Considering relocating from UK to Phoenix Arizona (Tucson, Flagstaff: house, neighborhoods)

[DebsSA]

This is just what I was looking for! I am living in the UK - born in Oklahoma originally. Working as a social worker here in Children and Family sector. The older I get the more I am concerned about the quality of life here the UK and the health care etc. Particularly as I have the innate comparison with my childhood in Oklahoma. Also I am drawn to the amount of space, the Santa Fe style, and a return to the American dream to just ‘be’ in a place you love. I love the desert landscapes and this is why I am considering Arizona over returning to Oklahoma. I imagine Arizona feels like a comfortable merge of native American/Spanish – Mexican /American culture.

It is possible, if not likely, that I have idealised notions of Arizona so would be great to hear about the reality. I would be earning under the state median income which is between 45 and 48 K. Does this impact on the quality of life a great deal if you only want the home comforts?
I would be looking for a two three bed property in an artsy kind of area with a little bit of yard – nothing that needs several hours tending a week! Would like to know more about social life - for example I would not want to pine for cultural stimulus so if I wanted to see an art house film, go to a jazz club - or go see a dance production – where does this happen in Phoenix? Don’t get me wrong, I also want a little pick up truck and long horse rides in the country too!

Interested to hear your thoughts.
Oh, and you get used to having no bugs or creepy crawly things in the house in the UK - how does this compare to Arizona - geckos or scorpions in the bath?

[ji603]

Sounds like you're talking New Mexico to me; Santa Fe in particular. Now's a good place to buy a home in AZ if you're buying it for keeps and don't mind the possibility of losing a little equity over the next year or three.

No bugs here in AZ... not having to deal with mosquitos is nice. Who cares about the odd gecko or two.

Phoenix is not known for the arts (there are a few, but I wouldn't say they're well patronized or funded)

It's a large, sprawling, concreted city, with many neighborhoods of stucco homes that are largely insulated from each other, and the main mode of transport has to be the individual car.

Perhaps somewhere north of Phoenix would suit you well... Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff??

[DebsSA]

Yes I quite like geckos.
You make an interesting point about New Mexico, and others have mentioned Santa Fe for the arts there.
Any reasons you point to northern parts of Arizona- like Flagstaff?

[Ponderosa]

Check out Tubac, Arizona.

[Ponderosa]

Also Mesilla, New Mexico (Las Cruces).

[shaneariz]

When talking about an area that has a style of "Santa Fe", I have to tell you that Phoenix lost this a long time ago. And culture is very lacking in the Phoenix area. If you like concrete jungle with strip malls and cookie cutter homes, Phoenix is the place for you. If you want the artsy areas with the southwest lifestyle/theme with hints of the old Mexico or Indians, you need to move to an area that fits your desires. Phoenix is not any of this, unfortunately.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by DebsSA

This is just what I was looking for! I am living in the UK - born in Oklahoma originally. Working as a social worker here in Children and Family sector. The older I get the more I am concerned about the quality of life here the UK and the health care etc. Particularly as I have the innate comparison with my childhood in Oklahoma. Also I am drawn to the amount of space, the Santa Fe style, and a return to the American dream to just ‘be’ in a place you love. I love the desert landscapes and this is why I am considering Arizona over returning to Oklahoma. I imagine Arizona feels like a comfortable merge of native American/Spanish – Mexican /American culture.

It is possible, if not likely, that I have idealised notions of Arizona so would be great to hear about the reality. I would be earning under the state median income which is between 45 and 48 K. Does this impact on the quality of life a great deal if you only want the home comforts?
I would be looking for a two three bed property in an artsy kind of area with a little bit of yard – nothing that needs several hours tending a week! Would like to know more about social life - for example I would not want to pine for cultural stimulus so if I wanted to see an art house film, go to a jazz club - or go see a dance production – where does this happen in Phoenix? Don’t get me wrong, I also want a little pick up truck and long horse rides in the country too!

Interested to hear your thoughts.
Oh, and you get used to having no bugs or creepy crawly things in the house in the UK - how does this compare to Arizona - geckos or scorpions in the bath?

Definitely New Mexico.

Not that Arizona is bad at all, but your description sounds like New Mexico.

In terms of bugs, yes... they are here. I moved a little while ago. My first house in Arizona didn't have any bugs except the tiny things that might fly in any window in the valley. This one is different. I have had a gigantic cockroach that came from a bathtub drain after a huge rain. I've never seen another, just that one time and never again.

I have geckos and little whiptail lizards that materialize in the house from time to time. The lizards are really interesting, blue, green, spotted, striped. There are some nocturnal geckos that hang out near the lamps next to my patio doors, eating bugs. They're fun to watch.

The lizards hang out right under the sweep for the front door, to catch heat from the morning sun. When I open the door, they zoom in and hide. I don't know what becomes of them and I stopped worrying about it. I've escorted only three of them out, although I know more than three have entered. Since they eat bugs, I'm happy to let a few live in the dark corners of the house.

As far as scorpions go, neighbors say they're around, but I haven't had one in my house yet. Or should I say, I haven't seen one in my house.

[Baja Boomer]

I agree that what you are looking for sounds more like New Mexico, especially the Santa Fe area. Santa Fe is pretty expensive, though, so Albuquerque might be a better choice. There is plenty to do there, and if you want a good dose of artsy culture you can visit Old Town or the Nob Hill area or you can ride the new train to Santa Fe (about an hour's drive away by car). High desert and great climate, too.

In Arizona you really have a couple of choices that might suit your wish list: the city of Sedona and Santa Cruz County. If you're looking for big city amenities, though, you need to look elsewhere.

Santa Cruz County, in southeast AZ, is where you'll find the towns of Tubac, Elgin, Patagonia and Sonoita. All of these are very small but very interesting towns with the advantage of having great weather (they call it "The Mountain Empire") and being within an hour or so from Tucson (or around 3 hours south of Phoenix) if you need some city things. You can get a peek at the area at http://www.patagoniaaz.com/ if you are interested. This is Arizona's wine country, and there are several wineries in the area.

Sedona (north of Phoenix) is bigger, certainly more touristy, but very beautiful and has most of what you want. You can live outside of town in the Verde Valley if you want a more affordable option with acreage, and there are some very interesting places to visit nearby as well (such as the "ghost town" of Jerome). You can get an idea of the whole area at http://www.sedona-verdevalley.com/ And don't leave nearby Prescott/Prescott Valley out of your search if you are set on Arizona.

But really, I echo others here that, given what you seem to be searching for, Phoenix is probably not the place for you.

[Finger Laker]

i agree - phoenix probably isn't the best for you - it's very much a large city now and a population that is very transplant

you can find mixes of the stereotypical old SW around the city still - but you'd be better off in the small communities of NM or AZ (santa cruz county is a great call ..... just not a lot of city life going on there)

i will whole heartidly disagree that phoenix lacks culture or that there aren't good cultural options ..... nothing could be further from the truth

it isn't NY by any means, but you can find pretty much anything you are looking for to some extent