Arizona

First let me say, Happy 100th Birthday Arizona! That being said, I was born and raised here in Arizona and I love this state. Sure it gets hot as hell in the summer but we make up for it the other 8 months of the year. This state has some gorgeous places to visit. Havasupai Falls... Grand Canyon Montezuma's Castle Canyon de Chelly Painted Desert Of course Phoenix Just to name a few places...... I love this state and missed it terribly when I moved to Iowa for several years.

After seeing this Arizona Tourism video, my rating is probably going to go down. This is fucking hilarious if you enjoyed 'In Living Color.' Jim Carrey (when he was funny) is show in the opening few seconds asking about the Super Bowl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DI2QyUwxfY

Proud resident of Arizona, best state in the Union.

Two sides of Arizona with a lot of difference. But then this things happen in all the countries all over the world. We have to live with it

On one hand, it has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. On the other hand, it is full of people like this: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/happy-drunk-mug-shot-654891

Geographically, it's a great state. I love the southwest, especially it's history. A few years ago I was coming back from Arizona and I was nearing the California border and was stopped by a police officer and given a ticket for speeding. It was probably the California plates because I wasn't speeding. Nothing unusual about that I'm just irked because I had to pay. In 1996, passing through Arizona, on the way to New Mexico for a vacation with my wife and kids we stopped at a small country store. There were several guys on the porch and they looked Redneck to the core all that was missing was a mongoloid playing a banjo. They all stood up as we walked toward the store. My wife got nervous and said "Randy, let's get out of here and go somewhere else". I said out loud "F*ck'em, we're going inside". You could have heard a pin drop. We were being watched like hawks. When we were finished shopping the lady at the register made it clear by her body language that she did not want to serve me... Read more

********Updated 04/28/2010******* Now I'm in no way backing down on illegal immigrants, But I will concede to the police being the wrong department who check papers/cards. (But that is mainly because they are overworked enough as it is, amongst other things........... ) BUT I do agree with the New Arizona law, on the principle that Arizona obviously see’s a problem in their sate and want's someone to do something!!! Maybe they should boost their local immigration budget to better police the illegal immigrants!!!!! ********Update 04/27/2010******** If we are pointing to the racial point, I don't care if you are African, Mexican, English, French, Polish ECT. If you don't obey the rules of this country when you enter, then you have no rights in staying here! (Respect the country by following the rules of this land!) If you seek asylum seek it, don't illegally stay and then complain when caught……… What is bad about that! I have only ever heard that Arizona is a nice place, but a hot plac... Read more

I lived in Tucson during '86-87. Attended the University of Arizona's Race Track Managment Program for a year. I enjoyed the courses very much. Loved the times before population overwhelmed the foothills. I drove a big ford van back and forth from Tucson to Nogales to attend the earliest of OTB sites in the Mexi border town. I met border patrol troopers every time I headed back to Tucson. "Profiling" amounted to pulling over vans capable of stacking 20 illegals in the back. The state's maturation has taken its beauty down a bit. The canyon and cactus remain while the people scurry about for a piece of the climate. Didn't the Mayan Empire destroy itself by harvesting its environment? He who forgets history is doomed to repeat it.

Really. . . Can any state with the Grand Canyon merit below a three on anyone's scale? Buddhist monks rate Az. a three. . .

Most of the pc crowd don't live anywhere near a Mexico U.S boarder, how convenient. States have a constitutional duty to protect their sovereign boarders, especially since the federal government refuses to get serious on the issue of illegal immigration.

Up date: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_re_us/us_ immigration_day_labor_3 I know AZ is a hot topic right now, but due to the increased level of illegal immigration around that states border the new law shouldn't even be a debate! Since this state touches Mexico, even Mexican Americans should not have a problem with it and understand. The majority of Americans realize that this is a U.S. security matter and should appreciate the fact that state law enforcment is taking action to crack down on illegal immigration since NO politician from either party will. If ANY immigrant is here LEGALLY their should not be a problem anyway. How is this a big deal? Just sign the damn papers and be here LEGALLY. I don't get it. When an American wants to enter Mexico it is not as easy. Whats so wrong with trying to protect our borders? The key word is "illegal" immigration. I just dont understand the big deal.

This state would be dramatically improved if they got rid of all those cranky old snow-birding Canadians who clog up their highways and trailer parks. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the place except for my periodic trips down to see some Cactus League games. And as to some of the comments on other reviews about being pulled over by police for no reason, its happened to me there twice (as opposed to about three times total in the rest of my life.) Once because the cop decided to check my "residency status" after pulling out of a gated community with British Columbia tags, and once for no apparent reason, but again I suspect Canadian tags in the state out of season.

Arizona is a beautiful state. I rode through it a couple of times on my old Suzuki GS a number of Years ago. If you are lucky enough to see it at Sunset, you will never believe it. The Grand Canyon's a big Hole in the ground, but it's a very Breathtaking hole in the ground. I don't know if I could ever live there, but it's a great place to visit. As for the recent controversy: http://blogs.ajc.com/mike-luckovich/2010/04/28/mike-luckovich-april-29-cartoon/

Scottsdale and the surrounding area is a nice place to visit in some respects ( resorts ) but I have never seen so many yuppies and wannabes in my life, and yet there are areas with a lot of older people as well which is fine but I'm not old yet. You'd think prostitution was legal in Scottsdale if you didn't know any better, and its a place with phonies. The landscape is repetitive and boring. If your a golfer, its a great place. Food wise, its below average i'd say.

hoootttt and redd haha. the desert is a cool place to reflect though

A very diverse state. Cost of living seems not too cumbersome. I love the mountains, the spanish style terracotta arciture, and the deserts. However I don't like the heat. Nor the stupid people who were born and raised their. Many of the people who live their are transplants from other regions of the U.S.. They are probably who are keeping the state from going under. From the white trash raised their. Rednecks, stupid blondes and crystal meth users. Other than those morons and the brutal heat I love the place.

Visit... do not move here. You will cry. Too hot most of the year, huge bugs and snakes even in the nicest parts, lots of red necks, too much desert, no place to swim outdoors, school system rated #49 in the country, fake people and fake boobs is all you see in Scottsdale....

100 degrees year-round

Lived here for a little over a year. Some places are gorgeous, but expensive (like Sedona and Havasu). I lived in Glendale and it SUUUUUUUUCKED! I remember my first day there I couldnt' find my own house since its all track housing and they're so unoriginal even the streets share names. The entire Phoenix area is meth addled, we had stuff stolen out of our garage all the time, even if it was only open for two minutes (not exaggerating). Illegals everywhere. Pluses: hot, easy women. School is hella easy (no homework, even in high school). Good public transportation and the people are friendly enough. The bad: gangs, the meth problem, no jobs (why we left), and the drivers are crazy. The weather is decent, yeah, but 115 is hot anyway you look at it. Stay inside/in the pool during the daytime in summer.

One word... FUN!

My Dad's sister and her two children have lived in Phoenix for over several years, and my Dad's other sister and her husband moved here more recently, making it a second home for my Grandmother who spends a couple months here each year. I have been to Arizona 4 times and was in Phonenix in all my visits for much of the time, three times in the Winter, and once over labor day weekend. It was quite hot over labor day weekend, but it felt better than the hot humid summers of St. Louis. Its pretty much like being in a dry heat room, or in an oven turned up to 100-130 degrees. Be sure you wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water, and it may not be as bad as you think. Phoenix sits in a nice climate but there isnt a whole lot to do for a city this size, but there is still stuff to do. Rawhide is a nice western style theme park open during the Christmas/holiday season with plenty of fun things to do for a day. Arizona Mills in Tempe is a good place to spend the day as well, beautiful mal... Read more

haha I'm moving from this place in 16 days. Arizona is hell. Well at least Mesa(where i live) and the rest of maricopa, la paz, yuma, and pinal counties

Really unfair to judge Arizona based on Phoenix and Tucson or the desert part of the state.  Northern Arizona i.e. Sedona north do have some natural beauty and rivers with water.

If I could live anywhere I wanted, I would choose to spend the summer half of the year in Burlington, VT and the winter half of the year in Tucson.  Tucson is not a great city, but the region around Tucson is a wonderful combination of deserts and mountains.  Too hot in summer.

Wonderful Air Quality, beautiful views & palm trees... but too many dangerous areas with foreigners who don't even speak English & yell filthy crap at you.

Arizona is one of my favorite states due to friendly people and outstanding scenery.

I've been to AZ a couple of times and always dream about going back in March or so when the weather sucks.  I love the panorama of the red rocks in Sedona the best and then I love Flagstaff and the gorgeous pine trees, and Scotts dale and Phoenix are fun to shop at; Old Town in Scottsdale has some great art galleries and I love the tour of Taliesen West, the Frank Lloyd Wright house.  I almost forgot Jerome, the ghost town, that  is filled with history and plenty of reasonable priced craft shops.

One of my favorite states in the US. Beautiful scenery from mountains to cactuses to sand dunes. Phoenix is attractive.

The problem with AZ is that most of the population resides in Phoenix or Tucson. Those areas are overcrowded and outside of them, most of the state is undeveloped. AZ can get really boring, especially in the summer. The people migrating here is making this a less pleasurable place to be as the snowbirds are making this the new place for old people to retire along with Nevada. The crime, like any warm climate state, is horrible. Phoenix has no culture, a horrible downtown, and nothing to do. Mesa is an okay city with bars and a younger crowd. The water problem is getting out of hand, pretty soon it's going to be $6 for a bottle of water here if the media doesnt be quiet. It's also getting way to expensive here and the jobs aren't that great. Traffic is getting worse. The state made it's big run because of the housing boom and now that it looks like it's over the state is headed for some tough days ahead. The thing I don't like is when you drive from one city to another, you go th... Read more

Arizona is awesome! Nice warm winters, nice hot summers. No freezing cold or suffocating humidity. After living in NY for a few years, I fully appreciate how great arizona is and am glad to be back.

I can't write about the northern part since I didn't live in or ever travel to that area of Arizona but Flagstaff and the surrounding mountains seem an ideal place to visit, especially in the summer. Phoenix is an artificial city, add water to sand and try to recreate southern California. There are a lot of midwestern hayseed transplants (I swear every other car had a Nebraska Cornhuskers sticker on it) and they aren't very sophisticated or cultured. The "but it's a dry heat" is the biggest load of bull you've ever heard, it gets hot as hell and you feel as if you're being roasted alive. Why do you think all the cars have tinted windows ? The saguaro cacti are interesting-for a day or two, or maybe three-yet they were regarded with such reverence I expected to see people stopping along the roadside to go have sex with them. No rust belt city has anything on Tucson when it comes to sheer ugliness, yet it seemed to consider itself some kind of hip, happening, leading edge/cutting e... Read more

If Arizona keeps doing what its doing...you will have Los Angeles and all of its fine variables (sarcasm) upon you. Phoenix is a manmade disaster. Tucson used to be cool back in the 1970's, but the hippies saw the writing on the wall...and now the city is filled with Iowa, Chicago, and Minneapolis retirees...as well as a good chunk of the NY set who see this as an alternative to South Florida. Strip malls are now the norm in Tucson...along with a sprawl that is now about 900,000. Weather alone is not the reason to rate a state highly. You wont like the weather with a spiraling economy based on real estate and no water. Keep it up Arizona...your like a freight train headed for a big cement wall. I always thought Connecticut had problems....but this place is paradise compared to Arizona.

Hot,Hot,Hot Phoenix is very dull and the roads are sprawled out and very disorganized. The Grand Canyon North Rim is nice. Tucson is very dull too and is mostly a haven for retirees. Saguaro National Park was rather dull and there were hardly any diverse cactis to look at. Please stay awary from Casa Grande, that place is haunted with ancient tribal burial grounds. Otherwise, this state is rather dull, dead, and makes you want to speed on through.

Hot and will get much hotter in the near coming years- dry? Yes- water supply issues? Yes. Phoenix is as smoggy as L.A now, with out the ocean and moderate weather. Tucson is overpriced and almost as hot.

Once a nice state 20-30 years ago that has been ruined by yuppie a@@holes from Calif moving in. Phoenix is a cesspool full of jerks and phonies and rude people overall. Some parts of northern AZ are ok but a crappy state overall.

I have lived in AZ for 28 years and I love it.Phoenix is a craphole, but there are other beautiful places to live like Cave Creek . The Sonoran Desert has a unique and much to be appreciated landscape. It is hot, but we dont have hurricanes or earthquakes. The heat only lasts for about 5 to 6 months and the rest of the time it is perfect. I worked outside for 7 years and one summer pregnant, so quit complaining.

Been to Sierra Vista in March 2003 and Phoenix/Scottsdale in July of this year. I drove through Sierra Vista looking for something fun to do and drove plum out of town into the desert without finding anything fun to do. I did find a real good steakhouse called Daisy Mae's. Scottsdale was 110F every day. Anyone who tells you that crapola about It's dry heat and ain't that bad, is on crack. I'm in decent shape but felt like I was running an 800 just walking in the afternoon sun. Fortunately, the casino I visited each day had the AC cranked high. Nights and early mornings are rather pleasant, however. I found the people to be very friendly. One old guy at my hold 'em table told me he has lived here for 43+ years and still can't tolerate the heat. AZ definitely falls into the category of nice place to visit, but I don't want to live there.

AZ has some nice areas- Prescott and Sedona- and the Grand Canyon is nice when the smog and haze to not block the views. Phoenix is a hot- and growing hotter mess. With smog that would make a former Los Angeleno like myself be proud. Crime is bad as well. And as many phonies (if not more) then in CA.

This state predicates most of its economy on in migration- meaning real estate and all its related economic engines have helped the state boom- when the AZ housing bubble crashes- I would not want to be the one of many holding the stick. Yes Phoenix is way too hot, crowded, expensive, polluted and crime infested- I enjoyed Tucson far better- and loved Sedona. However the state is headed for an economic disaster in the next few years- along with the water problem- its not so great a place to be down and out in.

I love Arizona and visit at least a few times a year. Unfortunately I never have had the balls to move permanently despite many close calls. I usually regret those decisons on January 8th when it's 20 degrees if not lower in PA. Thats when I buy the plane ticket and tell work I wont be around for a week or 2. One of these days I really wont come back. Tucson is indeed culturally more hipper than Phoenix but I also have some weird fascination with the redneck metropolis. I tend to hang out in biker bars on Thomas Rd or Van Buren.

Watch out! Californication setting in!

Too hot in the most heavily populated areas of AZ-with too much traffic,pollution crime and mindless people in Phoenix. Tucson scores higher. The state is rapidly growing in population-most from California and now even from Nevada for cheaper housing costs- yet the infrastructure is currently weak and cannot support the influx of people-and there will simply not be enough water in the future. Another writer here said the entire economy is based on real estate-try 50%- when real estate slows, look out.

Beautiful state and my home for the past few years. Comments about the crime rate and heat are justified in the Phoenix area. Phoenix city is one of the least attractive parts of the state. It is also one of the hotter parts, but it does have lots of great hiking and the largest municipal park in the world (South Mountain). The cities in the valley of the sun are growing at a rapid rate and the water consumption for crap like the umpteen golf courses reminds me of Rome before the fall. If you go, there are other places like Jerome and Bisbee, the Hualapai and Havasupai reservations, the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert areas which are well worth a visit. Sedona - well it is stunning scenery, but don't expect much from the actual town. The only place in the town to walk around in is a cheesy faux-Mexican village. Otherwise, you are crossing back and forth across very busy roads. If you go there, better to camp up by Oak Creek Canyon. Grand Canyon - well that is a whole theme in itsel... Read more

One of the most intriguing states in the country, from the deserts surrounding Phoenix, to the high mountains of Flagstaff, to the gorgeous red rocks of Sedona, to the depths of the Grand Canyon. Definitely worth visiting, and Phoenix's conveniently central location and excellent airport makes for a great jumping-off point for visitors.