Prescott vs Payson? (mortgage, loan, home)

[Code Stemi]

Originally Posted by mddd

Try checking out Chaparral Pines or The Rim community in Payson.
Although almost in town, much different feel. Very upscale.
Two ranked golf courses, clubhouses.
Payson better climate, trees, closer to valley and Scottsdale.

How does Payson have better climate and trees? What do you mean by that

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by chahunt

How does Payson have better climate and trees? What do you mean by that

Payson gets more rain in the summer than Prescott so despite being at 5k feet, there are plenty of pine trees there which Prescott doesn't have

[Code Stemi]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

Payson gets more rain in the summer than Prescott so despite being at 5k feet, there are plenty of pine trees there which Prescott doesn't have

Actually, if you follow the Wikipedia link, and compare it to Prescott under the ‘climate’ section, it is in fact Prescott that receives more summer rain than Payson does. They are similar averages but if technical, Prescott receives more summer rainfall on average. Payson is the winner for winter precipitation. Perhaps that’s why there are more pines and greenery.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payson,_Arizona

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by flint8ball

I like both. I'm actually going to be selling our cabin in the Walker area of Prescott (in the pines) this week. Love it, but it's a long drive from Yuma. Can't justify it anymore. The property values are soaring.

We just bought a 2 acre piece of land in Walker to build a log cabin.

[HX_Guy]

Voting for Prescott, or actually about 15 min south in Walker. 6,300 elevation so beautiful weather and lots of tall pines. Prescott itself is much nicer looking as a city than Payson in my opinion, love their downtown and old courthouse. Also for us, it’s only 1.5 hours since we live in NW Phoenix whereas Prescott is 2 hours away.

[Zoney]

Payson is the gateway to higher country and outdoor destinations, which is why 87 on the south end of town and 260 on the east end of town are lined with an ever-growing selection of fast food restaurants.

Prescott on the other hand is basically the "top of the hill" as it were, settlement-wise, with the majority of surrounding towns lying at lower elevations.

Payson is seeing today many of the traffic problems Prescott saw in the 90's: The one route through town gets completely clogged on the weekends with travelers. These problems got addressed in Prescott in the early 2000's as more shopping and entertainment destinations were built out to the east, more roads were built, interchanges rebuilt, and traffic patterns tweaked to take pressure off.

Prescott has the courthouse square, whiskey row, two casinos close to downtown, and a bunch of different neighborhoods and suburbs, all with different looks and vibes.

In Payson, the mantra of "retirees and rednecks" basically holds true.

Personally I'm not sure what I would do for work in either city; if I could live comfortably I would move up to either one in a heartbeat.

For many years I was all about Payson. As I've gotten older, I've come to like my Costco, Chain Restaurants, and other amenities, and it seems like Prescott as a whole has gotten past its growing pains, so today my first choice would definitely be Prescott!

[HTY483]

Prescott definitely has more amenities but all that comes with a price. A house in Payson is going to be $50k-$75k cheaper then a comparable house in Prescott.

[Oklazona Bound]

Originally Posted by chahunt

How does Payson have better climate and trees? What do you mean by that

I have visited both places several times. Prescott is in a high desert. Whereas Payson is right on the edge of pine forests. Has more of a Flagstaff feel to it. It is much greener.

[Code Stemi]

Originally Posted by Oklazona Bound

I have visited both places several times. Prescott is in a high desert. Whereas Payson is right on the edge of pine forests. Has more of a Flagstaff feel to it. It is much greener.

Yes. Am curious as to why/how. Payson is lower elevation. Just nerdy and find it interesting.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by chahunt

Yes. Am curious as to why/how. Payson is lower elevation. Just nerdy and find it interesting.

Payson is at the foot of the Rim and surrounded by Tonto National Forest and Apache-Sitegreaves National Forest. Most of Payson is more juniper pines until you get past it on H260 and up onto the Rim.

Prescott is sitting outside the Prescott National Forest north of Mt. Union. South and West Prescott gets up into the trees where most of it is in the transition area to desert, i.e. High Plains.

As far as why Payson is more green than Prescott? Payson benefits from the weather patterns off of the Rim and the cold air/warm air mixture that happens there. Prescott does not so even though it is higher in elevation, it doesn't get the cooler air that blows off of the Rim (7500'+ elevation). There can be a 10° difference between the north and south side of the Town of Payson.

At least this is my assumption. Just really different as far as which climate zone they fall in.