More than 2 million people have been living in Arizona since 2010,  making it the nation’s 3rd top destination state, with a population of over 7,278,000. 

The lifestyle is laid back. Costs are low, and the state has an ever-expanding list of job opportunities.

If you love the heat, there are more than 300 sunny days a year, stunning desert scenery, and a million different things to do in the amazing geography.

Arizona Is An Outdoor State

Located in the southwest, Arizona is bordered by California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Mexico. Shifts in the Earth’s crust and rivers, especially the Colorado, have done the most to create the state’s spectacular and diverse landscape. This is where you’ll find the largest stand of evergreen ponderosa pine trees in the world.

You’ll also find the famous Red Rocks of Sedona, and the Grand Canyon, widely considered one of the seven wonders of the world.

Or how about Antelope Canyon? Named for the pronghorn antelope that use to live in the canyon, the red-colored swirling sandstone walls are any photographer’s dream.

The Painted Desert is an absolute must-see for anyone visiting or residing in the Copper State. This rocky badlands landscape was created by millions of years of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, wind erosion, and floods. More than 93,000 acres, you’ll find nature’s canvas of pastel colored rock formations.

Next door to the Painted Desert you’ll find The Petrified Forest. This is the remains of a once lush forest destroyed by lava more than 200 million years ago. Thanks to millions of years of wind erosion, the tree logs, made mostly of quartz, can now be seen.  

While hiking, backpacking or horse-back riding through the park, you can explore Puerco Pueblo—an 800-year old, 100-room dwelling, and the source of an extensive collection of prehistoric pottery.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument is one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes in North America. A Navajo community still live on the canyon floor, where they herd sheep during the summer months. Besides its beauty, the canyon is known for it’s steep walls that cradle hundreds of ancient pueblo ruins built between 350-1300 A.D. 

Meteor Crater, just outside of Winslow, Arizona, is the best-preserved meteorite impact site on the Planet. Measuring 570 feet deep and 4,100 feet across, it’s estimated that the 130 feet wide and 300,000-ton asteroid hit the Earth with the force of 20 million tons of TNT.

There are literally TONS of sightseeing opportunities in Arizona!

Visit Saguaro National Park, home of 200 year old cactuses growing as high as 50 feet.

The Chiricahua National Monument is filled with towering volcanic rock spires, caves, and old lava flows. 

Go Stargazing at Arizona Sky Village, a town built specifically to enjoy the night sky.

Watch the sun rise or set over the Sonoran Desert from a hot air balloon.

Visit Organ Pipes Cactus National Monument, the only place in the world with these 150 year old cacti that flower only at night!

In Quinlan Mountains, you’ll find the Kitt Peak National Observatory on Kitt Peak.

Biosphere 2 is the largest closed ecological system ever created. I’ve been there — it’s  simply astounding!

Last but not least, mosey on down to Tombstone! Famous for the showdown at the OK Coral!

Things To Do In Arizona

Beyond sightseeing, there are plenty of activities available in Arizona. And no, I’m not just talking about golfing, hiking, biking, and camping. Though you can definitely do all that in Arizona. 

At Lynx Lake, near Prescott, you can rent kayaks for the day. 

In Sedona, you can go off-roading.

Or why not go on a helicopter tour?

Or jump out of a perfectly good airplane over the Grand Canyon?

The sky is LITERALLY the limit!

Arizona Weather Can Be Brutal

In addition to the amazing geography, Arizona is home to some pretty incredible weather…

Due to the huge range of elevation, the climate here ranges from tolerable … to hot … to really hot … to Are You Kidding Me?

From a low of 70 feet above sea level, to Humphrey’s Peak at 12,633 feet, the state is a mix of arid and semi-arid subtropical climates that receive very little precipitation during the year. 

Despite all this, you might be surprised to find Arizona does get snow. In fact, it can and has snowed in every part of the state at one time or another. It just comes down in varying amounts.

Flagstaff, the largest city in Northern Arizona, can easily get up to 10 feet of snow.

And the park service regularly shuts down portions of the Grand Canyon because of too much snow.

Prescott, located just 55 miles west-northwest of the geographic center of Arizona, can get 12-24 inches. 

Then there’s Tucson, seventy miles from the Mexican border. The city’s last snowfall was 2 inches in 2013.

As for Phoenix, the “Valley of the Sun,” you can expect the occasional light dusting. That said, don’t get your hopes up. The National Weather Service only records 7 times where the snow was measurable — the highest of which being half an inch in 1939.

But What About The Heat?

Though Flagstaff ‘s summer temperatures reach a high of 81 degrees and lows in the 55s, it’s a much different story for the most of the state. 

Come late spring, the daytime temperature move into the triple digits, and it pretty much stays there into the fall.  

In Phoenix, the summer temperatures begin hitting 100 in May. From June into August, you can expect highs ranging from 100 to 115. And yes, it CAN get hotter! Phoenix set a record in June, 1990, topping out at 122 degrees.

Four years later, Lake Havasu City hit 128 degrees — the 2nd hottest day in US history, beaten only by Death Valley, which hit 134 degrees in 1913.

Despite the scorching temperatures, the heat in Arizona can be described as a “dry heat,” which has certain advantages not found in humid states like Florida or Southern Texas.

When you’re hot, the body’s cooling system kicks in and you begin to sweat. If the weather is hot and dry, the water on your skin turns to vapor, wicking away the heat and cooling you down. If it’s humid, you’ll feel like you’re sweating a lot, but it doesn’t evaporate. This leaves you feeling hot, sticky, and wet, and you can’t cool down.

Visitors to Arizona during the summer months will need about two weeks to acclimate to the heat. Your body will do this by increasing blood flow to the skin, increasing your blood plasma volume, and activating more sweat glands.

DANGER! HEAT ADVISORY!

But even acclimated people aren’t immune to the dangers of Arizona heat. The number one cause of weather related deaths here is heat exhaustion. In 2018, it was responsible for nearly 400 deaths alone.

• Heat Caused Deaths: 130
• Heat Associated Deaths: 251

During the hottest months, Arizonans are encouraged to drink plenty of water, stop outdoor chores by 9:00 a.m., always carry a charged cell phone, and have an emergency supply of water in your car at all times in case you get stuck.

And by the way — as bad as the heat is for us, your car will also suffer. The interior can rise quickly to 150 degrees. Plan on investing in seat covers and a sunscreen for your dash, and expect to replace your car battery every two years.

The other thing about summers in Arizona is the Monsoon Season. Starting in June and continuing through September, nearly half of the yearly rainfall happens during these seasonal storms. Expect torrential downpours, insane lighting displays, destructive hail, and massive dust storms.

During one 2016 Phoenix storm, the National Weather Service recorded more than 15,000 lightening flashes.

One to 2 inches of rain in an hour may sound like nothing where you live, but in the dry Southwest, and especially Arizona, it can be deadly.  In as little as 15 minutes, a dry wash can easily become a raging torrent. 

Flash floods kill more than 80 Arizonans a year.  

Go native!

Arizona is the 6th largest state, and it has the most land reserved for our Native American Tribes. With 22 different tribes – each a sovereign nation – these great people are a big part of the state’s culture.

All around Arizona, tribes host or participate in special festivals, sacred ceremonies and pow wows. This gives non-members a chance to learn about each tribe’s traditions through songs, dance, stories, and the way they dress. 

If you go, you’ll delight at the stunning arts and crafts each tribe offers:

• Kachina dolls of the Hopi 
• Zuni jewelry
• Weaved Baskets of the Papago and Tohono O’odham
• And of course, the famous Navajo rugs 

The fusion of Native American, Spanish, and Mexican culture is also evident in the types of homes you’ll find.

• Pueblo-style homes
• American western ranch 
• Colonial Spanish 
• Spanish mission 

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The Food In Arizona Is amazing!

If you love Mexican, southwestern, and Tex-Mex dishes, you’ll love living in Arizona. 

Additionally, you’ll find specific foods that are unique to the state. 

• The Sonoran hot dog — a bacon wrapped dog in a bread pocket with mayo, mustard, beans, onions and tomato
• Mesquite flour — ground fresh from Mesquite pods. It’s high in protein and gluten free. 
• Chiltepin Peppers — they grow wild in Arizona and will make any dish flaming hot
• Navajo Tacos — also known as “fry bread,” are delicious, savory, and can have a crunchy texture. 
• Prickly Pear Cacti — used in margaritas, syrup, candies, and jellies.
• And ah … Chimichangas – Legend has it this deep fried burrito was created by accident in Arizona.

The Arizona Economy Is Its Own Force Of Nature.

Though the food alone might tempt some to move to the grand canyon state, others will go for the amazing jobs market.

Right now, the economy is enjoying a boom in new businesses, relocating businesses, job growth, and rising wages. It’s estimated that by the end of 2019, arizona had the 3rd fastest growing economy in the nation.

Currently, about 74% of that growth is concentrated in the services sector, specifically:

• Education & Health Services
• Leisure & Hospitality
• Business services
• Utilities

On the non-services side, several emerging industries are expected to drive fast job growth over the next few years.

Aerospace and defense contractors are building plants to manufacture and test their designs. 

Over 1,200 industry manufacturers are here, and they’re responsible for more than 54,000 jobs, including: Semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence, self-driving vehicles, 3D printing, Education Technology, and electronics.

Given Arizona’s pro business environment, more firms are moving in, expanding or starting up. Forbes Magazine predicts that Arizona’s tech industry will have the fastest job growth in the nation. 

Some of the major technology centers new or coming to Arizona include:

• The General Motors Innovation Center
• Intel’s $300 million dollar R&D Center
• GoDaddy’s Global Tech Center

Arizona’s bioscience industry has grown by more than 15% since 2016. That’s double the national growth and it employs 30,000 people.  

The state expects constant growth as more California companies make the move the Arizona. 

With this rise in high-tech industries, Arizona’s oldest industry, mining, has become even more vital. 

Electric cars … charging stations … consumer electronics  …  renewable energy technology. They all have something in common, and that is COPPER!

Arizona produces 70% of the nation’s copper, and more mines are coming online every day to meet the global demands. 

The state also has gold, silver, molybdenum, lead, turquoise, gypsum, manganese, uranium, and tungsten mines. 

Together, these mines employ 40,000 people with high paying jobs, and their wages are double the state’s average.

In Arizona, money talks!

The average median income in Arizona was more than $59,000 in 2018. 

While that’s slightly below the national average, it is a 4.7% increase over 2017. 

Arizona Traffic

Having a job in Arizona means you’ll spend 25 minutes each way getting to work, on average, ranking it 30th in the country, best to worst.

The Phoenix metro area has the fastest commute of the 25 top metropolitan areas in the nation, coming in at 25 minutes.

The shortest commute WITHIN the Phoenix metro area belongs to Tempe, at 20.9 minutes.  

Tucson residents have the 2nd shortest commute in the state, at 21.7 minutes.

Cost Of Living In Arizona

Overall, Arizona is a pretty affordable place to live. Despite the population growth in the state and around the major metro areas, median home values haven’t exploded yet. In fact, home values just recovered from the great recession and are now at their 2006 highs. 

In 2018, Arizona’s median home value was around $241,000.

For the state’s 2 largest cities, the median home values are lower.

Phoenix homes are slightly more than $230,000 while Tucson’s are just below $168,000.  

If you want a home in the cooler mountains or in an upscale area, you can try Flagstaff or Scottsdale but prices jump to $376,887 and $560,871, respectively.

If you can’t decide where you want to buy, renting is actually a very affordable option. Rental prices are lower in Tuscon than in the city of Phoenix, and highest in Flagstaff.

In the suburbs of Phoenix, as with any city, rental prices rise significantly.

Average Monthly Rent in Arizona Cities:

• Tucson – $1,030
• Phoenix – $1,330 
• Flagstaff – $1602

Average Monthly Rent in Arizona Suburbs:

• Mesa – $1,366
• Chandler – $1,674
• Scottsdale – $1,885

When it comes to utilities, Arizona has the 6th highest electric bills, with a monthly average of $128.4. 

Keep in mind, this is an annual average. In the summer, your electric bill can grow significantly higher, when having AC can be a matter of life and death!

Residents of Arizona spend less on food, or about 11% of their income. The national average is 12.6%. In terms of dollars, this comes to $3,938 on groceries a year, and another $2,918 eating out. 

In May of 2019, a gallon of milk in Phoenix went for $2.06, more than a dollar less than the national average. And a dozen eggs went for $2.10, saving you 16 cents over the national average.

Phoenix is 3% below the national median costs for health care, while Tucson’s is 14% lower. 

Not everything in Arizona is lower, though…

If we look at the price of gasoline, Arizona has the 7th highest prices in the country. In May 2019, the average price per gallon was $3.15, well above the national average of $2.92. 

Arizona Taxes

Taxes in Arizona are a bit of a mixed bag.  

The state has an income tax, and it ranges from 2.94% to 4.54%, depending on your bracket. While no one likes paying taxes, this is lower than most other states.

The property tax rate is a bright spot, with an effective rate of 0.77%, which is lower than the national average of 1.14%.

The sales tax in Arizona is admittedly high. In fact, it has the 11th highest sales tax in the nation. While the state has a base rate of 5.6%, counties and cities are allowed to add their own taxes on top of that. 

In cities, rates range from 7.6% to 11.2%. 

The Arizona Poverty Rate Is High

According to recent US Census data, the state’s poverty rate was 14% in by the end of 2018. However, that was a significant drop from the 18% rate in 2017. 

For the 5 largest cities in Arizona, poverty rates were significantly higher than the state average, and were also significantly higher than the national average of 11.8%.

• Phoenix – 19.4
• Tucson – 23.4
• Chandler – 8.5
• Scottsdale – 8.2
• Mesa – 15.5

Crime in Arizona

Wherever you have high poverty, crime becomes an issue.

According to Safewise.com’s 2020 survey, both crime rates and residents fears of crime are dropping. 

Statewide, violent crime and property crime rates were lower compared to 2019. Violent crime dropped from 5.1 crimes per 1,000 residents to 4.7. Property crime saw an even larger drop, from 29.1 incidents per 1,000 residents to 26.8.

Nevertheless, Arizona’s crime rates are still higher than the national average

Violent Crime Rate per 1,000 residents:

• National Average – 4.7
• Arizona – 3.7

Property Crime Rate per 1,000 Residents

• National Average – 26.8
• Arizona – 22

But again, things are improving, or at least people’s perceptions are.

In 2019, 47% of survey respondents worried about crime every day. In 2020, that dropped to 40%. 

College Education In Arizona

You’ll find the top colleges and universities in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas.  

Arizona State University’s main campus is located in Tempe, one of Phoenix’s satellite cities, and it has over 42,800 undergraduates. The in-state tuition is $12,467 a year.

In Tucson, you’ll find ASU’s rival, the University of Arizona. Smaller than ASU in size, with just over 35,000 undergraduates. It’s in-state tuition is slightly higher than ASU’s, coming in at $11,338 a year.

ASU and U-of-A tied at 117th place for US News’ best colleges in the nation.

If you’d prefer to attend a smaller college, Arizona has several to pick from, including Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. 

K-12 Education In Arizona

In US News’ annual list of the top 100 high schools in the nation, Arizona had 10 that were in the top 100.  

Looking specifically at Charter Schools, Arizona had 6 that were in the top 10.

 The number 1 charter school in Arizona—BASIS Chandler—beat out Basis Scottsdale, which is ranked #3 nationally.

US News ranked Arizona’s K-12 33rd in the nation overall, best to worst.

But Hubwallet.com, a financial site, did a similar ranking of the states. It listed Arizona as having the 3rd WORST schools in the country. Their survey looked at 2 broad categories: quality and safety. On quality, Arizona ranked 50th. Yet they used the same data as US News, which as I just said, ranked Arizona 33rd in the nation. 

So who is right? 

Schools, like everything else these days, are a hot political issue.  

Unfortunately, it’s hard to determine how much weight the so-called “experts” place on which category, or if a political thumb had been placed on the scale. 

Niche.com not only takes into account the same academic data performance scores the other 2 surveys used, but also evaluated the schools in the areas of teacher quality, student to teacher ratio, food, sports, clubs, and activities. Their scores also take into account the testimonies of students and parents.

Of the top 20 schools districts, 10 were in the Phoenix metropolitan area and 4 were in the Tucson metro area. Only one school district in the state received an A+, and that was Catalina Foothills Unified School District in the Tucson area. Here, 69% of students were proficient in math and 70% in reading.

Niche.com rankings:

• 18 schools in in the A+ to A- range.
• 78 schools were in the B range.
• 71 in the C range.
• 10 were in the D range.

Thanks!

There’s a lot more to Arizona than this, of course, but I hope that helps you in your quest to find the best place to live for you. If you get a chance, check out the video I made about this wonderful state. You can find it by clicking “Video Guides” in the menu at the top of this page. 

Until later, best of luck, and be sure to Start Packing!