Family relocating...Texas, Arizona or Utah?? (crime, hotel, neighborhoods)

[saffordpastor]

Originally Posted by WYO_BOUND_in2011

No work in Safford or near by.

Truth is there is not much work anywhere right now...but Safford is starting to really look up in the Jobs department...from what I am hearing there will be at least 500 and maybe up to 1000+ jobs opening up at FMI Morenci and Safford in the very near future.
And the whole local economy is starting to perk.....

If you come here you will find LDS influence but not like you would in Utah....(although they are presently finishing a temple here) ...but I have found that MOST of the LDS folks here are fine people.

[Azlifer]

Hello all, I've got an opportunity to transfer in my job from flagstaff to safford. It looks like we're (my wife and 2 girls) gonna jump at it in order to escape the high housing costs, and brutal winters. The hard part for me will be getting used to the heat again, but I find that the older I get, the more appealing extreme warmth is to me. I'm not too familiar with the safford area and need to find a place to rent in the next month. We'll look into buying after we've been there a little while. I've been reading about all of the fishing spots and outdoor recreation opportunities and can hardly wait to get there. A little worried about scorpions and snakes because of the kids, and wondering if certain areas around safford are worse than others for them.

[blmccloud]

We currently live in Sierra Vista, AZ and are looking to relocate to Texas soon. But to give you alittle update of this area... The job market sucks! Looked in paper yesterday and there were only 18 jobs listed most needing alot of experience or degree/certificate, they took PE, Music, & Art out of the elementary schools, took sport out of middle schools, and as of August will be closing 1 of 2 middle schools, and 2 or 3 out of 5 elementary schools! My kids are not happy and my husband can't find work! so, in my opinion Sierra Vista is not doing good!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by FERGUSONFAM5

We will be needing jobs. My husband plans to go ahead of the family to try and find work before we all make the move. We have family in Las Vegas and California...so Arizona is a strong contender due the location. We do not want to be more than a 4-5 hour drive so visiting will still be possilbe. We originally were all for Texas...my husband loved it there, but it is so far away from the grandparents that we started to get a little nervous about that. Utah is lovely and has everything we want...but we are a little afraid of the religious aspect of it. I have nothing against LDS religion...I am just not...and have read things about it on here that make me a little hesitant. With that being said...Arizona seems like a great fit with everything we want. Prescott is just gorgeous...and Chino Valley...does anyone have any information on the schools in these areas and maybe anything regarding youth sports and recreation. Is this more of a retirement area?

If what concerns you about the LDS religion are things you have read here, on an anonymous internet forum, I would not take Utah off your list on that basis. I am not LDS myself, but much of my extended family is. There are areas in Utah, perhaps further south if you want less snow, that would work for you.

Employment will be your biggest challenge. Prescott's lovely, but the job market is poor. Chino Valley is not going to offer a lot of jobs or other infrastructure like youth sports and recreation. What there is of that in that area would be in Prescott.

[phoenixscorpiogirl]

Originally Posted by FERGUSONFAM5

Need advice from anyone who has an opinion or has made a similiar move. We are currently living in California, the Inland Empire, to be exact. My husband and I have been talking about a move for months...but can't seem to agree on where. We have three boys, ages 14, 6 and 2.
Good schools, good community and low crime are very important. A thriving economy would help, although I'm not sure if you will find that anywhere right now. We enjoy the outdoors...hiking, biking, sports. I have a horse and would like to have access to trails for riding. We don't really want to be in a subdivision...we would like to have a little bit of land and open spaces around us.
I don't mind a little snow...in fact that might be nice. Four seasons would be good.
But the most important thing is a place where we can raise our children and call home. Small town...probably better. Someplace where we can make new friends and not feel like outsiders from California.
Does this place exist and if so where is it?????

I lived in SLC UT for a couple years and I wouldnt want to move back. There is a lot more censorship there....as well as lots of Mormons trying to convert. (they used to come knocking at my door at 7 at night)
Pus the winter is not fun, everything is grey, and they do get some bad snowstorms. And in the summer the sun didn't set until about 10 pm...

I also don't feel it is very racially or culturally diverse as here.
Well, it does have a decent job market, and the crime rate is not too high...however the cost of living is higher that say PHX or Tucson.

[beekay21]

Check Camp Verde, Arizona. Easy access to Phoenix,Flagstaff, Payson, Prescott and Sedona. It is in a river valley, so there is some green--especially if the property is irrigated--there are several areas in town with irrigation. Horse properties are available too, and there is a lot of National Forest access for riding and hiking. Schools are rapidly improving, and there are a couple of private/charter schools too. Craigslist and the classified on website like this often have listings. Zillow will also give you an overall picture of any area you are considering. Good luck to you.

[enfinprintemps]

You might consider checking out the hill country area near Austin (Fredericksburg, Marble Falls, even some of the smaller towns closer to the city). The landscape here is picturesque compared to the rest of Texas, people are friendly and laid-back, and the economy is doing fairly well in light of the recession. There are lots of quaint towns with antique shops and farmers markets, among other attractions. There are also a TON of people from California in this area, which means you wouldn't feel that out of place. The abundance of natural springs and parks means that there are a lot of outdoors-y activities such as hiking and rafting.

The only drawback is that prices in the Austin area are a bit higher than the rest of Texas (not sure how they compare to Arizona or Utah), though they're still considerably less than what you're used to in California.

[Squab]

Originally Posted by FERGUSONFAM5

We will be needing jobs. My husband plans to go ahead of the family to try and find work before we all make the move. We have family in Las Vegas and California...so Arizona is a strong contender due the location. We do not want to be more than a 4-5 hour drive so visiting will still be possilbe. We originally were all for Texas...my husband loved it there, but it is so far away from the grandparents that we started to get a little nervous about that. Utah is lovely and has everything we want...but we are a little afraid of the religious aspect of it. I have nothing against LDS religion...I am just not...and have read things about it on here that make me a little hesitant. With that being said...Arizona seems like a great fit with everything we want. Prescott is just gorgeous...and Chino Valley...does anyone have any information on the schools in these areas and maybe anything regarding youth sports and recreation. Is this more of a retirement area?

Why not try the Vegas area since you have family there? There are lots of casinos and maybe you both could find jobs in one of them... It's an interesting place and even has amusement rides at a couple of the hotels..... Plenty of space for a horse so long as you get a place out of town..... Lots of activity going on there. And you could always drive to the grand canyon which is about a three hour drive from there..... And then there's Lake Mead to enjoy as well....

Might be worth checking out......

[EDnurse]

Originally Posted by FERGUSONFAM5

Need advice from anyone who has an opinion or has made a similiar move. We are currently living in California, the Inland Empire, to be exact. My husband and I have been talking about a move for months...but can't seem to agree on where. We have three boys, ages 14, 6 and 2.
Good schools, good community and low crime are very important. A thriving economy would help, although I'm not sure if you will find that anywhere right now. We enjoy the outdoors...hiking, biking, sports. I have a horse and would like to have access to trails for riding. We don't really want to be in a subdivision...we would like to have a little bit of land and open spaces around us.
I don't mind a little snow...in fact that might be nice. Four seasons would be good.
But the most important thing is a place where we can raise our children and call home. Small town...probably better. Someplace where we can make new friends and not feel like outsiders from California.
Does this place exist and if so where is it?????

I have lived in all three states you are considering. If you need jobs, then go to Utah. There are few jobs in jobs in Prescott. I am not LDS, but have lived amongst them. The Mormons won't bother you if you don't bother them. Thus, do not drink alcohol or smoke around them, and do not use foul language around them. Sounds like you will be fine in Utah.

[FERGUSONFAM5]

Thank you...we are actually going to St. George and Hurricane in a few months...have friends in both places that are going to show us around. With every bad thing I read on here about LDS I read something positive as well. Our friends say that they have no problems either and that everyone has been very nice to them. I don't worry about myself...but I do worry about my kids. I would hate to live somewhere they were discriminated against based on religion.