Hot, but Peaceful: Yuma, Arizona
I come from a small city in the southwestern part of Arizona, filled with tons of culture and hot weather, Yuma. Some of the Yumans, mainly the younger ones, speak of the town as if it is a prison that has supernatural powers; which allow it to keep inhabited and hunt down the lucky few, each year, who make it out. I never agreed with those people. To me, it just seemed like the ones who stayed and the ones who came back missed the place or liked it too much to leave in the first place. After all, Yuma is one of the only places where rain smells like wet dirt, storms make people go outside, and 78-degree winter weather can cause people to bundle up like there was a snowstorm.
Each fall, snowbirds or elderly people, from all over North America come to my town in search of its warm winter weather. They love the warm weather (it helps with their ailments), however, they don't love it enough to stay through the summer's sweltering 120-degree weather. Who could blame them, though; nobody who lives here wants to stay during the summer months. Not even, the ever-abundant Hispanics who drive across the border to visit family, friends, and shop at the American Wal-Marts want to come during the day.
The weather is so awful in Yuma that it rains, well sprinkles really, five times out of the year, depending on luck. It's not really the town's fault, though, most people blame it on the mountains that surround the city and block it from receiving any severe weather, except, of course, the heat, the occasional dust storms, and, far off, electrical storms, that are spectacular to watch after the sun goes down. Honestly, the heat is not that bad; it becomes normal after a while and it makes outdoor activities like swimming, water balloon fights, and playing in the sprinklers a lot more fun, and it's a plus people don't even have to lie outside in the sun to get some sort of a tan. Not to mention, it provides Yuma with exceptional winter weather that brings Yumans outside to enjoy the amazing sights and activities the town has to offer.
The colder temperature is not the only thing that brings Yuma to life, the visiting peoples, the snowbirds and Hispanics do. They tend to congest the streets and shops, making it a bit overwhelming every now and again, but it lasts, for the most part, a few months, which is pretty tolerable. During the cooler months, when the snowbirds come, the city's indoor mall, The Southgate Mall, sets up kiosks in the middle of the building with different arts and crafts, like woodcarving or glass blowing, and in the parking lots, RVs are for sale. Unlike the snowbirds, Hispanic visitors are in Yuma year round and come mainly for the shopping. They give the city so much business each day that stores are twice as crowded, as they normally would be. Some of them even come to Yuma to work in the agriculture fields so they can make extra money to support their families back in Mexico. All of these people really make Yuma feel like a large city and they are often extremely friendly and willing to talk about their hometowns, giving Yumans a chance to learn about things outside of Yuma.
Of course, Yuma does not just receive visitors; they are often visitors themselves because of the town's location. Therefore, although Yuma lacks some elements that would make it a far better town, like beaches or snow, Yuma is just a drive away from all of those things. Most Yumans take a trip to Algodones, Mexico, just minutes away, to eat the tacos, purchase their medicine, visit the dentist, or go to some of the clubs over there. Since many Yuma residents are Hispanic, they go to visit family as well. Other Yumans choose to go to California for the beaches, amusement parks, and shopping while others still prefer to stay in state and make the trip to larger Arizona cities for their attractions as well.
Now, people do not have to leave Yuma just to have a great time; they can stay in town. Yuma has two things called the river and the sand dunes, Yuma's most popular attractions, according to some Yumans. The river is, well, a river where Yumans go in order to fish, water ski or Jet Ski, or just swim. During the summer, it seems half the population is there while the other half is at the sand dunes. These gigantic mounds of sand are actually in California, but they are closer to Yuma than any California town, so Yuma claims them. Every year, over holiday weekends, people pack up their RVs and trucks and drive to the dunes to camp out and ride ATVs up and down the dunes. The sand dunes get very crowded, but people do not seem to mind because they enjoy themselves.
More major attractions worth seeing are the Yuma Territorial Prison and the Yuma Crossing State Historic Park. The Yuma Territorial Prison was built in 1876, and now that it is closed, people can take a tour of the vicinity and see a piece of history. What makes it all the more exciting is that the prison is rumored to be haunted, and many people have reported ghost sightings while taking a tour of the place. Yuma's own team of ghost hunters, The Yuma Spirit Hunters, even checked the place out because there were so many sightings reported. Another less haunted tour people can take is of The Yuma Crossing State Historic Park. It was used as any army supply-holding base for the surrounding states, and visitors are able to take a tour and witness historic buildings and visit the gift shop.
As well as unique activities, Yuma also has unique landscapes. Yuma is a major agriculture town and throughout the city there are fields and water canals. It is extremely amusing sometimes because the fields and canals are next to major streets, schools, and in between newly built housing complexes. Although most fields have been sold to make way for more houses, seeing the ones that still exist gives Yuma a peaceful, wide-open feeling that major cities just do not have. This wide-open feeling is throughout Yuma, though, because of its beautiful mountain and river landscapes. Yuma is one of the most breathtaking places to look at, but it can only be fully experienced firsthand.
Aside from the unholy heat, everything about Yuma makes it one of the best places to live. Even though it seems Yuma does not have much to offer besides a few parks and hang out spots, there are so many more places and components hiding in the town, that deserve credit for making Yuma a great catch. There is a reason why so many people who visit or leave for personal matters choose to come back time and time again; because it is everything anyone could ever want in a city.
I come from a small city in the southwestern part of Arizona, filled with tons of culture and hot weather, Yuma. Some of the Yumans, mainly the younger ones, speak of the town as if it is a prison that has supernatural powers; which allow it to keep inhabited and hunt down the lucky few, each year, who make it out. I never agreed with those people. To me, it just seemed like the ones who stayed and the ones who came back missed the place or liked it too much to leave in the first place. After all, Yuma is one of the only places where rain smells like wet dirt, storms make people go outside, and 78-degree winter weather can cause people to bundle up like there was a snowstorm.
Each fall, snowbirds or elderly people, from all over North America come to my town in search of its warm winter weather. They love the warm weather (it helps with their ailments), however, they don't love it enough to stay through the summer's sweltering 120-degree weather. Who could blame them, though; nobody who lives here wants to stay during the summer months. Not even, the ever-abundant Hispanics who drive across the border to visit family, friends, and shop at the American Wal-Marts want to come during the day.
The weather is so awful in Yuma that it rains, well sprinkles really, five times out of the year, depending on luck. It's not really the town's fault, though, most people blame it on the mountains that surround the city and block it from receiving any severe weather, except, of course, the heat, the occasional dust storms, and, far off, electrical storms, that are spectacular to watch after the sun goes down. Honestly, the heat is not that bad; it becomes normal after a while and it makes outdoor activities like swimming, water balloon fights, and playing in the sprinklers a lot more fun, and it's a plus people don't even have to lie outside in the sun to get some sort of a tan. Not to mention, it provides Yuma with exceptional winter weather that brings Yumans outside to enjoy the amazing sights and activities the town has to offer.
The colder temperature is not the only thing that brings Yuma to life, the visiting peoples, the snowbirds and Hispanics do. They tend to congest the streets and shops, making it a bit overwhelming every now and again, but it lasts, for the most part, a few months, which is pretty tolerable. During the cooler months, when the snowbirds come, the city's indoor mall, The Southgate Mall, sets up kiosks in the middle of the building with different arts and crafts, like woodcarving or glass blowing, and in the parking lots, RVs are for sale. Unlike the snowbirds, Hispanic visitors are in Yuma year round and come mainly for the shopping. They give the city so much business each day that stores are twice as crowded, as they normally would be. Some of them even come to Yuma to work in the agriculture fields so they can make extra money to support their families back in Mexico. All of these people really make Yuma feel like a large city and they are often extremely friendly and willing to talk about their hometowns, giving Yumans a chance to learn about things outside of Yuma.
Of course, Yuma does not just receive visitors; they are often visitors themselves because of the town's location. Therefore, although Yuma lacks some elements that would make it a far better town, like beaches or snow, Yuma is just a drive away from all of those things. Most Yumans take a trip to Algodones, Mexico, just minutes away, to eat the tacos, purchase their medicine, visit the dentist, or go to some of the clubs over there. Since many Yuma residents are Hispanic, they go to visit family as well. Other Yumans choose to go to California for the beaches, amusement parks, and shopping while others still prefer to stay in state and make the trip to larger Arizona cities for their attractions as well.
Now, people do not have to leave Yuma just to have a great time; they can stay in town. Yuma has two things called the river and the sand dunes, Yuma's most popular attractions, according to some Yumans. The river is, well, a river where Yumans go in order to fish, water ski or Jet Ski, or just swim. During the summer, it seems half the population is there while the other half is at the sand dunes. These gigantic mounds of sand are actually in California, but they are closer to Yuma than any California town, so Yuma claims them. Every year, over holiday weekends, people pack up their RVs and trucks and drive to the dunes to camp out and ride ATVs up and down the dunes. The sand dunes get very crowded, but people do not seem to mind because they enjoy themselves.
More major attractions worth seeing are the Yuma Territorial Prison and the Yuma Crossing State Historic Park. The Yuma Territorial Prison was built in 1876, and now that it is closed, people can take a tour of the vicinity and see a piece of history. What makes it all the more exciting is that the prison is rumored to be haunted, and many people have reported ghost sightings while taking a tour of the place. Yuma's own team of ghost hunters, The Yuma Spirit Hunters, even checked the place out because there were so many sightings reported. Another less haunted tour people can take is of The Yuma Crossing State Historic Park. It was used as any army supply-holding base for the surrounding states, and visitors are able to take a tour and witness historic buildings and visit the gift shop.
As well as unique activities, Yuma also has unique landscapes. Yuma is a major agriculture town and throughout the city there are fields and water canals. It is extremely amusing sometimes because the fields and canals are next to major streets, schools, and in between newly built housing complexes. Although most fields have been sold to make way for more houses, seeing the ones that still exist gives Yuma a peaceful, wide-open feeling that major cities just do not have. This wide-open feeling is throughout Yuma, though, because of its beautiful mountain and river landscapes. Yuma is one of the most breathtaking places to look at, but it can only be fully experienced firsthand.
Aside from the unholy heat, everything about Yuma makes it one of the best places to live. Even though it seems Yuma does not have much to offer besides a few parks and hang out spots, there are so many more places and components hiding in the town, that deserve credit for making Yuma a great catch. There is a reason why so many people who visit or leave for personal matters choose to come back time and time again; because it is everything anyone could ever want in a city.
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