Former Colorado people living in Arizona? (Flagstaff, Sun City: 2015, garden, airport)

[HTY483]

Well first and foremost, you cannot equate the Phoenix area with the rest of Arizona. Prescott, Cottonwood/Verde Valley, Payson and Show Low/Pinetop are very very different culturally as well as from a climate and ecosystem standpoint when compared to Phoenix. Even Tucson is different then Phoenix and I consider it to be more of a true southwest style city whereas, to me anyway, Phoenix is like a mini L.A. with crappier weather and less culture, though Phoenix and Tucson do share a similar climate and landscape.


Most of what I miss about Denver is the weather and the people. I seemed to make friends more easily when I lived there whereas that has not been the case since I moved back to the Phoenix area. But others may disagree and it may have more to do with my personality, don't know.

[theoaks]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Comparing central AZ (Prescott Valley, Sedona, Cottonwood) to northern CO (Fort Collins, Loveland), central AZ has the potential to become an affluent area for new jobs, IT, professional careers etc. I don't know what's holding up the area to become big. Those areas in particular cannot attract retirees forever, they should diversify its economy.

Prescott and PV can easily grow to 200k to 500k people if it wants to.

Prescott, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, will likely never be high tech hubs as that does not appear to be the Department of State Land's goal to auction off lands for such purposes. At least, they haven't done so yet. Kind of like Bend, Oregon where the State of Oregon controls the size of every city and they haven't let Bend expand for 10 years.

As for Phoenix, or in Riverside County, CA, now that's a different story. That is where the State concentrates its high tech growth. Whether that will ever change and include the areas you mention, I have no idea, except that Arizona, and Oregon, are heavily planned from their respective state capitals. In California and New Mexico, individual cities and counties do their own planning. Such as Riverside County creating huge new cities like Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, the combined census pop for those cities and vicinity is now 500K, which is what you suggested above that Prescott could grow to.

Arizona's state lands are tied up as grazing leases until they are auctioned off.

Ft. Collins, Boulder, etc. the lands are largely privately owned, so they have become high tech meccas due to market forces. Same with Riverside and San Bernardino Counties which are attracting companies from coastal CA. Same also with lands surrounding Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, NM - all the lands are privately owned.

[Salpointe59]

Hi. I was born in Yuma, Colorado a few weeks prior to Pearl Harbor. On Dec 8th 1941 he and half of Yuma waited in a block long line to enlist. While he was gone (82nd Airborne) My Mom and I lived in Sterling (her home). He was injured badly in a Glider crash on D Day (Three uncles were killed that day, all from Colorado) In 1946 he was taken to the VA hospital in Hot Springs, S Dak. We stayed 6 years but spent every summer in Colorado. So, historically my Mom's family were German immigrants who at one time in Austria were Jews but became Catholics on the boat to Ellis Island in 1896. They were among th huge number of German immigrants to the farm areas of Colorado.
My Dad's family were ral pioneers, my Grandfather came to the farming community of Fleming in 1880 by covered wagon from Vermillion, County, Indiana. Family records show that his father was killed at Nashville during the Civil War. So my G father was born in 1864, his father was on wounded leave from the 85th Indiana Infantry. Most of my relatives live in Sterling. I haven't been back since 1959. I do have a close cousin who lives in Sierra Vista also, we are both retired military.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by theoaks

Prescott, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, will likely never be high tech hubs as that does not appear to be the Department of State Land's goal to auction off lands for such purposes. At least, they haven't done so yet. Kind of like Bend, Oregon where the State of Oregon controls the size of every city and they haven't let Bend expand for 10 years.

As for Phoenix, or in Riverside County, CA, now that's a different story. That is where the State concentrates its high tech growth. Whether that will ever change and include the areas you mention, I have no idea, except that Arizona, and Oregon, are heavily planned from their respective state capitals. In California and New Mexico, individual cities and counties do their own planning. Such as Riverside County creating huge new cities like Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, the combined census pop for those cities and vicinity is now 500K, which is what you suggested above that Prescott could grow to.

Arizona's state lands are tied up as grazing leases until they are auctioned off.

Ft. Collins, Boulder, etc. the lands are largely privately owned, so they have become high tech meccas due to market forces. Same with Riverside and San Bernardino Counties which are attracting companies from coastal CA. Same also with lands surrounding Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, NM - all the lands are privately owned.

This is a good post.

[theoaks]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

This is a good post.

Do you think Arizona's great master plans will ever include more development near Prescott and Flag ?

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by theoaks

Do you think Arizona's great master plans will ever include more development near Prescott and Flag ?

Development as in SFH sure, high end employment and growth approaching 500k never. Growth in AZ is concentrated in the Phoenix area by design. Some of its water, some of its the fact that Phoenix is our center for educated people, most of its politics because it's the capital and is a giant in the state.

If you ever live in one of Arizonas other metropolitan areas, the common complaint is that the State ignores them. For example the Arizona Supreme Court is [not so] affectionately referred to as the Maricopa Supreme Court.

[Hschlick84]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

If you ever live in one of Arizonas other metropolitan areas, the common complaint is that the State ignores them. For example the Arizona Supreme Court is [not so] affectionately referred to as the Maricopa Supreme Court.

A lot of states with big centralized cities are like that. In Denver, the city itself runs the state, western slope (Grand Junction, Montrose) almost gets no representation.

Northern AZ probably has more in common with southern Utah, western CO and northwest NM than Phoenix and Tucson when it comes to demographics, politics.

[theoaks]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

A lot of states with big centralized cities are like that. In Denver, the city itself runs the state, western slope (Grand Junction, Montrose) almost gets no representation.

Northern AZ probably has more in common with southern Utah, western CO and northwest NM than Phoenix and Tucson when it comes to demographics, politics.

Great point.

Yes, for both demographics and politics.

Durango and the more expensive ski areas are an exception, with connections to Denver, Texas and the Midwest.

LDS missionaries in flagstaff told me that one third of NAU students are from Utah.

Upon graduation, some nau students like to go to Durango, although the city itself is not run by the LDS, but many western Colorado cities are.

On the other hand, census maps show that most folks who retire in Prescott are from California, fewer from elsewhere!

[theoaks]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

A lot of states with big centralized cities are like that. In Denver, the city itself runs the state, western slope (Grand Junction, Montrose) almost gets no representation.

Northern AZ probably has more in common with southern Utah, western CO and northwest NM than Phoenix and Tucson when it comes to demographics, politics.

Portland, essentially runs all of Oregon. Well...not quite, Salem, the state capital does....

[infocyde]

As to growth in the Prescott area, Prescott itself is kind of hemmed in land wise as others have pointed out. The surrounding area though is not, and I know Prescott Valley had huge plans for growth in the 90ies but there isn't an economy to support that growth so it has slowed down. Most of the growth is with, as others have pointed out, California retirees with the median age now 56 and rising in the area. As to the area ever being a tech hub I really doubt that will happen. Prescott is too far from a major airport and it does not the type of hip culture that would attract young techies...other factors are missing as well...but you never know.

It seems like the Prescott area is very comparable to a mini Colorado Springs...it is just slightly warmer but the topology and climate in general seem very similar from what I've researched. As Prescott grays out I'm actually toying with moving to Colorado Springs in a few years. Like I said the Prescott area does not have the cool culture to attract (and in my case keep) techies...