Arizona City by City (Phoenix, Tucson: lawyer, homes, find a job)

[SweetpeaMcZ]

I love this idea! I'm sick of just reading the bad stuff !! anyone got any info on Bullhead City?

[mon_cheree]

I lived in Lake Havasu at one time. We relocated there from the Verde Valley area. I absolutely hated it!! I think that if you are young and love to party this area would be great for you. If you are retired... this area would be great for you as well. However, if you are raising children I would not reccomend Bullhead City at all. It is "dirty" in general. The summers are outrageously HOT... I am an Arizona native... and I could barely tolerate the heat in the Bullhead City/Lake Havasu area. GOOD jobs are few and far between.

[xenaswolf]

Any info on Yuma?

[Heidik]

Would be very interested to see something from someone in Flagstaff. Prescott (which was covered) and Flagstaff are the two main cities I would consider relocating to from Coeur d'Alene, ID.

Can anyone recommend any other areas, maybe something near Sedona?

Looking for a city that does not have extreme heat like Phoenix & Tucson, not small but not large, okay for snow in the winter as long as it melts off quickly (unlike ID), easy access to lakes or rivers, good job market with a reasonable commute, affordable housing, arts and culture and a good singles scene for the over 35 crowd. Oh, and good stores to buy healthy foods like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc.

Any/all info. is greatly appreciated.

[Nite_Owl]

Anyone have any information on La Paz County?

[hg_emily]

I would love info on Mesa, it doesn't look like anyone has done that one, yet. Thank you everyone for your posts! Very informative!

[QUNITIS1]

Bullhead city:

We have several small communities in the Bullhead City local. There is Fort Mohave, Mohave Valley, An area past the air port, Topock, Golden shores, Oatman.

Bullhead City is the older area and not as nice. The Riveara area in BHC is the gang ridden area you want to avoid. Along the Parkway in BHC is nice new homes areas. Fort Mohave is the wealthier and cleaner area. It has all the newer homes and newer better grocery stores. Schools are better there as well.

Mohave Valley, Golden Shores, Topock are poorer communities and have a tendency to be real rough people. Hells Anges used to control the area, not anymore.

In BHC there is a Walmart, Kmart, Penny's, Lowes, Home Depot, grocery stores, Bars, and some places to eat. Low income not the best.

In Fort Mohave, we have Target, Kohls, grocery stores, will have Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Petco. Nice luxury homes and many econimical homes.

Hope this helps

Mark

[mod] no posting of personal websites [/mod]

[azgirl85220]

Originally Posted by hg_emily

I would love info on Mesa, it doesn't look like anyone has done that one, yet. Thank you everyone for your posts! Very informative!

Mesa is a great city. My sister lives there and loves it. They have soooo many stores. I've never been to a place that had so many different stores in one town.

[David_H007]

Prescott

I have lived in Prescott for 2 years now and I am living in July. Apartment are affordable, I pay 637 for a 2 bedroom apartment. It's really hard to meet new people here though because it seems like most people are from california and they already got their family and lives happening. I'm not a big fan of prescott, but at the same time it is a pretty town. It just takes time to grow into it. I choose Flagstaff over Prescott any day. People are a little more friendly in Flagstaff, and downtown is awsome. In both towns I have to admitt there are no job oppertunities. I work in the health care profession so it doesn't effect me much, but if I wasn't then it would be very difficult to find a job that pays. Prescott Valley is growing. There is everything you need in Prescott and Prescott Valley, so you would probably never have a reason to have to go down to Phoenix. I would give Prescott a 3.5 out of 5. It's a comfortable town, just not much to do for a 26 year old.

[breer23]

Originally Posted by Heidik

Would be very interested to see something from someone in Flagstaff. Prescott (which was covered) and Flagstaff are the two main cities I would consider relocating to from Coeur d'Alene, ID.

Can anyone recommend any other areas, maybe something near Sedona?

There are a few posts about Flagstaff earlier in this thread that address most of the issues that you've asked about.

Looking for a city that does not have extreme heat like Phoenix & Tucson, not small but not large, okay for snow in the winter as long as it melts off quickly (unlike ID), easy access to lakes or rivers, good job market with a reasonable commute, affordable housing, arts and culture and a good singles scene for the over 35 crowd. Oh, and good stores to buy healthy foods like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc.

Any/all info. is greatly appreciated.

To sum up, Flagstaff is a beautiful city but very expensive. Purchasing a house can be prohibitively expensive unless you are well-off or have a well-paying job. If you work at one of the major employers (Gore, NAU) or are a doctor, this may not be as much of an issue.

Flagstaff has several stores to purchase organic foods (farmers market, New Horizons), but no major chain stores to that end (i.e. Whole Foods) - they are located in Phoenix.

Outdoor activities involving rivers/lakes are somewhat limited (within a reasonable commute), but there is a plethora of hiking, biking and skiing opportunities. The San Francisco Peaks (located about 20 minutes north of Flag) offer some of the best hiking, and the only skiing, in the area. And of course, the Grand Canyon is only 90 minutes away.

I lived in Flagstaff for 2 years as an older graduate student (around age 30) and the local singles scene was somewhat lacking, being that Flagstaff feels more like a college town, so the singles are more in their mid-20's. There are still some opportunities there - I should know, I met my wife there, but we met the old-fashioned way...at a bar.

Best of luck!