I thought the same thing until I moved there but Phoenix is awesome. The desert is beautiful and the weather is awesome 8 months out of the year. I mean REALLY awesome. 70's - 80's every day, low humidity & sunny every day. The heat in summer is no worse (actually easier) to deal with than winter in the midwest/NE. But of course you will still disagree with me & write it off....just like I used to when people would tell me all that before I moved there.