native Phoenician I was cultural shocked traveling to other states and not having water&ice stores. We don't buy those bottles at the grocery store, we get a Thriflys ice-cream and fill our 5 gallon jugs once a week at the water&ice. Great commentary ❤

[@davidschow6142]

He missed South eastern Arizona. We are typically 10 to 15 degrees cooler than Phoenix. July and August are great. We get Monsoons and every thing turns green and afternoons are relatively cool.

[@daviongilliam9124]

The traffic here in Phoenix can definitely be a parking lot at times. The traffic jams here reminds me of Atlanta.

[@pd4252]

We've lived in Arizona for more than 36 years. It's only hot when it's over 110 deg. F

[@SteveRinderer-te9dr]

I noticed that too. It's like graph paper!

[@leechjim8023]

You actually came in the summer!!? You're brave!!!😮

[@roadtrip2943]

South of tucson highland areas near sonoita, patagonia are forested 15 - 20 ° cooler than phoenix remote roads get wildlife sightings. 5 miles north of old town scottsdale city scape amenities areas of kierlands, Scottsdale quarter are being built out with other developments on the way

[@jasondeleon6609]

AZ resident since '08 perfect video about this awesome state, traffic is freeflowing especially on 202, but the drivers yeah not the smartest lol

[@SpidermanandJeny]

You should visit AZ in March and April. The weather is great. You can wear shorts or pants. The night time weather cools down to the 60's and highs are never all that high.

[@Lynn705Hal]

Ty, enjoy the video.

[@peggyannparkes1863]

So glad I live in the north east mountains of AZ. Our water is delicious. As a matter of fact -- I take jugs of our water with me when I visit other areas of the state and the country. I agree that the water in the valley tastes like "canal" water. But that is still better than the water in Anaheim CA. It's too bad you didn't have time to visit some of the less populated, rural areas of our state. I love living here and am glad I don't have to worry about earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters that plague the rest of our nation. It was a great place to raise a family and I love small town living. You are invited to come back again sometime and visit the rest of AZ. You'll have a whole different report. PS -- I grew up in the Phoenix area and moved here after I got married. So I am well acquainted with the problems of the valley.

[@screwthisin]

What many people who visit Phoenix is that Downtown is split. South of I-10 is the Financial area and North is the cultural area.

[@calmgirlify]

Cultural area? Ha!

[@russmitchellmovement]

@mileagemike -- what's the chance of seeing something about Flagstaff/Page etc? I know Phoenix pretty decently, hving gone there for business a number of times, but I know squat about the rest of the state...

[@carmine619]

0:54 I used to buy DieHard batteries but found that EverStart Platinum AGM double capacity batteries sold at Walmart are much better and last longer.

[@wedontneednostinkinhandles]

The state motto is 'come for vacation, leave on probation'

[@Quaza57]

Phoenix area has pretty good roads because most of them are fairly new like the 202 on the west side of the city, once you get outside of Phoenix especially heading to CA on the 10, just be ready for some road sinking in areas. and the U.S. 93 to Las Vegas and the 40 up there it can be pretty rough especially closer you get to the NV state line. but over all the state isn't a bad place to go, i drive through there time to time and you better have a good working AC because AZ will let you know if it needs to be worked on

[@R160A]

Foil, Arms and Hog FTW!

[@MirzaAhmed89]

Dooomdaaaah

[@joshrehkamp563]

Went to AZ in late September and left early October of 2014. I remember the temps being 98° and walking into a Chick-fil-A in Scottsdale with the misters on outside. Where I live in NC is hot and we have humidity but this is another level. Sedona is my favorite part about AZ. Check out Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock trails while you’re there. Also who can forget about the Grand Canyon? I remember thinking that the Canyon I was looking at was fake, like I was looking at a painting. Definitely will be going back to AZ in the future since I didn’t see Monument Valley, Horseshoe Canyon or Antelope Canyon yet, but won’t be visiting Phoenix

[@annettebyrd8259]

I'm going to Scottsdale some time within the next year. I just purchased one of the 4 day 3 night packages from Hilton grand vacations for $199. Of course I have to sit through a timeshare presentation 🙄 I have a year to use it so I'll probably go around this time next year to the AZ Jazz festival. What was the name of the rooftop bar you went to in Scottsdale?

[@KBJ910]

Phoenix and Raleigh as someone who lived in both. They are basically the same. Phoenix is just bigger and hotter and Raleigh has a better skyline but its suburbs are gaining more steam.

[@ky229]

I went to phoenix recently and the water didn't exactly strike me as delicious but it didn't seem terrible filtered

[@blairhoughton7918]

The usual trick is to add a lot of ice and a slice of lemon.

[@tyfrank3427]

Nice video. I would much rather have cold winters than hot summers. I think AZ is too hot for me...

[@-C.S.R]

I moved a little outside of Phoenix from Seattle because I couldn't afford it anymore. There's only five months out of the year that I enjoy this place and I really hope to get out of here soon! If I could afford a nice place in a different area it would be different but the places that are in my budget range are not in the greatest locations. Also I don't have a garage to pull my car in and in the summer that means pretty much death!