Snowbirds of the south-west
Snowbirds of the south-west
Anybody who drives in Arizona at this time of year will be familiar with the annual migration of “snowbirds”—retired people, that is, seeking to escape the sub-zero temperatures of the north for the balmy desert winter. As many as 300,000 snowbirds flock here each year, so if you haven't seen one before, there’s a good chance that your first encounter with this exotic creature will occur when you find yourself stuck behind a Jayco caravan with Nebraska licence plates doing 40mph on a single-lane highway.
每年在亚利桑那州开车的人都会观察到“雪鸟”迁徙的现象：退休的人们纷纷从低于0度的北方逃来这里，享受亚利桑那州冬天暖和的沙漠气候。每年多达30万只“雪鸟”都会聚集到这里。如果你之前没有遇到过他们，没有关系。当你在只有一股车道的城际公路上堵在一辆挂着内布拉斯加州牌照、以40英里每小时前行的杰克房车后面时，你很有可能就见到这个外来景象了。
Most of Arizona’s snowbirds start their journey in the rural mid-west, travelling in so-called recreational vehicles (RVs) and mobile homes. They tend to be less affluent than the urban north-easterners who make up most of Florida’s winter-resident stock and who favour the more comfortable nesting afforded by condos. Still, the snowbirds bring an extra $1 billion a year to Arizona. In some towns, such as Yuma, which sees its population double in winter, they keep the local economy ticking over.
大多数亚利桑那雪鸟来自西部农村。他们开着所谓的游艺车和拖车式活动房屋而来，本不比大多数冬季住在佛罗里达州更舒服的公寓里的的东北城镇居民更富有。但是他们仍每年都给亚利桑那州带来100万美元的额外收入。在有些城市，比如尤马，冬季人口翻倍，当地收入也不断上涨。
Winter residents occupied 65% of caravan spaces and 37% of mobile home spaces during the last winter. But their occupancy rates have been in decline since the mid-1990s. Mild weather in the north has seen many snowbirds delay their trips, while others may feel reluctant to travel far from home and family in the wake of September 11th.
在去年所有的冬季居民中，有65%的人口居住在房车里，37%的人口居住在拖车式活动房屋里。但是这个比率从二十世纪九十年中期以来就不断下降。其一原因是北方冬季温和的气候使得雪鸟推迟他们的旅行，另一个原因是很多人不愿意在9·11之后离家远行。
Notorious for their thriftiness, snowbirds frequent the parks and diners that offer the best value—hence the ubiquitous roadside offers. Nor are they constrained by state loyalties. Southern New
Anybody who drives in Arizona at this time of year will be familiar with the annual migration of “snowbirds”—retired people, that is, seeking to escape the sub-zero temperatures of the north for the balmy desert winter. As many as 300,000 snowbirds flock here each year, so if you haven't seen one before, there’s a good chance that your first encounter with this exotic creature will occur when you find yourself stuck behind a Jayco caravan with Nebraska licence plates doing 40mph on a single-lane highway.
每年在亚利桑那州开车的人都会观察到“雪鸟”迁徙的现象：退休的人们纷纷从低于0度的北方逃来这里，享受亚利桑那州冬天暖和的沙漠气候。每年多达30万只“雪鸟”都会聚集到这里。如果你之前没有遇到过他们，没有关系。当你在只有一股车道的城际公路上堵在一辆挂着内布拉斯加州牌照、以40英里每小时前行的杰克房车后面时，你很有可能就见到这个外来景象了。
Most of Arizona’s snowbirds start their journey in the rural mid-west, travelling in so-called recreational vehicles (RVs) and mobile homes. They tend to be less affluent than the urban north-easterners who make up most of Florida’s winter-resident stock and who favour the more comfortable nesting afforded by condos. Still, the snowbirds bring an extra $1 billion a year to Arizona. In some towns, such as Yuma, which sees its population double in winter, they keep the local economy ticking over.
大多数亚利桑那雪鸟来自西部农村。他们开着所谓的游艺车和拖车式活动房屋而来，本不比大多数冬季住在佛罗里达州更舒服的公寓里的的东北城镇居民更富有。但是他们仍每年都给亚利桑那州带来100万美元的额外收入。在有些城市，比如尤马，冬季人口翻倍，当地收入也不断上涨。
Winter residents occupied 65% of caravan spaces and 37% of mobile home spaces during the last winter. But their occupancy rates have been in decline since the mid-1990s. Mild weather in the north has seen many snowbirds delay their trips, while others may feel reluctant to travel far from home and family in the wake of September 11th.
在去年所有的冬季居民中，有65%的人口居住在房车里，37%的人口居住在拖车式活动房屋里。但是这个比率从二十世纪九十年中期以来就不断下降。其一原因是北方冬季温和的气候使得雪鸟推迟他们的旅行，另一个原因是很多人不愿意在9·11之后离家远行。
Notorious for their thriftiness, snowbirds frequent the parks and diners that offer the best value—hence the ubiquitous roadside offers. Nor are they constrained by state loyalties. Southern New