A Year in Arizona: Our Pros and Cons After Leaving Washington State

Honestly, where to even start?! So much about our day to day has changed since moving.

Let me start by giving you a little background about who we are and highlight that there is really no perfect place to live. But, with our lifestyle preferences; Arizona is as close as it’ll get!

Let’s dive in.

Hi! I’m Madison. I lived in Washington state my entire life up until I was 26 years old. My husband, Baggio is 28 years old. He grew up Southern California but, due to joining the Army he’s been to/lived in many states; Including New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Hawaii, etc.

We grew our family to 2 kiddos and 3 pups. As my son got closer to elementary age we started to realize that Washington state wasn’t where we wanted to raise our kids.

Since living here for a little over a year, we’ve been able to curate a list of our pros + cons of living in Arizona!

Pros:

1. Obviously, the SUNSHINE. We longed for the kids being able to go outside in play in the sunshine, OFTEN. With frequent visits to California to family while we resided in WA. We realized just how much we craved more time out in the sunshine. I also think back to my childhood/life and very clearly see now that I struggled with seasonal depression without realizing it. I also very clearly remembering when summertime hit wishing it could always be this way. Admittedly I miss the change of seasons with the different scenery you get. But, day to day it gets old with the inconveniences that it comes with. I’ll get more in depth later on how you can still enjoy the perks of seasons changing.
2. Cleanliness. The roads, neighborhoods, shopping centers, EVERYTHING is so much cleaner and maintained. In WA, freeways and roads would have plenty of litter thrown around along side the streets. Along with literal boulders placed along strips of the freeway and sides of roads to prevent homeless from camping out in those spots. There were plenty of homeless villages being developed around us. When one got cleaned up, another one would pop up elsewhere. Sadly, that also came with drug usage. While I understand that the issue is ever going and there needs to be more done about it, it wasn’t something we wanted to live around day to day. The area we live in now- that would not be tolerated.
3. Peace of mind. To build off of the above, when it comes to store trips like Target, grocery shopping, etc. or even going to public parks. I’m not in a constant state of anxiety due to the drug and homeless issue I mentioned above. There were countless times I would pull up to a parking spot with a person clearly on drugs nearby and I’d have to stall or wait to go into the store before I’d feel safe to make my way inside (waiting for more distance to be made). Especially when I was alone and had the kids with me. It was undoubtedly a weekly occurrence. That hasn’t happened ONCE since moving here. That’s not to say there aren’t bad people everywhere- but those instances were reoccurring so often that it was becoming an issue for us.
4. Cheaper prices. The home and neighborhood we are in had me speechless in the beginning (Still kinda am. Forever grateful we made the move). For the home and amenities we have here in comparison to what we’d get in WA is night and day. There is nothing in comparison to where we live now to what is available in WA. We live 3 min. from a local farm, farm to table diner, baseball fields, 20+ parks, catch and release fishing pond, community center with a resort style pool and arcade games that is open daily, weekly neighborhood events, the list goes on. Gas and groceries are also cheaper. While prices are rising in AZ, it is still cheaper than WA…
5. So much to do in AZ and being so close to Cali! Washington has a lot of hiking, the mountains and great wolf lodge. That’s really what comes to my mind as far as stuff to do. But, AZ has all of that too (of course different scenery)! We are a 2 hour drive from Flagstaff (which is one of the top snowiest cities in the country and has very PNW feel to it), 2.5 hours from Sedona, 4 hours from the Grand Canyon, 5 hours from Disneyland, 5 hours from San Diego, 5.5 hours from Legoland…… I could keep going but I’ll stop there. We visit CA often due to family, so when we lived in WA it was a lot of time spent traveling with flying to Cali and the cost was much higher to fly than driving. It was harder on the kids as well. Now, it only costs us one tank on the way there and one on the way back. It’s also much more comfortable for us to drive to Cali as we have the flexibility to make stops and take breaks as needed. Arizona has an immense amount of things to do for the family. Their parks are very well designed and super fun for the kids. There are many free splash pads to check out. There is Legoland discovery center, OdySea Aquarium, Mattel amusement park in progress, plenty of free outdoor movie opportunities, skate park, Route 66, Bearizona, snow tubing, mountain tubing, Great Wolf Lodge (with an outdoor pool), trampoline parks, Children’s museum of Phoenix, and MORE!
6. Healthier food options. I was ready to scream if I found myself back in the Taco Bell drive through when we lived in WA. While Taco Bell is fantastic, it shouldn’t be one of my only choices to avoid getting a McDonalds or Jack in the Box meal….. of course this is based off of a short on time scenario- because I do MISS all of the good teriyaki places you could find on every corner in WA. But, sometimes you’re not able to go in because you have a kid asleep in the car or simply you’re short on time. And lets be real, in-n-out over a McDonalds burger any day. Living in AZ you have so many options for things like smoothies, acai bowls, salads, wraps and overall better quality quick meal options. Some to include: Salad and Go, Cafe Zupas, Smoothie King, Playa Bowls, Nekter, Someburros, Sauce, and a lot of great local restaurants with great options too.
7. Newer homes and areas. Arizona is rapidly growing. A lot of the shopping complexes we go to are newly built or fairly new. It just makes for a better experience when out and about. Everything is updated, very well thought out and clean. There’s also a lot of variety when it comes to places to shop. To highlight one store specifically, Scheels is one store that is really nice to have nearby. Especially as my son is starting to get into more sports.
8. Community oriented and connection. Yes, there’s rude people everywhere you go. But we’ve noticed a really big shift in peoples overall moods and well being since moving here. In WA there wasn’t anywhere near as much small talk or conversations starting up like there is here. Connection seemed to come a lot easier in AZ. We made friends very quickly when we moved here and we are so grateful to have built many trusted friendships with our neighbors. We moved to Arizona knowing we’d have no family or friends in the state. So, building connections here was a priority for us and it happened fast! We also noticed that Arizona is a melting pot. People moving here from all over (New York, Cali, Oregon, Washington) and that also inevitably brings up a lot of similarities as far as reasons for moving. Through homeschooling, sports, the gym, everything we pour ourselves into- we really have grown a solid network and people we can count on.

Cons

1. Allergies. When mid-January hit I couldn’t figure out if I was sick or what was happening to me. All I knew was my eyes felt like they were near shut, I couldn’t stop sneezing and I was congested. I have never dealt with allergies prior to moving here so this was all new to me. Along with allergies, the change of the humidity also effected us. Which led to more frequent bloody noses. Now, we are all doing a lot better this year. Allergies didn’t hit us as bad and our bodies have adjusted to the dryness for the most part. But, that’s not to say I don’t keep a humidifier handy.
2. Crazy drivers. When I mean crazy this is what I mean….. they drive FAST, lack of blinkers, lots of u-turns causing accidents, and the snow birds bring in a wide range of different driving styles. All of that combined, obviously leads to more accidents. Accidents happen daily here which sadly lead to deaths and then of course traffic.
3. Summers. Admittedly I was on Redfin home searching our first summer here (by the end of it). Then, it was back to greatness before I knew it. Remind yourself this…. it’s the desert! It’s going to get HOT. When summer starts to approach you still have mornings/nights to go out and do things with decent temperatures. But, once you’re in the midst of summer, there’s no more hanging out outside. You can of course start your day off at the pool or a splash pad- but, once mid day temps strike you’re inside. It’s too hot to be outside. Lots of water play in the summer for short periods of time. While this could be considered a con, it’s very short lived and we will gladly take it over dealing with an immense amount of gloomy days and rain from back in WA. Again, it goes back to your lifestyle preferences. We want to enjoy the sunshine as much as we can. We can always visit Flagstaff 2 hours north of us for a PNW feel and cooler summer temps.
4. Lack of greenery day to day. Coming from WA I always felt anywhere I went lacked greenery. They don’t call it the evergreen state for nothin’. I would say the first 6 months I struggled the most with the transition of no greenery. It’s the complete opposite here so that didn’t make it feel anymore home like at the start. You also don’t get all 4 seasons like you do in WA. But, thats not to say you can’t see fall colors and go play in snow. There are many options to do all of those things within a 1-2 hour drive. I will say, it made me appreciate those things a lot more. I’m also still happy taking this over dealing with each season. I am happy to do the drive, indulge in the season then come right back to my sunny area. Haha! To enjoy season changes, you can visit Flagstaff 2 hours north of us (East Mesa), there’s also spots in Sedona, and there’s one more I can’t think of for the life of me- I will come back and update this when I think of it. It is about an hour from us.

Things that aren’t an issue like I thought they would be

1. Scorpions and snakes. No. I have yet to see a scorpion. And yes, I saw two snakes WHERE I WAS SUPPOSED TO when we were out on the trails during the time they were coming out of hibernation. The more I have learned about the desert life, the less those have worried me. There’s also many resources to learn more about the desert life and those have really put my mind to ease with most things people tend to mention about AZ.
2. Pokey things surrounding us. I stressed a little about all of the cacti due to the kids. I worried if one of them were to fall on one or get it stuck into their skin. I don’t know, things you don’t worry about in WA. But, both of the kids have been very aware of their surroundings and this hasn’t been an issue at all.

5 Arizona Fun Facts I’ve Learned Since Living Here

1. Cacti grow arms if they feel they start leaning too far one way. They’ll start sprouting and growing an arm out to help rebalance them back to center.
2. Arizona, home of the Sonorant Desert, is the wettest desert in the world.
3. Javelinas are not in the pig family.
4. I already knew this, but we don’t do daylight savings.
5. The folds in the cacti are to keep it mostly shaded and protected from the sun.
6. Flagstaff, AZ is one of the snowiest cities in the country and it’s only a 2 hour drive from us.

Interested in moving to AZ?

My husband would be more than happy to help guide you into the perfect area.

As well as, a home that fits you and/or your family’s needs when you’re ready!

In the meantime….

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About Baggio Saldivar

“I never imagined myself to be working in the real estate industry. If you asked me as a kid, I would’ve said I wanted to be a professional athlete or scientist.

But, here we are! I grew up in Southern California, and was involved with all sports possible. Eventually, I earned a baseball scholarship and attended West Point (United States Military Academy). After a difficult, but rewarding, four years—I graduated with a degree in Systems Management and commissioned into the United States Army!

Serving in the military was such an amazing experience. My last assignment was at JBLM, WA—where I was an operations manager within 1st Special Forces Group (A). I decided to make the transition, and from there, I pursued real estate in the Seattle-Tacoma area along with some amazing friends and mentors.

After some amazing years, my wife and I decided to move our family to the Valley! We love Phoenix, Arizona and everything it offers. Now, I strive to serve you all here as well!!!”

Ready to take the leap? Fill out this form here and he will contact you very soon!