Juniper Branch Library At A Glance

Before the Agave Library opened its doors last summer, the Juniper Branch Library was the only place in North Phoenix where bookworms could go to get their literary fix. Juniper is one of 16 branches of the Phoenix Public Library system, all of which are named after native desert plants. What you may not know is that there is much more to the Juniper library than just books!

As a young child, my mother used to take me to the Juniper Branch Library at 19th Avenue and Union Hills Road. Back then the library was a small suite in the northeast corner of the Safeway Plaza where Tutor Time is now located. Then in July of 1996, the Juniper library moved into a brand new building across the street. The new library was fantastic!

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Phoenix Car Show Calendar for January 2010

The New Year is upon us, and that means it's time to start polishing those wheels for car show season! January is prime time for car enthusiasts in Phoenix, because that is when the big collector car auctions come to town. Although the largest auction is in Scottsdale, this year's calendar has events spread throughout the Valley including some non-auction shows as well. Check out the list of Phoenix-area car shows below:

Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event
When: January 18th-24th
Where: WestWorld, Scottsdale, AZ
What: The "World's Greatest Collector Car Event" features special events, a lifestyle pavilion, and of course, thousands of beautiful and unique vehicles for sale in a no-reserve auction format.
Admission: $15-55 daily, $10 after 5pm, other discounts available
Website: www.barrett-jackson.com

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Geologic Hazards: What Arizona Home Buyers Need to Know

According to a recent article on CNN Money, the city of Phoenix has the 3rd highest rate of home foreclosures in the country. The abundance of cheap property is attracting a lot of first-time and investment home buyers. There are a lot of important things to consider when buying a home, but few people ever stop and consider the probability of geologic hazards.

No, I'm not kidding you. While it is true that Arizona is a remarkably safe place to live, that does not mean it is without risk. In fact, the geography and climate of Arizona make it an ideal location for a few very unique types of hazards. Fortunately, the Arizona Geological Survey has published a FREE handbook to alert home buyers of the potential geologic hazards that are common to Arizona.

The Home Buyer's Guide to Geologic Hazards in Arizona is a must-read for home buyers anywhere in Arizona. It alerts buyers to potential dangers such as flooding, soil problems, subsidence cracks, Radon gas, abandoned mines, karst, and earth fissures.

The guide is available as a free download from the Arizona Geological Survey website. Each chapter is split up into Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files for easy viewing and printing.

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Crazy Christmas Light Displays Are A Phoenix Tradition

Have you ever noticed the tendency of Phoenix residents to go overboard with Christmas lights during the winter? Some say it is to compensate for the lack of snow, while others suggest that these people simply have too much time on their hands. Whatever the case, elaborate Christmas light displays are an annual tradition among Phoenix residents.

But of course, you don't want to waste your time looking at a couple of strings of icicle lights dangling from the roof of some guy's garage. You want to see the best light displays in town, and they're all listed here on the North Phoenix Blog!

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Weird Arizona Features Local Legends and More

I've always said that there's more to Arizona than just golf courses and suburban sprawl. If you need proof, just pick up a copy of the book "Weird Arizona."

This book contains some of the greatest local legends and best kept secrets of Arizona's history, and it's all stuff that you won't find in ordinary Arizona travel brochures.

Weird Arizona by Wesley Treat features over 120 stories that cover everything from Roadside Oddities to Unexplained Phenomena. Have you ever wondered about the origins of Meteor Crater, or the gunfight at the OK Corral? What about the famous Phoenix Lights of 1997? They're all in here, along with plenty of other good tales that you may not have heard of before.

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