Done with the desert (Phoenix, Tempe: sales, real estate, house)

[tizherself]

Here's the lowdown-

I've lived in the Palm Springs area for over 12 years now. Though I've enjoyed it, it's time to get out! The summer heat had always been an acceptable price to pay for the locals-friendly, scenic, " best of small town mixed with resort town" living I've enjoyed here. But now it is getting way too expensive to just get by and the small town friendliness is quickly dissapating. So. Cal is just not going to get any better for the working middle class and our goal for 2008 is to relocate.

We had originally been looking at Flagstaff. We were enchanted by it's cool, green mountain scenery, the sense of history, local events, the university, the friendly laid back attitudes of the people we met and the sense of community we seemed to see during our expeditions there. But the forums here really exposed alot of negative information. Start from scratch.

We have one son getting ready to start college, and three high school age kids. My main work experience is in medical front office and hospital admissions/registration. I also have tour guide, concierge experience. My husband has extensive experience in radio and also in european auto sales.

Our ideal is a non-desert town, not a big city, but within a reasonable commute to hospital/medical facilities, schools, enough activities to interest high school/college age students, and with a nice sense of community. An area that offers outdoor/wilderness recreation would be preferable.

Dream on right??
Well, I'm here to pick brains because of the impressive number of people who seem to be well-versed and willing to share that knowledge on this site.

Any help?

[Stumblina]

I don't think you should be posting on the Arizona forum. Maybe something out east or midwest?

[tizherself]

I was hoping for somewhere in the Arizona/Nevada area 'cause we want to stay in driving distance of my mother in law who has recently developed some health issues

[vegaspilgrim]

The entire southwest is one big desert, pretty much. I was going to say Flagstaff too-- I don't think you should rule out Flag so fast. Other ideas: perhaps somewhere in Oregon might fit the bill for you-- a college town like Eugene? That would be a change of climate and scenery for you! What about a place in northern California-- Chico or Redding? Or maybe Reno, NV (or Carson City) or Boise, ID? Or somewhere in Colorado-- Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins perhaps? All have dry climates, and can be hot in the summer, but much cooler than Palm Springs. In any case, I would suggest waiting till your kids graduate high school before you make a move.

[Gretchen B]

Tizherself - you're going to find positives and negatives about any town that you might consider for relocation. A lot depends on what you personally are looking for in a community. A smaller town that might be a nightmare to a former city dweller might be someone else's paradise.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of the posters on the forum use it as a means to vent their frustrations and complaints. You're always going to hear at least 2 to 5 negative comments for every positive comment you'll get. For that reason - if you've found Flagstaff to be to your liking in the past, I'd at least check it out further on your own, and not just rely on what you hear on the forum. Visit the town for an extended period and strike up some conversations with some of the locals. You might end up either deciding it really is the place for you, or else crossing it off your list of possibilities . . . but at least you will have made your decision based on your own opinions rather than someone else's.

As far as other towns in Arizona that might come close to your requirements, maybe Sedona, Payson, or Prescott. Prescott definitely has the openings for people in the medical fields - they're building new medical facilities right and left, including a new hospital. Don't know about the European car sales - no dealerships up here that I'm aware of.

VegasPilgrim mentioned Fort Collins - I personally love that town, although it's hardly small - it has a lot to offer. Or what about Reno or someplace in northern California?

[ibarrio]

Reno , Santa Fe, Ruidoso, NM

[tizherself]

Wow, SO glad to have found this site!! Thanks to all!
I guess when I was talking about "desert" I had the blistering hot summers and treeless landscapes of places like Palm Springs, Phoenix, etc. in mind. I am going to be busy this weekend with all of these wonderful suggestions. I do want to check out Eugene and Boise now that you mention it. I did have a huge tug towards Flag, and was so pleased with the atmosphere there, but I will check out Payson and Prescott too! (thanks for the info on the medical community!) Funny enough, my daughter is chomping at the bit to be out of Palm Springs, the sooner the better for her. One of the things about Flag that I liked is that it seemed to have alot of outdoors stuff for her and my youngest, she's also into folk art and seemed to see alot of it up there. Flag also seemed to have a nice little music scene for my oldest who is into drumming. It was driving distance from family in Snowflake, Phoenix and Kingman. And I was glad to have NAU right there.
Opinion - do any of you think that expenses in Flag would be shocking compared to what it's like here in So Cal ? (Palm Springs is a resort town too....) Would it be an improvement at all, or the same or worse???

[Gretchen B]

I haven't heard any recent news about the housing market in Flag. It used to be the highest housing costs in northern AZ. Of course, Sedona is high, but even there I think the smaller homes were a little less than Flagstaff. Maybe prices have started to fall in Flag like they have elsewhere. I know here in Prescott/Prescott Valley prices are coming down. You can definitely buy more house for your money now than you could even a few months ago. Maybe Flag is the same way.

[vegaspilgrim]

Flagstaff is the kind of town that grows on you. The first few times I went through, passing through on road trips from Denver to Phoenix, I wasn't too impressed. It's a major railroad town and truckstop, with trains coming and going every few minutes, which can be very noisy. There are several major observatories in the area, so the town has a dark-sky ordinance and uses those yellow sodium vapor lights, which makes it feel eerily dark at night (although now that I think about it, that's a good thing-- being able to see the stars at night!). Once we got stuck years ago in a snowstorm on I-40, within Flagstaff city limits-- we were stuck there on the highway for hours (in general, AZ does a bad job of plowing the snow). At times, the town can feel kind of "dumpy" (a lot of people drive around junker cars and such), even though the cost of living there is very high. There is a huge native American population up there, since the town is right by several reservations, and serves as the commercial center for most of the NE corner of AZ (which is 100% Indian reservation land). I'd recommend visiting the Museum of Northern Arizona to learn more about their culture.

Since I've moved to Tempe, I've visited Flagstaff a couple of times recently and I'm starting to like it more and more. The downtown is really nice, with a lot of historic buildings, a lot of good restaurants, tons of people walking around, etc. It is by far the best looking, most intact downtown in Arizona. I've walked around NAU a couple of times, and while it doesn't have much of a reputation nationally (truthfully, it has NO reputation outside of AZ), I think it's a good place to go to school. Sometimes I wish I went there! The NAU student body is very laid back and friendly. Most people there, from what I can tell, are happy to go to NAU. The campus, while not stellar looking, is attractive enough, and is growing. Humphreys Peak is right nearby, with great hiking trails. There's a ski area (Arizona Snowbowl), although the last few years they've hardly been open at all. Flagstaff is a DYNAMITE location if you like taking roadtrips. The Grand Canyon is a little more than an hour away. Climate is very subjective, some like it hot, some like it cold, but I personally think Flagstaff has a great climate. Cold in the winter (by Arizona standards) but sunny year round.

Overall, I really like Flagstaff (I'd say it's my favorite town in AZ). I'll give it a thumb and a half up. Main drawback is cost of living is very high (real estate is only slightly cheaper than CA-- but not by much) and jobs are scarce.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Flagstaff is the kind of town that grows on you. The first few times I went through, passing through on road trips from Denver to Phoenix, I wasn't too impressed. It's a major railroad town and truckstop, with trains coming and going every few minutes, which can be very noisy. There are several major observatories in the area, so the town has a dark-sky ordinance and uses those yellow sodium vapor lights, which makes it feel eerily dark at night (although now that I think about it, that's a good thing-- being able to see the stars at night!). Once we got stuck years ago in a snowstorm on I-40, within Flagstaff city limits-- we were stuck there on the highway for hours (in general, AZ does a bad job of plowing the snow). At times, the town can feel kind of "dumpy" (a lot of people drive around junker cars and such), even though the cost of living there is very high. There is a huge native American population up there, since the town is right by several reservations, and serves as the commercial center for most of the NE corner of AZ (which is 100% Indian reservation land). I'd recommend visiting the Museum of Northern Arizona to learn more about their culture.

Since I've moved to Tempe, I've visited Flagstaff a couple of times recently and I'm starting to like it more and more. The downtown is really nice, with a lot of historic buildings, a lot of good restaurants, tons of people walking around, etc. It is by far the best looking, most intact downtown in Arizona. I've walked around NAU a couple of times, and while it doesn't have much of a reputation nationally (truthfully, it has NO reputation outside of AZ), I think it's a good place to go to school. Sometimes I wish I went there! The NAU student body is very laid back and friendly. Most people there, from what I can tell, are happy to go to NAU. The campus, while not stellar looking, is attractive enough, and is growing. Humphreys Peak is right nearby, with great hiking trails. There's a ski area (Arizona Snowbowl), although the last few years they've hardly been open at all. Flagstaff is a DYNAMITE location if you like taking roadtrips. The Grand Canyon is a little more than an hour away. Climate is very subjective, some like it hot, some like it cold, but I personally think Flagstaff has a great climate. Cold in the winter (by Arizona standards) but sunny year round.

Overall, I really like Flagstaff (I'd say it's my favorite town in AZ). I'll give it a thumb and a half up. Main drawback is cost of living is very high (real estate is only slightly cheaper than CA-- but not by much) and jobs are scarce.

As vegaspilgrim described. Note the January low temps are colder than NYC, Boston, etc. It has been known to hit -24F in Flag.