Tell me some more about Arizona?

My husband works for the government and I have a possibility of also getting a job with Homeland security, but only if we move to Arizona. We would have to live in a border town. Does anyone have any opinions about Arizona, what the lifestyle is like, weather, raisinng a family? Is it dangerous? Expensive? We are born and raised in Maine, and have lived on the border of Texas and Mexico for one year in 2009, so we are slightly out of our element. Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!Tell me some more about Arizona?
HOT!!!!!!!!
It's extremely hot. There is of course some danger, unfortunately the illegal immigration and drug issues cause a lot of violence in the border towns. I definitely wouldn't want to live there. As far as raising a family, I'd imagine it's just like any other area of the US. In AZ there is a large job shortage, the economy sucks, and the state is very underfunded. My husband and I are trying to get OUT.Tell me some more about Arizona?
My daughter moved from PA to Arizona and the first opportunity she gets she is leaving. She does not like the summers at all in Phoenix and it lasts longer than 3 months with morning, noon and night high temperatures. The winters are beautiful. I am the snowbird, so I leave in April when the temperatures start to climb. It would be good to know Spanish. It's like anywhere else, you have to be aware of where you are...some areas are dangerous everywhere. I found that back yards with walls are a bit confining. Children don't seem to play outside like they do in the northeast. I strongly suggest private education. Just keep in mind that these are just my opinions. Hope this helps and Good Luck!!!
Im also from NJ like one of the answers, been here for 7 years and love it.



Phoenix and Tucson are not boarder towns like some have written. Nogales and Douglas are.

The crime is very high down there and white people are generally not liked by the Mexicans that inhabit the areas.Tell me some more about Arizona?
Check out the climate of Arizona (i.e. temperature, rainfall, sunshine).



http://climatemaps.co.cc
The worst thing to me:the people. I originally come from the east coast (NJ) but I moved to Arizona. The way people are in Arizona is kind of weird. People out here in AZ almost never have a sense of humor (usually dry) and the usually never talk to you, and people just can't be trusted in AZ. (sorry if I am offending anyone, I am speaking in general.) I know it's not just me, because anybody that is originally from the east coast and they moved to AZ, they hate it, and mostly because if the people. The food in AZ is crappy, and its always hot, (it's the dry heat so it's not THAT bad) and the work here never pays enough. I hate the weather(mostly because I like the cold) but it's ALWAYS SUNNY!!! like, it's not even cloudy on some days, it's always sunny. Your lucky if it rains about once a year, cause that's about all your gunna get!! Plus there is only dirt. No grass, no trees (I don't consider the trees in AZ trees, more like tall bushes if you ask me) but only rocks, dirt, and more rocks. Plus, there is never any rain to wash the dirt out of the air;I think it's disgusting. I live near the Phoenix area, but do visit the north up in Flagstaff, and it's a little nicer, but I am speaking in general terms. Oh, and plus it gets so hot in the summer, there are cases on the news in which people are in the hospital because they go outside with no shoes on and get burns on their feet. Ridiculous. But, I don't want to get any more negative(if that is possible) and I'll just say, it is a very clean place, and there usually isn't anything bad like robberies or anything, but that's about all I can think of that is good. Hope this can give you an idea,...
If you move to a border town near Tucson, the temps are a bit cooler, but if you head over to say Yuma, then you're at a way lower elevation, so it's hotter and dryer there. The plus about Yuma is that you're only 2.5/hrs from San Diego, CA. You're moving to border towns, so don't expect much when it comes to entertainment.

I like Yuma because it still kinda has a farm town, slow paced feel with a bit of the California touch. There's Martinez Lake near by, a couple of Casinos, a new mall/theater, and the Sand Dunes.

What ever you do! don't believe all that hype about illegal immigrants so-called running rampant on the streets of Arizona. That's all fearmongering BS! I love driving over to Algodones, MX which is a few minutes from downtown Yuma. They have great food, great shopping, and everybody there speaks English. The people that say illegal immigration has brought down Phoenix don't even live there.