Canadian Snowbird All Set for Sought-After Destinations
Yuma is a hot favorite among Canadian snowbirds as it enjoys 91% of annual total daylight
It’s a global phenomenon that India is a favorite winter home destination for most Siberian birds – like Siberian Cranes, Greater Flamingo, and Demoiselle Crane, among others. It’s not only true for the migratory birds but also for the people. As the one living in the regions observes freezing cold conditions in the winter season moves to lesser colder regions to avoid the severity of the scary cold conditions.
A similar phenomenon is observed among the Canadian population as the country observes the harshest freezing cold conditions, especially in the winter season between December to March every year. And they are, in general, known as the Canadian Snowbirds, as the migratory birds escape to warmer places for ease of living.
Similarly, to avoid the freezing winter, people often move their bases to relatively warmer regions like -- Florida, California, Arizona and Hawaii -- in the United States. Besides, the states like South Carolina, New Mexico, Mississippi, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Nevada, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina are also among some of the favorite winter destinations for the Canadian Snowbirds.
However, to become a snowbird is a slightly expensive proposition as the expenses incurred cannot be affordable to one and all. That’s how the term snowbird is often explained as the people who are high-income retirees, generally, those bringing in $75,000 per year or more, according to CoStar Group, a real estate information company, as reported by CNBC. According to the report, these snowbirds remain in these places from 3 to 6 months of the year to avoid the chilly winters.
Arizona: The Sought After Snowbird Destination
Of all the states mentioned above, Arizona seems to be a hands-down winner when it comes to being the sought-after snow-birding location, among various other such places across the US.
Read the story: Here’s what you should know about Snowbird Season
As one can find in the story mentioned above, some of the key factors which go in favour of the Arizona state are Cost of Living, Shun Shines All the Year Long and Crime a Rarity, among other things people consider before deciding to settle for a considerable period of time.
Within Arizona, Yuma city is one of the most sought-after snowbird destinations for it being ‘the Guinness World Records title holder of the Sunniest City on Earth’.
What more one can look for when a place enjoys 91 per cent of total daylight in a year. “Sun time is very essential for the people of all age groups and Yuma being the sunniest city of the Earth, enjoys 91 per cent of total daylight hours throughout the year1,”
The maximum and minimum winter temperature ranges between 49°F and 69°F. “The1 cool season begins from November 21 and ends by February 21 with an average daily temperature remaining under 76°F. However, amid it all, Yuma witnesses its coldest month in December when the average daily low and high temperatures ferries between 49°F and 69°F.”
So, in the light of the above-mentioned facts, it can be safely said that Arizona offers to be one of the best places to live in the winter months. And rightly the state of Arizona appears in most of the searches for safe havens for Canadian Snowbirds.
Moreover, when it comes to snowbirding in Arizona, especially in Yuma, then River’s Edge Assisted Living facility can be one of the best destinations for the age and retired Canadian snowbirds. As spending a substantial time at a relatively new places can be little challenging and it gets multiplied when senior citizen / retired people are in question. As they need a lot of help and support on regular basis to best enjoy the stay and surrounding of the given place. And right there the River’s Edge’s assisted living comes as a perfect solution for the senior citizen set to spend some quality time in the Yuma.
Snowbirding Places:
Yuma may find itself on the top of the listing for favorite snowbirding places in Arizona. However, there are a host of other places/cities which feature on the list of snowbirds. These places are Phoenix & Scottsdale, Mesa, Gilbert, Quartzsite, Glendale, Sun City, Tucson, Sedona and Nevada border towns in Arizona.
If Phoenix is the state capital city and offers all the metro city features and amenities then Scottsdale houses wonderful galleries, museums and artist studios in the Arts District celebrating Old Western and Native art. Mesa, barely 20 miles east of Phoenix, is a very popular snowbird destination among Western Canadians. Gilbert, barely 20-minutes away from Phoenix, offers some breadth-taking attractions like the Superstition Mountains, Tonto National Forest, and Saguaro National Park.
Moreover, if Quartzsite, close to the California border, has a lot of inexpensive and even free camping areas then Glendale is known as the antique capital of Arizona. It also houses the University of Phoenix Stadium which hosted two Super Bowls in the recent past.
What gives Sun City prominence is the fact that it has a very planned golf-centric and leisure-focused adult retirement community which attracts a lot of snowbirds annually. Sedona, a desert town near Flagstaff, is surrounded by pine forests, canyons and red rock formations which make it a paradise for snowbirds loving nature.
Last but not the least, the Canadian Snowbirds over the years have discovered a number of border towns like -- Bullhead City near Laughlin and Lake Havasu City (both on the Colorado River), Fort Mohave and Kingman -- in Arizona that are close to Nevada.
The Snowbirding Cost Factor:
As mentioned earlier, snowbirding is a slightly expensive proposition and if one goes by a recent assessment report curated by the website Kiplinger, then renting in the four states like Arizona, Alabama, Texas and Florida can range from a minimum of $800 (in Alabama, for a Condominium) to a maximum of $12,000 (South Florida for a single-family accommodation).
The detailed breakoff the various renting option as per the states are listed below (as per the Kiplinger):
Arizona: $2,500-$3,500 (C); $3,000-$9,000 (SF)
Alabama: $800-$1,500 (C); $1,000-$2,500 (SF)
Texas: $900-$2,000 (C); $1,400-$2,500 (SF)
Florida (Central): $1,500-$6,000 (C); $2,500-$10,000 (SF)
Florida (East Central Coast): $2,800-$6,000 (C); $3,200-$9,000 (SF)
Florida (Panhandle): $800-$2,200 (C); $1,100-$3,500 (SF)
Florida (South): $2,500-$8,000 (C); $5,000-$12,000 (SF)
Abbreviations: C = Condominium; SF: Single-Family
Condominium: A flat or block of flats owned by the people who live in them
Conclusion:
Snowbirding despite being an expensive proposition, scores of people from Canada head for these relatively warmer places in winter as their favorite escape destinations to avoid the freezing-cold days and spine-chilling severe nights. Moreover, they enjoy the best of the facilities, activities, community gatherings and sports, and other leisure activities while being in the snowbirding escapades.
Moreover, US President Joe Biden has ordered to open the land border from July 8 and accordingly people are making queues to these happy snowbirding destinations which were put on hold for the last two years because of the global covid situation.