leah377

all of texas sucks aside from austin.

Vivi

Politically liberal, yes (you may have heard the expression "tiny dot of red in a sea of blue"). In addition, it's very.. ah, how do I put it. Very wacky, crazy, loudspoken, yet accepting. Austin is the place where we know the name of the crossdressing guy who walks down 6th Street... and take pride in showing him off to tourists. 30 minutes away, you have Bible-loving Republicans... then you head to downtown Austin and it's a whole 'nother story.

War Chant

Remember that South Florida, specifically Miami, is very different from the rest of the state.

tinkerbinker25

I definitely wouldn't say that the cost of living is very high in Arizona, though as with most states it is going to depend on what city you live in.

It's definitely a growing state, I've lived here he majority of my life and each and every year I notice more people moving here from all over the country and more businesses and houses popping up. I wouldn't neccessarily call it a very liberal state, and at times it can seem a little...dull when compared to places in California, Chicago, New York, even Texas and Florida.

I think the one thing that kind of bothers me about Arizona is it's lack of culture. Aside from Mexican culture, or Native American culture, nothing really stands out or connects people here. But that's just my suburban raised perspective.

And as always, unless you're living up north be prepared for 115+ degree weather all of summer. And winter highs still in the 60s. Really, it's nice but the constant sweating gets old quick.

tinkerbinker25

Oh, &I don't know if you were wanting information on colleges. But our three main state universities are Northern Arizona University, Arizona State, and University of Arizona.

I can't speak too much on NAU, other than it is the smaller university up around Flagstaff. It's got a more liberal feel to it than the other too, and I've heard it's science oriented.

ASU is where the majority of people from my school, and much of the state, ends up. Yes, it's got a reputation as a party school. And it can definitely be considered a commuter campus. The only reason I, personally, would go there would be for the Barret's honor college. There actually can be a lot to do around the area though, the main campus is in Tempe with downtown Phoenix not too far away.

U of A is my instate safety. Overall, I feel the academics as a whole are better than ASU. though both universities have their stronger points. U of A is in Tuscon, and I like the campus feel there better. A lot of people think that there is nothing to do in Tuscon, but it really is not that bad. There are always concerts going on there, places to eat, and much more activities to do on campus.

That's my basic rundown, if you have any more questions about AZ &I don't respond on this topic, feel free to PM me.

Russell7

yeah... 115+ weather, I'm going to die. I'm going to Phoenix for 2 weeks in August. And I'm from Canada. Although our summers are actually pretty warm... so the transition won't be that bad.

What are some fun things to do in Phoenix? Besides tubing in the salt river... already have that planned. What kind of fish do you have down there?

edit: 115 F is 46 C... yeah that's pretty damn hot.

Tikimoof

Native Houstonian here, and I love it. Since Houston is a big city, it's not terribly conservative, so politically there's not a huge problem. I personally think that Austin's traffic can be much worse than Houston's, but I really only have experience with the highways going through it. Austin has tons of hills, but Houston is really flat. Austin is also a bit farther north, so I think it doesn't get as hot as Houston (I've heard wonders about things like snow). And yes, college is more emphasized in Austin (or at least UT is), but I think that's because it doesn't have as many competing universities as Houston. Houston is also really humid, so it often feels much hotter than it is, but helps keep much warmer winters than those up north.

I think khrushchevtm's comment was the most accurate in regards to Austin vs. Houston, overall.

And stay away from Dallas.

ElectricTech

tinkerbinker25, out of U of A and ASU, which is the better school for engineering?

BusinessGuy

ASU has a very good engineering school and if you get into the Barrett Honors College I would say that your experience will likely be very positive. Arizona has a low cost of living and inexpensive housing compared to other major metropolitan areas. Especially in comparison to California.

I just got back from England and it is definitely extremely hot during the summer. Luckily, if you're just here for college, you miss most of the 110+ days. One of my favorite parts about Arizona (Phoenix area specifically) is that there's a clear blue sky about 98% of the year.

AmandaisaGator

"You will also find that the East coast (Ft.Lauredale) of FL is mostly populated by N/E'ners. The West coast (Tampa )with Mid Westeners. Has something to do with I-95 on the East coast running along the N/E US and I-75 running to the mid west."

I disagree a bit. I'm from Sarasota (on the west coast about 45 min south of Tampa) and it seems like 75% of our population = retired New Yorkers.

p.s. I LOVE Florida as a state and UF as a school!

ali_mayhem

Florida is cool.I was born and raised in florida and have lived all over.SoFl is def. Filled with a lot of hispanics,so learn your spanish lol.the west coast is mostly new yorkers but there is a good deal of californians.NoFl is kind of country but it's not too bad depending on where you go. Oh and watch out when it rains because people can not drive in the rain in florida lol.

As far as colleges, UF is in gainsville and its a college town.UF is basically thee only thing there.don't get me wrong, UF is a great school.but the surrounding area is small townish. UCF is seperated from the crazy orlando attractions so traffic isn't that bad.the area is close to a lot of things.If you can get accepted to UF,personally, I would go to uf.

revolversun

I'm from the Tucson area. I just graduated from HS this year, but at the beginning of my college search, when my parents asked me "what are some of your guidelines for choosing a college," I answered with an immediate "NOT BEING IN ARIZONA!"

I'm not saying I hate AZ. AZ is a wonderful state, with Tucson, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Sedona being very fun places to live. I just get tired of the weather. I enjoy hot weather, but not year round. I prefer variety. I was really frustrated when I was walking across my HS campus to get to meet a college rep in 90 degree weather. And this was in mid November people.

Usually, Dec-Mar is fantastic, with weather being in the 60s-80s, some cloudy days here and there, but sunny in general. But otherwise, be prepared for 90+ degree weather, constantly clear skies (no occasional cloud shade for you), and dry heat. Dry heat is much better than a humid heat, but it can almost hurt to breathe in August when you're inhaling 110+ degree dry air.

U of A is an awesome school tho, with lots going on on campus and off. And one good thing about Tucson AZ is that you get to wear sandals year round.

But yeah, the heat is too intense for me. I'm headed to the pacific NW for college.

ElectricTech

So would you say that for the majority of the year, Arizona is more hot than warm?

Edit: I'm referring to Phoenix and Tuscon

burgler09

Depends where in Arizona, in Tucson.. its not that hot during the winter.

Dbate

Well Austin is pretty awesome, it unfortunately is liberal, but the burbs around are suppossed to be conservative. But really i mean it doesn't matter ppl are not going to attack and yell at you while you walk down the street. But one thing about Austin and UT, are hobos, there are alot and they are aggressive.