Which City has the best Weather in Arizona?
 

I understand Arizona gets VERY hot in the summers...which cities are "less hot" in the summers and have the best year around temperatures? (preferably golfing year around as well). Thanks, Carrie

Ummmm....NONE!<BR>Arizona has only a few cities for being the 6th largest state in the country.<BR>The hot cities, PHX, Tucson, Yuma, Havasu area, are too hot in the summer, so they don't make your list.<BR>The altitude cities like Flagstaff and Sedona are pretty pleasant in summer, great in spring/fall, but don't have year round golf due to snow and cold.<BR>A smaller place like Wickenburg will fall in between these extremes, but it's a pretty quiet little place.

Well, Land does have a point. Even using a loose definition of "city", AZ really only has 2: Tucson and Phoenix. Of the two, Tucson is much more temperate, usually about 10-15 degrees cooler than Phoenix, more in the summer. I lived in Sierra Vista for 2 years, and can tell you that while it is a very small city, it's not exactly a small town, and it enjoys excellent weather year-round: highs over 100 for only about a week in June, great, cooling, wet monsoons for a month or two in summer, and you can definitely golf year-round. It's about an hour SE of Tucson, at the foot of the Huachuca Mountains. Ignore the ugly fast-food strip (s) and concentrate on the natural beauty all around...

But isn't Tucson further south than Phoenix? I just assumed that made it hotter. How do the two cities compare in the winter? Thanks.

I'm no expert on AZ, but I do know a bit about the geography. <BR><BR>Yes, Tucson is farther south, but cooler (if "cooler" is the right word) than Phoenix. That's because Phoenix is a a valley -- "Valley of the Sun" -- and Tucson is at a higher elevation. Both, however, are hot; it's just a question of degrees (bad pun, I know).

The only place you will want to be or will be remotely happy (i.e. not dying of heat stroke) will be in Flagstaff. Great golfing/summer rentals are at Forest Highlands - its where Clint Eastwood and other notables go.

Judy, the answer lies in the elevation..the higher the elevation, generally, the cooler the temperature. So, yes, Tucson and SV are south of Phoenix, but as zona points out, Phoenix is near sea-level and in a valley surrounded by mountains, AND largely paved over with concrete, which doens't lose heat at night as the desert does. Hence, Phoenix is hot, hot, hot. Tucson will reach 110 on rare occasion in May and June, perhaps early July; it will be in the 60's in the winter, for about 2 months.

Prescott might be worth a look. A little snow in the winter, but pretty rarely.

Thanks zona & E for your explanations!