deathinacan

I agree that you should do your research before deciding on a new city. I also agree that Phoenix sucks, at least in the few times I have passed through there, it kind of struck me as one giant, boring strip mall. I actually think Tucson is pretty neat, though. It is not as conservative as Phoenix, and I think it has a lot to offer in terms of culture. I like how Tucson embraces the fact that it's a desert. Instead of trying to grow fancy green lawns (which waste a ton of water), they plant a wide variety of cacti and desert plants, which look really cool IMO. 4th Avenue and downtown have a lot of neat bars and restaurants. Also, the Mexican food here is really good (surprise, surprise). That said, it is really hot here. Especially in the summer/early fall you will not want to spend more than 15 minutes outdoors at a time when the sun is out. After sunset, I found it to be at least tolerable to be outside, probably because of how dry it is. We do have Mt. Lemmon nearby (>9000 ft at summit) which you can drive up and escape the heat. On the flipside, winter weather is really nice. Also, there are a lot of good hikes in the mountains surrounding Tucson.

I have a question for someone who has experience with evaporative cooling. Does it work well enough to be comfortable, or should I only consider places with A/C?

I should add that I will bring a car, so I won't have to live right next to campus or on a bus line.

If I were to come in, say, the middle of August, would there still be reasonable housing options available, or do most places get rented out earlier than that? I would rather not make a separate trip to Tucson just to find housing, and I definitely would not want to rent a place without seeing it first. Would the graduate housing at the UofA be a decent alternative, just for my first year? All advice would be appreciated.