On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:00:33 -0700, Dan Coby
wrote:

Jim Thompson wrote:
But Arizona _isn't_ SoCal. We still have some civility left (and room
;-)

Most of the people that I have met in southern California are great people
to be around. Even on the freeways in rush hour traffic most of the drivers
are extremely courteous. Indeed California drivers are among the most civil
that I have found in any city. You said that you went to MIT. I would take
a California driver over a Bostonian anytime.

When I have business in Boston, and rent a car, I go driver-baiting...
bunch of idiots, frightened of their own shadows... just aim at them,
floor it... watch the fairies run ;-)

There are a few exceptions.
The anonymity of urban areas does allow the exceptions to survive but
fortunately they are rare.

SoCal is more crowded that I would prefer. And it has gotten more so in the
31 years that I have lived here. The population of Orange County has doubled
in that time. This small county now has twice the population of the entire
state of WV.

WV is _losing_ population... thanks to Byrd... elected Senator the
same year I graduated high school... 1958 :-(

AZ about 4X over the 47 years I've been here... but it's spread way
out compared to SoCal. But, as you say below, population makes for
metropolitan benefits.

On the other hand, the population provides the economic base
for the stores, museums, theaters, restaurants, etc. that I do like. Like
most things, there are trade offs.

On the other hand, the heat in most of Arizona would get to me. Except
for the higher elevations, the summers are too hot. I had a job that took
me to Tucson for long periods in the summer. Too warm. Even though there
are some great things to do outdoors in Arizona, we ended up spending most
of the time inside with the air conditioning. We did a little hiking in
the mountains around Tucson but that was it. The weather in SoCal allows
us to do outdoor activities during most of the year. We even have snow in
the local mountains during the winter.

Heat is something you acclimate to. In 1962, when I drove into the
Valley, without A/C, I thought, "O-mi-gawd, I've made a horrible
mistake." Now I couldn't live anywhere else... too cold... too much
depressing cloudiness, too much rain, etc ;-)

And it keeps the population moderated... pray _for_ global warming and
our population growth will drop ;-)


The biggest thing that I miss in SoCal is lightening bugs.


Dan

They're rare around here.

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
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