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New
to Arizona?
 
If yes, welcome! We think that, like us,
you'll simply love it here. Below are a few items of
interest to help get you acquainted with our beautiful state,
and our local GLBT community: Arizona - The GRAND Canyon
State
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 Okay, the first thing to
know is that most everyone here is really from somewhere
else. Arizona is a very transient state, in
that people move in, and they later move on. That's
primarily due to job transfers or taking new jobs
out-of-state, or moving away to be closer to family.
However, in recent years, we've noticed a change in the rate
of transient families -- more and more people are moving
here and establishing solid roots for an extended
stay, it appears. We do have Arizona natives,
but most of them live on reservations. Want to
know
more
about Arizona residents?
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A no-brainer for most
people is that we live here because of the weather.
That's also what we complain about the most! In
our cooler months, it's pure heaven here as we walk
around in our shorts and flip flops (most
days) while the rest of the nation shivers and deals with
that wet white stuff. In our hottest months, we often
question why we would subject ourselves to such extreme
weather, but that's only from our front door to our
car. You do need to know that we only have two
seasons here: summer (June - October) and spring
(November - May).
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Survival technique #1:
Sunglasses! More important than underwear --
trust us! Never be caught without them!
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Survival technique #2:
Windshield shades! Almost as important as
sunglasses, you'll never want to find yourself getting in
your car after forgetting to put up your windshield
shades. Think: branding-iron-hot steering
wheel! Ouch!
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 Survival technique #3:
Brainwash yourself! Repeat this catchy
phrase to yourself (and repeat it often!) in the dead of
July and August: "but, it's a dry
heat!" Unfortunately, it's true -- you
can't fool all the people all the time. Read one
reporter's take on "The
Myth of the Dry Heat".
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So, just how hot can it
get? Well, on June 26, 1990, Phoenix
experienced it's hottest day on record at 122°.
Lucky for us, we don't live in Bullhead City, Arizona
-- there, on August 11, 1983, they topped out at 132°.
Read more in this article, "How
Hot Is Hot? In Phoenix, There Are Lots of Answers".
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Okay, enough about the
weather. How about some Arizona "must see's"?
The Grand Canyon, our very own "wonder" (of
the "Seven Wonders of the World") is a five-hour
drive north of the Valley. Alternative:
Drive to Williams, Arizona and take a
vintage locomotive train up to the Grand Canyon for
an experience you'll never forget!
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Equally as far, and just as
impressive, is the beautiful Lake
Powell -- basically another "Grand Canyon"
that was dammed and filled with water. Pretty from the
shorelines, but unbelievably beautiful from a houseboat.
Either way, something that shouldn't be missed!
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Flagstaff
is a popular retreat from the heat of the Valley during the
summer months. Beautiful, cool and green, Flagstaff
serves as the gateway to both the Grand Canyon
and Lake Powell, and even has it's own winter funland
known as the "Arizona
Snowbowl" (when we're lucky enough to have snow
to cover the ski runs there). Flagstaff is about 2.5
- 3 hours by car.
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The Red Rocks of Sedona
are certainly a site not to be missed! Beautiful,
majestic and peaceful, the Red Rocks call out to you as you
drive slowly through their canyons. A beautiful place
for hiking, photographing, biking -- practically any
activity outdoors -- will be enjoyed while surrounded by the
various formations found there. Want to sleep
over? Book early as Sedona is probably one of the most
popular destinations in the state!
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Tucson,
our smaller, more liberal sister to the south, offers the
beautiful Sonoran
Desert Museum, Mount
Lemmon, airplane
graveyards (yep, all good planes eventually bite
the dust, and they must have a final resting place!),
and more, plus gateway to the recently discovered Kartchner
Caverns and to Nogalas,
Mexico.
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Other destinations of
interest include: Prescott,
Jerome,
Lake Havasu
City, Yuma
(gateway to San Diego, California), Bisbee,
Tombstone,
the White
Mountains, Montezuma's
Castle, Canyon De
Chelly, Monument
Valley, and many others!
Phoenix's Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community
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How to describe Phoenix's GLBT
community in three words or less? "Diverse"
and "Spread Out!" Our GLBT community is made
up of individuals from all walks of life, from different
cities, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including urbanites and rural
dwellers, and more. And, given the vast amount of land
that
Phoenix and the surrounding Valley of the Sun cover (we're
the 6th largest city and cover more land than Los
Angeles!), we live
in all areas, far and wide. Phoenix has no single
"gay" neighborhood, but like most cities, there
are more GLBT-centric neighborhoods in the downtown to north
of downtown areas (e.g., the Willow district and Encanto
area, just to name two). [Click
here for area information such as neighborhoods,
schools, cost of living in Phoenix and Tucson.]
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 Sometimes, a city's
"gay-friendliness" is judged by the number of gay
and gay-friendly establishments located in that city. Phoenix has
over 30 gay bars, and a dozen or so gay and gay-friendly
restaurants to boot! Popular eateries include Pookies,
Hamburger Mary's, My Florist Cafe, Coronado Cafe, Mi Patio
Mexican Food, Ibiza Cafe, Bruno Mali's Cafe, On 16th Cafe,
and more! For a complete list of Phoenix/Valley of the
Sun gay bars, check out www.phoenixgaybars.com.
For a complete list of other gay and gay-friendly
businesses, check out the Greater
Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (GPGLCC).
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What about other GLBT
organizations in and around town? Look no further
than our own Community
Information page! Here's just some of the
categories of interest included there:
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What about local GLBT
events? Some of the larger annual
events to look forward to include:
Again, we welcome you to Arizona! Once you're
unpacked and settled in, why not come and check us
out?
We'd love to meet you!
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