Yuma, Here We Come!
Facts about Yuma, Arizona. One of the Most Popular Snowbird Destinations
Hot, dusty, dry and up to 120 degrees in the shade. Not very inviting, you say. Well, that’s the summer. Fall and winter are a different story. . .
Yuma has an average temperature of 80 degrees during the fall and winter months making this the perfect climate to spend a few months dodging rain and snow elsewhere. The beautiful Colorado River runs through Yuma, and there’s more than 380 species of birds to enjoy. It is said that Yuma enjoys the best winter weather in the country and judging by the number of Snowbirds that come each fall and winter, it must be true.
Yuma is in the Sonoran Desert in Southwestern, Arizona. It is the third fastest growing city in the U.S. right now. There are just over 60,000 inhabitants, and this number doubles or triples when the Snowbirds come for the winter.
The Yuma valley has some of the most fertile soils in the world, having received silt and mineral deposits from the Colorado and Gila River floods until the rivers were tamed by an intricate series of dams and canals. The Gila and the Colorado are the two most historic rivers in the Southwest. The National Park Service declared the downtown Yuma area a National Heritage Area in 2000. There are 23 such areas nationwide, but Yuma is one of only two west of the Mississippi. Farming, cattle and tourism and two military bases are Yuma’s main industries. Yuma is also the country’s highest producer of winter vegetables, especially lettuce.
Some of the major attractions around the Yuma area include the historical Territorial Prison, the Yuma Crossing Historic Park, the Kofa Mountain Range and Wildlife Refuge and Martinez and Mittry Lakes. Yuma is bordered by California to the West and Mexico to the South. Living close to the Mexican border offers a great opportunity for multi-cultural and international business opportunities as well as short trips to some of Mexico’s beautiful beaches.
Arizona Western College (AWC) is located in Yuma. A two-year community college, it offers higher education to full-time and part-time on-campus and off-campus students. AWC shares its campus with a satellite campus of Northern Arizona University (NAU), and offers a variety of two year, four year and postgraduate programs.
On the day after Christmas, my traveling companion and I are leaving rainy Oregon for warm, sunny and dry Yuma, Arizona. This is our first Snowbird experience. We are new RV’ers who now live full time in a 34′ class A Motor home – two women Baby Boomers, a very small Yorkie, and all our things. Neither of us has ever been to Yuma. We picked it because it is sunny, warm and dry and is close to San Diego and Mexico. We have no idea what we will find, where we will stay and what we will do while there. To us, that’s part of the fun of this new life we are beginning.
Since I am an artist, I am looking forward to Yuma’s art Community. As one brochure states, “At the heart of the historic sections of town, along the pedestrian mall of Main Street, there sits the single best community art center in the state.” A six million dollar art center was built in 2004. About 19,000 people have been to the museum since it opened. The arts are growing in the city. The art museum occupies three galleries in the art center, and the Yuma Community Theater regularly sells out performances at the old theater. There are two ballet companies and an orchestra society that keeps an orchestra going, a pops orchestra and a youth symphony.
Yuma has hundreds of RV parks. My big job now is to research parks to find one that meets our requirements. I just bought a PC card and can now get wireless wherever I go, but my traveling companion needs wireless access too, so that is one consideration. Also, access to cable TV. We now get five very fuzzy local stations only and I’m really looking forward to a clear picture again. I would love a site along the Colorado River but I imagine they are hard to get. I guess we will just go to Yuma, look around and take our chances. I am really looking forward to this new adventure.
