No Jobs in Lake Havasu !!!! Thinking about Surprise Arizona or ST George Utah were would be the best ?? (Phoenix: spring break, for sale)

[azmtman]

We Need help, we purchased a home back in 2009 in Lake Havasu AZ and moved here full time about 6 months ago, Lake Havasu I believe is going to take a long long time for it to come around, I am not sure what it is if the city don't want to grow or what it is, the mall is losing business and banks are even moving out of Lake Havasu City.

We moved here from Montana because we wanted a warmer climate but thought that by know things would turn around and their would be some jobs here, but I am thinking it is going to be years before Lake Havasu ever comes around if it ever does.

So we are thinking about moving to Surprise AZ or St George Utah ? The question is how are these towns doing ? We want to live some where that you can find work. My Wife is a CNA and I am in sales.

What want to live some where that you can enjoy the outdoors we love to go boating, hiking, biking and enjoy the outdoors, it sounds like both these cities have this. We would like to live somewhere where their isn't much crime how is the crime in these areas ?

How is the jobs in St George ? How is jobs in Surprise can a person find CNA Jobs & Sales Jobs right in or around Surprise ?

How is Crime in St George ? How is crime in Surprise ?

Is their lots of hiking, biking, or boating around Surprise ? Is their lots of hiking, biking and boating around St. George ?

Lastly how is the economy doing in Surprise ? How is the economy doing in St George ? (here is Lake Havasu, business are closing nothing new is coming in, and hardly anything can stay open, the mall looks like a ghost town !)

Any help on these areas would really help us we need to move but don't want to make another mistake .
Thanks

[jamies]

St. George is doing well, IF you are a Mormon. Lake Havassu is one of the ends of the earth, that is why it's not doing well. The only people who go there are boaters in the summer and kids at spring break.

There is no crime in St. George. Mormons don't tolerate it. I didn't think there was much crime in Havassu? Try Vegas if you want to see crime.

A CNA should be able to find work in Mojave county. As for sales, not so much. Might be able to sell rattlesnakes to tourists.

[locolobo13]

In my opinion, Surprise is part of the larger Phoenix Metro area. That should mean more job opportunities. If you're willing to commute.

Don't know anything about St. George other than approximate location. But from the location I would expect it to have more hiking opportunities in a cooler climate.

If it were me I would look at job opportunities in both areas before moving. Visit both and see what there is. Both in jobs and outdoors. Then make a decision.

[Jimrob1]

You will do a lot of commuting from Surprise on very inadequate traffic clogged surface streets Yes it is part of Metro Phoenix in the far northwest corner. This is a high volume snowbird area, with numerous large retirement communities. As far as jobs. There is some Medical in the area, including the Del Webb Hospital in Sun City West (which is basically Surprise) and another Banner Hospital at Sun City just down the street. I would say anything else job wise would evolve around retail.

As far as outdoor activities. You will have to travel to some other areas within the state. Other than a small park in Surprise. There is Spring Training for baseball here. I can't say there is much to do here in Surprise, other than getting in the car and driving some miles away. There are the White Tank Mountains nearby, that have hiking in them. I'm going to let others comment on the things to do, since I don't particularly find it a haven for fun places to go. It also depends on one's background and what they are use to. So good luck.

[Steve Pickering]

Your Job Situation will not improve, and I wouldn't count on mild weather in St. George. What is it that makes people who must work for a living choose to move to an area where jobs are tight, and expect to find a job where the locals are not having much luck? If you need to work, utopia hunting is not in the cards. Live where your job is.

[movin out of reno]

The outdoor recreation in Surprise (Phoenix) is better than St. George. Phoenix has lakes and extensive cycling and hiking. I prefer the Sonoran Desert scenery of Surprise to St. George as well. Surprise is at the base of the Bradshaw Mountains and all the wonderful activities it provides. As for job opportunities it all depends on the specific career field.

If the job opportunities were the same I would pick Surprise.

[fennec2009]

Surprise is closer to a diversity of climates. You can find ranch land and forests in a short period of time if you head towards Prescott, as well as Lake Pleasant nearby. However, if you're more interested in southwest scenery, St. George absolutely crushes Surprise as far as outdoor opportunities, scenery, and proximity to National Parks/BLM land/wilderness areas/etc.

St. George was growing extremely fast 10 years ago but as far as I know the recession pretty much put an end to that. There is a regional medical center there and some doctors, but it's a metro area only 1/50 the size of Phoenix.

Your question intrigued me so I googled it and found this article from Sep 2012. http://www.reviewjournal.com/jane-ann-morrison/st-george-utah-stirred-rebounding-economic-activity. Sounds like it would be a definite improvement over Lake Havasu for you.

[MarciaMarciaMarcia]

I smiled to myself when I read your post because my parents have homes in both Surprise and St. George. They prefer St George as the weather is better for them. Temps are about 10degrees cooler than Surprise. It is high desert so any snow they get in winter melts quickly. The medical care is first rate and there hospital has been rated of he best in the western US.

Many parts of St George are red rock landscape and I refer to it as a mini Sedona. The city is putting in walking/biking trails that will circle the entire area. The people are very friendly even if you are not Mormon. We are not by the way.

I can't comment on the job situation but a little research shouldn't be too difficult.

I live in Surprise myself and like it very much and I will love it even more when the 303 construction is finished. As another person wrote if you have any skills pertaining to healthcare there are jobs to be had in Surprise/Sun City.

[surfcat2000]

I moved to Utah in 1980 for a few years and I'm still here. St. George is beautiful with Zion Bryce, Grand Canyon Brianhead and Lake Powell all available. I live in Parowan up at 6,000 ' at the base of Brianhead ski area. Personally I would prefer St George over Arizona for a senior lifestyle because of the active life and the red rock desert. That being said. I had to create my own business twice to live. I built a radio station and later storage units and both were very slow in the beginning. I think the opportunities are here if you hustle, for a good future but it takes work. I think the wages in Cedar City and St. George are comparable (low) but Cedar has more industry and the University. I'm not LDS but that has never come into play with our businesses. I spend the summers in Minnesota so we are considering a Lake Havasu home to get out of the winter snow and closer to water activities in the off months. If you like to Jeep or 4 wheel The backcountry here is nice too. I don't think one place has it all but hey it's a adventure

[corydon]

It is a good thing, no jobs in LHC. The place would be bigger than Phoenix.... I thought it was general knowledge that the jobs are in Phoenix.