Arizona?
Jan 14th 2006, 9:43 pm
#16
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Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Melbourne, Oz to Banbury, England to El Mirage, AZ & now back to England!
Posts: 5,989
Re: Arizona?
Originally Posted by Pimpbot
P.S. Sherrif Joe is the biggest tax paying waste of space publicity hound in American law inforcement. If it wasn't for the retirerees out in Sun City, he'd have been voted out a long time ago.
P.P.S. We have two Brit pubs and a Brit store
P.P.S. We have two Brit pubs and a Brit store
Jan 14th 2006, 9:47 pm
#17
Back where I belong!
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Melbourne, Oz to Banbury, England to El Mirage, AZ & now back to England!
Posts: 5,989
Re: Arizona?
Originally Posted by Sophia_S
Ok guys,thank you all for the info I'll get my husband to read it all....but for me the Brit pubs would be the best!lol
We've seen the Sherrif on tv several times but I don't think that is the whole reason my husband has been thinking about retiring to AZ...the weather sounds SO nice,not the deep summer,but we could certainly live with the milder winters!,and I assume it's a 'dry heat' in the summer as well?!,we both really hate the humidity here in the summer...thats why we're second guessing a move to Florida,course the huricanes don't really have a big appeal either!,when we lived in northern CA the temps sometimes got up to the 100F mark,but it wasn't humid and it really didn't feel as bad....Well thanks again guys.....Sophia
We've seen the Sherrif on tv several times but I don't think that is the whole reason my husband has been thinking about retiring to AZ...the weather sounds SO nice,not the deep summer,but we could certainly live with the milder winters!,and I assume it's a 'dry heat' in the summer as well?!,we both really hate the humidity here in the summer...thats why we're second guessing a move to Florida,course the huricanes don't really have a big appeal either!,when we lived in northern CA the temps sometimes got up to the 100F mark,but it wasn't humid and it really didn't feel as bad....Well thanks again guys.....Sophia
Jan 15th 2006, 10:52 pm
#18
Blondie22
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,738
Re: Arizona?
Originally Posted by Sophia_S
Question for expats in Arizona...especially Maricopa County...my husband works in a max. security prison here in Illinois but he's been seeing ads at work for jobs working for the Sheriffs dept. in Maricopa County,and he's kind of interested as he will be able to retire from the prison in just a few years,he's wondering what the place is like,the cost of living,crime rate etc,and the weather,of coyrse!,he's been looking at it on the internet but obviously the only way to get an idea of what it would be like to live there is to ask someone who already lives in the area....I'm pretty sure one or two of you guys live in the general area...don't you?.....Thank you in advance...Sophia
I am an ex-pat who lived in Maricopa county, Az for 11 years. My husband is american and we were stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale a large town on the west side of the city. I can honestly tell you that they were some of the happiest years that I've spent in my life (although I will always be home sick for the UK). It is a beautiful area and has tons and tons of things to do all year round. Yes, the weather gets very hot, anywhere up to 121 degrees in the summer and yes it takes a bit of getting used to. If it gets a bit much for you then you head up north for about 2 hours and you will find relief in the pretty areas of Sedona or Flagstaff (everyone should get to experience Sedona in their lifetime, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth).
The temperatures sound unbearable but it is a very dry heat which makes it much more bearable than places like Florida and you will find your own ways of adjusting to it. Waking up every morning and knowing that you are going to see sunshine can be very exhilerating! You will learn that you have to drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated and learn to use air-conditioning at all times.
The crime rate is about average for a large city. It is worse on the south side but every city has an area that is higher in crime than others. I always felt pretty safe the majority of the time.
The only thing that I would say that might be a negative is that your husband would be working for Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the toughest Sheriff in the USA. He shows extremely tough love to his inmates, I don't know if this trickles down to his employees or not. That would be something that your husband would have to look into.
Hope this has been of help to you. Let me know if I can help you with any other questions.
Kirsten.
Jan 16th 2006, 3:26 am
#19
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Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Vegas Baby!
Posts: 360
Re: Arizona?
Originally Posted by blaze
Hi Sophia,
I am an ex-pat who lived in Maricopa county, Az for 11 years. My husband is american and we were stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale a large town on the west side of the city. I can honestly tell you that they were some of the happiest years that I've spent in my life (although I will always be home sick for the UK). It is a beautiful area and has tons and tons of things to do all year round. Yes, the weather gets very hot, anywhere up to 121 degrees in the summer and yes it takes a bit of getting used to. If it gets a bit much for you then you head up north for about 2 hours and you will find relief in the pretty areas of Sedona or Flagstaff (everyone should get to experience Sedona in their lifetime, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth).
The temperatures sound unbearable but it is a very dry heat which makes it much more bearable than places like Florida and you will find your own ways of adjusting to it. Waking up every morning and knowing that you are going to see sunshine can be very exhilerating! You will learn that you have to drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated and learn to use air-conditioning at all times.
The crime rate is about average for a large city. It is worse on the south side but every city has an area that is higher in crime than others. I always felt pretty safe the majority of the time.
The only thing that I would say that might be a negative is that your husband would be working for Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the toughest Sheriff in the USA. He shows extremely tough love to his inmates, I don't know if this trickles down to his employees or not. That would be something that your husband would have to look into.
Hope this has been of help to you. Let me know if I can help you with any other questions.
Kirsten.
I am an ex-pat who lived in Maricopa county, Az for 11 years. My husband is american and we were stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale a large town on the west side of the city. I can honestly tell you that they were some of the happiest years that I've spent in my life (although I will always be home sick for the UK). It is a beautiful area and has tons and tons of things to do all year round. Yes, the weather gets very hot, anywhere up to 121 degrees in the summer and yes it takes a bit of getting used to. If it gets a bit much for you then you head up north for about 2 hours and you will find relief in the pretty areas of Sedona or Flagstaff (everyone should get to experience Sedona in their lifetime, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth).
The temperatures sound unbearable but it is a very dry heat which makes it much more bearable than places like Florida and you will find your own ways of adjusting to it. Waking up every morning and knowing that you are going to see sunshine can be very exhilerating! You will learn that you have to drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated and learn to use air-conditioning at all times.
The crime rate is about average for a large city. It is worse on the south side but every city has an area that is higher in crime than others. I always felt pretty safe the majority of the time.
The only thing that I would say that might be a negative is that your husband would be working for Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the toughest Sheriff in the USA. He shows extremely tough love to his inmates, I don't know if this trickles down to his employees or not. That would be something that your husband would have to look into.
Hope this has been of help to you. Let me know if I can help you with any other questions.
Kirsten.
Jan 16th 2006, 3:38 am
#20
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Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Vegas Baby!
Posts: 360
Re: Arizona?
I too live in maricopa county, hated the first two years here, thought I'd die from heat stroke.
Absolutely love being here now, it's a great place to live, I have some friends who have Sherriff Joe as their boss, they make good money...and don't seem to have many complaints about their day to day lives and work in general.
There's also quite a lot of Brits out here, very personable people, who have a laugh together, miss Great Britian at times, but seem to love their lives out here as well.
I'm in a place called Surprise, in the west valley, there used to be nothing out here, but in the last five years the population has exploded, we have shops and everything now, when I first moved out here, our nearest supermarket was nearly five miles away, we were surrounded by orange groves and didn't have a gas station. Now there's three supermarkets within a mile each direction and a gas station on nearly every corner...life is good.
Absolutely love being here now, it's a great place to live, I have some friends who have Sherriff Joe as their boss, they make good money...and don't seem to have many complaints about their day to day lives and work in general.
There's also quite a lot of Brits out here, very personable people, who have a laugh together, miss Great Britian at times, but seem to love their lives out here as well.
I'm in a place called Surprise, in the west valley, there used to be nothing out here, but in the last five years the population has exploded, we have shops and everything now,
when I first moved out here, our nearest supermarket was nearly five miles away, we were surrounded by orange groves and didn't have a gas station. Now there's three supermarkets within a mile each direction and a gas station on nearly every corner...life is good.
Jan 16th 2006, 6:30 pm
#21
Blondie22
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,738
Re: Arizona?
Originally Posted by BrandonBrit
I too live in maricopa county, hated the first two years here, thought I'd die from heat stroke.
Absolutely love being here now, it's a great place to live, I have some friends who have Sherriff Joe as their boss, they make good money...and don't seem to have many complaints about their day to day lives and work in general.
There's also quite a lot of Brits out here, very personable people, who have a laugh together, miss Great Britian at times, but seem to love their lives out here as well.
I'm in a place called Surprise, in the west valley, there used to be nothing out here, but in the last five years the population has exploded, we have shops and everything now, when I first moved out here, our nearest supermarket was nearly five miles away, we were surrounded by orange groves and didn't have a gas station. Now there's three supermarkets within a mile each direction and a gas station on nearly every corner...life is good.
Absolutely love being here now, it's a great place to live, I have some friends who have Sherriff Joe as their boss, they make good money...and don't seem to have many complaints about their day to day lives and work in general.
There's also quite a lot of Brits out here, very personable people, who have a laugh together, miss Great Britian at times, but seem to love their lives out here as well.
I'm in a place called Surprise, in the west valley, there used to be nothing out here, but in the last five years the population has exploded, we have shops and everything now,
when I first moved out here, our nearest supermarket was nearly five miles away, we were surrounded by orange groves and didn't have a gas station. Now there's three supermarkets within a mile each direction and a gas station on nearly every corner...life is good.
Jan 16th 2006, 6:57 pm
#22
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Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,113
Re: Arizona?
I forgot to add Cave Creek and Carefree into the expensive places to live. I would doubt if you could get anything under a million in those areas.
Jan 16th 2006, 9:34 pm
#23
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Re: Arizona?
Originally Posted by blaze
Brandon Brit, do I know you by any chance? The reason I ask is because I have a friend from Brandon who lives in surprise
That would be me....the one and only
Jan 17th 2006, 12:40 am
#24
Blondie22
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,738
Re: Arizona?
Originally Posted by BrandonBrit
That would be me....the one and only
Jan 17th 2006, 2:24 am
#25
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Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,113
Re: Arizona?
Get a room. 
Jan 17th 2006, 3:03 am
#26
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Re: Arizona?
Originally Posted by Pimpbot
Get a room.
