Life In Arizona: Expectations Vs. Reality

EXPECTATION: Arizona is drying up. REALITY: SRP and CAP have you covered.

EXPECTATION: It's so hot that things literally burst into flames.

thinkstockphotos.com

REALITY: Summers are hot, but not that hot.

Rubber incinerates at around 260 degrees Fahrenheit, and it only gets to around 259 degrees in Arizona the summer, so this one is probably not true...probably.

EXPECTATION: Everything in Arizona is ugly and brown.

REALITY: Half the state is covered in pine trees and mountains, which are both very beautiful and colorful.

EXPECTATION: There are poisonous rattlesnakes everywhere!

REALITY: This is true, except that instead of poisonous snakes, they're tiny harmless lizards who do push-ups on the wall in your backyard.

Y'all snakes better stick to the open desert, where snakes belong!

EXPECTATION: Everyone has a pool.

REALITY: Not everyone has a pool...but everyone knows someone who has a pool.

Or has a neighbor with a pool who goes out of town for a couple of weeks every summer and asks you to keep an eye on their place, and then when they return from their vacation you say, "Welcome back, Jim! Everything was fine, and I definitely did not have a pool party in your backyard every single day."

EXPECTATION: You can literally fry an egg on the sidewalk in Arizona.

REALITY: OK, this one's actually true.

But hey, who doesn't love eggs?

EXPECTATION: Scorpions are sleeping in your shoes every night.

REALITY: Nothing could survive inside your shoes, let alone get a good night's sleep.

Kinda makes you feel bad for scorpions, right?

EXPECTATION: It never rains in Arizona.

REALITY: It doesn't rain. It storms.

For about 20 minutes every night for six to eight weeks at the end of summer, which causes people to COMPLETELY FORGET HOW TO DRIVE A FREAKIN' CAR.

EXPECTATION: Coyotes want to destroy everything you own.

REALITY: They're actually just animals that live in the same region as you.

Also, coyote pups are THE CUTEST CREATURES EVER!!!

EXPECTATION: The only thing to do in Arizona is play golf.

REALITY: There's plenty to do on a golf course besides playing golf.

EXPECTATION: It never snows in Arizona.

REALITY: Yes it does! It's that white stuff we ski on every single winter, in one of Arizona's many quality ski resorts.

EXPECTATION: Arizona sunsets are pretty.

REALITY: Arizona sunsets are freakin' BREATHTAKING.

Get lost, Instagram filters. You're not needed here.

EXPECTATION: The Valley is drying up!

REALITY: The Valley is actually really good at managing its water supply.

When you live in a desert, water conservation is just second nature, like driving without touching the steering wheel, or owning 387 pairs of sunglasses.

We're prepared for water shortages in the Valley, because SRP and CAP are looking out for you!

All images provided courtesy of Thinkstockphotos