Destination Phoenix: Running from Cold to Hot
by Julie Anne Phillipps
I dreamed of returning to Arizona’s desert landscape for several years. Finally, I felt ready to make the change. My imagination danced with visions of what it would be like to live in a place of year-round sunshine. However, Minneapolis was my birthplace, and my home. I question if weather counted as a sufficient reason for making a change as drastic as moving across the country. My reasoning felt similar to that of an elderly Midwestern farmer I overheard say, “Well now, it’s better cold. You can always put on more clothes when it is cold. But, when it’s hot, well, there is just so much you can take off.” I lived in Arizona before, and spent a very dismal summer sweltering in 110 degrees Fahrenheit weather. I believed, like the old farmer, that it was better freezing in Minnesota during January when the wind-chill dips to minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit because I could always add another sweater, another pair of socks, and another pair of pants. However, trading one extreme in temperature for another was not a deciding factor for this Midwesterner’s southern migration.
Economic factors would be crucial to making the move successfully. Therefore, I investigated what moving could mean to me financially. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) showed that Minneapolis-St. Paul had a slightly lower rate of unemployment than Phoenix-Mesa in all areas, except for building construction. At the time, I worked employed in the non-profit social services’ sector doing clerical work, and I thought finding employment seemed reasonably promising. Additionally, I checked the Arizona Republic, and found it consistently had numerous job listings for clerical workers, although very few were listed for social service agencies. I discovered that the Phoenix-Mesa area had a lower cost of living than Minneapolis-St. Paul but it also typically offered lower wages. Could I endure lower wages coupled with a higher risk of unemployment? Finally, I reasoned that I survived the Recession of the ‘80’s, and certainly, I could survive economic hardships whether I was in Minneapolis or Phoenix.
In Minneapolis, I had grown use to attending a variety of cultural events, and I wanted to see what I would find if I made my southwest migration. The Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area is frequently referred to as the Grand Old Dames of our northern cities. These Grand Old Dames are home to many well-established cultural institutions such as the Minnesota Symphony, the Minnesota Opera, the nationally known Children’s Theater, and the Guthrie Theater. I enjoyed having season tickets to the Guthrie Theater for several years, and seeing performances such as Voltaire’s “Candide," and Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt.” I also attended many performances at the Children’s Theater, including several showings of the awarding-winning, original production of the “Cookie Jar.” I knew I would miss the high quality performances these veteran theaters offered if I moved. After exploring the Internet some more, I found many well-established, professional theaters in the Phoenix area such as the Actors’ Theater, and the critically acclaimed Herberger Theater Center. I felt confident they would provide entertaining live-theater performances. Nevertheless, Minneapolis had well-established community sponsored festivals like the multi-cultural Cedar-Fest hosted by the West Bank business, and neighbor community. With a little further investigation, I discovered that Phoenix hosted many similar community events. A Phoenix based Blues Society hosts numerous Blues Festivals, and the city of Phoenix hosted a World Music & Reggae celebration each year.
Even though I found many positives to moving, I also found potential draw backs; and some much greater than just a possible reduction in earnings. In my search, I had taken up reading the Sunday edition of the Arizona Republic, and what I read felt discouraging. It was not just the numerous typographical errors; it was the ultra-conservative Republican views that the editors promoted. A view in extreme political opposition to the democratic tone of the Minneapolis Star & Tribune newspaper I enjoyed reading, and with which I thoroughly agreed. However, not only did I disagree with the political views of the Republic’s editors; I felt also appalled when I read that Arizona’s criminal justice system utilized the death penalty. Minnesota’s does not use capital punishment. I grew up in a society that was morally opposed to the death penalty. I was not sure that I wanted to live in a state that practiced capital punishment. Moving to Arizona would definitely put me in the political minority, and I could no longer take it for granted that my beliefs would be represented by my elected officials.
Ultimately, the move was never about the best weather, job opportunities, theater or the even best political view point. The motivation to move was the natural majesty of the desert landscape. Instead of viewing thunderous, electrical storms, I wanted to be awestruck with the vitality of the summer’s monsoonal storms. Rather than enjoying long, leisurely walks in an elaborate park system, I wanted to be hiking up the valley’s surrounding Mountains. The consequences of this move would be like all things; and a mixture of both good, and bad.