Mrs Table

Hi All,

I'm new on here. A bit about me: I'm married with 2 kids and currently live in central England. I've always dreamed about moving far away, I think it would be quite an adventure! Anyway, a job opportunity has cropped up and my husband has applied. I know this is very early days and he may not get the job but I'm enjoying the excitement of it all for the moment anyway.

The problem is, that at the back of my mind is a little niggle - the job is in Arizona and temperatures reach 115 degrees F. I've never been anywhere this hot and I'm wondering how bearable this heat is? Has anyone else on here moved to somewhere so hot that could relate their experience to me? I'm guessing that air conditioning makes a huge difference but I imagine that there are also occasions that are spent outside. Am I maybe making too big a deal about this?

Anyway, I know it's unlikely but I'm really enjoying the thought of the possibility so any knowledge would be welcomed.

Thank you in advance for reading.
Mrs Table

scot47

Everything changed when air-conditioning became common. Just make sure you have the money to pay the utility bills.

Mrs Table

Thank you Scot47.

Mrs Table

Just in case any one else replies - I will not be able to respond for most of the day as we are going to a wedding, but I will be very grateful for any replies and will read them as soon as I can.

Congratulations to anyone who has managed a big move and came out smiling.

mikelincs

Welcome to BE. Why not pop along to our USA forum, plenty of people on there who will be able to tell you more.

What visa is the company planning to get for your husband?
There is a big section there devoted to visas and what they will entitle you to do.

USA - British Expats

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

I've moved your thread to the US forums where the good folks there will help you.

This this an internal job your husband has applied for? What do he do?

Good luck with the move.

username.exe

I spent a significant amount of time in Phoenix AZ this year.
There are parts of AZ that are relatively mild (Flagstaff etc., you don't mention where in AZ the opportunity is).

I certainly underestimated the impact high desert heat would have on me (a Brit). My wife grew up in AZ/CA so it didn't really bother her.

Yes, AC makes a difference, but only for your indoors existence. If you want to go out anywhere you're might have to grab an oven glove and get used to sitting in a hotbox of a car whilst the car cools off. It's unlikely you'll want to be sitting outside enjoying a coffee in the morning from March to October. Getting to sleep at night the temps will still be low 30s, so you may want to run AC 24/7 which can be expensive.

AZ is a beautiful state, and much of the infrastructure in Phoenix is new and accommodating but as an outdoors person I found myself slowly turning in to a hermit... and consequently going a little mad!

Pulaski

If this is an internal position within the company he works for, assuming he is offered the position, there is a good chance his employer can get him a visa.

However if this is an external application then the odds are stacked against him getting a visa. Notable exceptions would be if he works in higher education (uncapped H-1B visa), or if both he and the employer are British (E-2 "treaty trader" visa).

Noorah101

I've lived in Arizona almost all my life... first Tucson, then the Phoenix metro area. Yes, it's hot in the summer, but as they say, it's a dry heat. AC is everywhere... house, car, work, stores, etc. Almost all apartment/condo complexes have a pool, as do many homes.

Yes, it's hot, but easy enough to cope with.

Rene

Pulaski

Possibly related?

Noorah101

Maybe. Just sharing my view.

Rene

kevntrace

We live in the East Bay part of the Bay Area in California. Its not uncommon for temperatures to reach 100 degrees F or higher here during the summer. The hottest I have known since living here was 113.

That is quite a different climate from the UK for sure, but you learn to adjust. Yes AC definitely helps. It also helps that we have low humidity here too. I think the same applies to AZ.

Best of luck.

kodokan

I lived in Phoenix for nearly 4 years; we've just moved to Ohio.

It's not so much the spike of temperatures it reaches, the 115 degrees or whatever. There's honestly very little difference living in 105 or 115 degrees, from a functional point of view.

It's more the duration - the relentlessness of it day after day after day. The brutal heat starts in mid-May, and goes on to mid-October. But then I imagine people in cold climates with long, harsh winters say the same, that a day of well below freezing is fine, it's having 100+ of them strung together unceasingly that gets wearing.

Still, even though I'm looking forward to 4 seasons, and having Christmas during the 'proper' temperature, it was tolerable in AZ. We moved due to a job situation, not because the climate wasn't livable.

A pool helps enormously, especially with kids who otherwise have their entire summer vacation during the 'stuck indoors' part of the year (top tip - pick a district with year-round schooling if you get the choice, which mirrors a UK calendar). We went camping in temps of over 100 degrees, and it was fine with (a) a trailer with AC, and (b) a pool at the campsite - we lived in swimwear, and dipped in every 1–2 hours then sat around in wet clothes. Latent evaporation meant we could sit outside constantly like that, in the shade.

Mrs Table

Thank you all for your replies. They are very helpful.

I have no idea how likely this is to happen, the job is for a University Position. I'm really enjoying thinking about the possibility of a move happening but it is all just a bit of a dream at the moment.

andrewlohnes

University position could be Phoenix or Tucson then. I move to Chandler in 6 weeks, just in time for the summer to be gone so I have a while to get used to it before the big temps hit again. Pool pool pool!