Living in Prescott - Our Experience So Far (Prescott Valley, Kingman: townhome, buying)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But the land out there DOES need to be preserved and protected. ... It's too beautiful to have it torn down to shreds. Arizona is just too beautiful. Period. More beautiful than NC, if you ask me. .. But maybe it's b/c I've seen enough green, enough cows, and enough deer here. I need a taste of something different. .... The various forms of desert beauty. Ahhhh......
Az does have an interesting, if stark, beauty to it.
I lived in the Catalina Foothills of Tucson for 2 years.
Would live a home over there if it weren't for other aspects of the general area I'd like to avoid.
Places with landfills adjacent to the airport are fails for me. It means everything flown in and out goes through the cloud of crud around the landfill... that's people, mail, your Amazon.com shipment, etc.
Granted, it's common for civil engineers to put the noise and the smell together.
LAX has to be one of the worst combinations I've seen... Hyperion Wastewater Treatment plant at the end of runway xx... and it's right on the beach... The whole town of El Segundo used to get contaminated by what locals called "poop clouds" (literally yellow clouds coming out of the plant) until the cleaned it up some. Couldn't get me to live/work in El Segundo or the general LAX area for that reason. (Sux too, because there is a fairly strong job market in tech in that spot.)
That said, David-Monthan in the area also makes Tucson a military target I'd guess.
In any event, did love the geography of the foothills and the truly Southwest Desert look of it.
But for the infrastructure problems I'd like to avoid, would definitely go back, since I have life long friends in the area.
New guy here, currently living in West Hills Ca. I'm about a year out for actually looking, but I have enjoyed the variety of perspectives expressed by all of you. Ideally I would like a place out and away, but I'm a little concerned about fires. After the fires we had here last year, and the houses just burning to the ground. I'm leaning towards a Town Home or a Condo.... Some how an agent got my email address and sends me daily homes for sale. I'm very surprised at what's available at a price point I can afford. Of course a lot can happen in a year, but I'm pretty sure I will find something that will work for me.
New guy here, currently living in West Hills Ca. I'm about a year out for actually looking, but I have enjoyed the variety of perspectives expressed by all of you. Ideally I would like a place out and away, but I'm a little concerned about fires. After the fires we had here last year, and the houses just burning to the ground. I'm leaning towards a Town Home or a Condo.... Some how an agent got my email address and sends me daily homes for sale. I'm very surprised at what's available at a price point I can afford. Of course a lot can happen in a year, but I'm pretty sure I will find something that will work for me.
The swath of horrifying fires in California are largely due to the criminal mismanagement of its forests, despite what some sources will tell you. Yours is the same state that refuses to build more water storage facilities, thus guaranteeing shortages in drought years. And there are always going to be drought years -- they're as predictable as the sun rising.
I can't wait to either sell or rent out our Silicon Valley house and finally be free of the corrupt monstrosity that is California state government. If you move to AZ, you will be amazed at how much easier most things are here.
The swath of horrifying fires in California are largely due to the criminal mismanagement of its forests, despite what some sources will tell you. Yours is the same state that refuses to build more water storage facilities, thus guaranteeing shortages in drought years. And there are always going to be drought years -- they're as predictable as the sun rising.
I can't wait to either sell or rent out our Silicon Valley house and finally be free of the corrupt monstrosity that is California state government. If you move to AZ, you will be amazed at how much easier most things are here.
I could not agree with you more, but your preaching to the choir. Outside of a few short stays in other locations while in the Air Force.....I have lived in the San Fernando Valley my whole life, so after 71 years, I feel confident in saying "I Think I Have Seen It All". That having been said, my point was that as charming as rural life may be, If your home is out in the sticks and no Fire Hydrant within say 100 yards....is there much chance of anyone coming to save your home as opposed to living in a more populated area. My FIL lived in Mojave County, between Needles and Bullhead, so I have a good idea what its like. Until his passing, we visited quite frequently, but I don't consider the short hop to the river rural.
If there have been fires in the area in the past.. there will be in the future. Add more people moving and building in forest areas (some areas in Az are very pro growth), more careless people in those forested areas and hotter temps that dry things out quicker.. I worry about this also.
My experience in a fire risk area in Colorado is that my home owners insurance went up considerably after a particularly active fire year. The next year I got a fire mitigation audit and they made me change a few things (like moving wood piles).
Home insurance companies really have to be on top of this (and look past the political biases) so I would think a pretty good indicator of fire risk for a particular area would be home owner insurance rates. And even if you can get reasonable insurance now, will you get dropped in the future or experience faster than average rate increases.
Just my .02 from living in a fire risk area in Colorado which I love and dont plan to leave yet. I dont live in the area around Prescott but have certainly been there (including visiting and hiking the Granite mountain hotshots memorial) and would have the same question.
If there have been fires in the area in the past.. there will be in the future. Add more people moving and building in forest areas (some areas in Az are very pro growth), more careless people in those forested areas and hotter temps that dry things out quicker.. I worry about this also.
My experience in a fire risk area in Colorado is that my home owners insurance went up considerably after a particularly active fire year. The next year I got a fire mitigation audit and they made me change a few things (like moving wood piles).
Home insurance companies really have to be on top of this (and look past the political biases) so I would think a pretty good indicator of fire risk for a particular area would be home owner insurance rates. And even if you can get reasonable insurance now, will you get dropped in the future or experience faster than average rate increases.
Just my .02 from living in a fire risk area in Colorado which I love and dont plan to leave yet. I dont live in the area around Prescott but have certainly been there (including visiting and hiking the Granite mountain hotshots memorial) and would have the same question.
WOW you got it. That is exactly what I am concerned with. I live about a mile from where the fires were last year. Fire plug right across the street. Nobody in the immediate area affected and the Homeowners Policy did not renew for us, and I had to beat the bushes to find somebody that would insure us. The "Price" ..... just a little over half again what we were paying before the fire. I Have A Concrete Tile Roof ....Brand new in 2016. No open eves, or open vents. In short the fire would almost have to start at my location to be a problem. I just don't want to buy a place out in the country(so to speak)and have the same problem I already have here. I can deal with a neighbor sharing a common wall if I have to.... I just don't want to find out after I buy a more rural place, that a (Town Home/Condo) was the better option. Thanks for the input.
You're welcome! I love your enthusiasm about coming to this great wonderful state. Before we moved we spent as much time as we could learning about all things Arizona. It was almost as if we'd lived here before we ever set foot on Arizona soil. Utah and New Mexico were our 2nd and 3rd choices. But Arizona was always #1. We've been all over the state numerous times since moving and are still captivated by it's natural beauty. Although we've never been to Tucson and only around Phoenix on the 101 loop to get to the Superstition Mountains and the Apache Trail. The Apache Trail is a must when you come out here. It's almost like driving through the Grand Canyon only you're in the Sonoran Desert.** It's a dirt road, and you don't need a 4X4 to navigate it. The speed limit is 15 mph, any faster and you may go off a cliff. Not that you'd want to go any faster. You'll be too busy oohing and ahing. We did it in a rental car on one of our trips and later on took our neighbors there. Needless to say they weren't disappointed.
Since you love the outdoors I'm sure your body will remain in good shape for years to come. Arizona is ideal for mountain biking and hiking. The humidity is no where near as bad as the east coast, you can sit outside at night and not get eaten alive by mosquito's. The night sky is nothing short of spectacular in this particular area. Arizona has adopted light pollution ordinances.*
Arizona's major cities don't interest me that much. I've had enough of them back east. I prefer the quiet solitude of the more rural areas. Prescott is a small city of 40,000 and covers about 40 square miles. Where we used to live there were 22,000 people in 4 square miles. So the population density of Prescott is just about right and we still have all the conveniences that we had back east. We live just outside of city limits in an even more rural atmosphere but are still close enough to everything. I guess you could call it the Goldilocks zone?
Prescott Valley is mostly newer cookie cutter homes, most are in HOA's, it's also flatter. Highway 69 which runs through it, is like a giant strip mall. A little too congested for me for our everyday needs. The views of the surrounding mountains are pretty cool. All of those wide open spaces.
Chino Valley is the most rural of the tri-city area. There's not too many trees, and you can see pretty much everything that's in your neighbor's back yard's from all around. The views of Granite Mountain from Outer Loop Road and of the surrounding area are spectacular. Although not as nice as Prescott, I do like Chino Valley, my wife not so much. It's not as built up and has kind of an old western atmosphere as if time had stopped in the 1950's may be about the best way to describe it. A lot of homes are on large lots, you'll see a lot of old vehicles and what not lying about the properties. An eyesore to some, but a treasure trove for antique lovers. It has it's own kinda' charm. Yeah, I could live there.
There are some real nice places along Williamson Valley Road between Prescott and Chino Valley that have some awesome views and are convenient to everything. There's some real nice places north of Chino Valley in the Mint Wash area, right before Williamson Valley Road turns to dirt. However they are a bit more isolated and somewhat inconvenient for your everyday needs. But it's absolutely beautiful out there.
Overall I'd have to say that the tri-city area (Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Chino Valley) and places in between are the best places to live in Arizona. As you're not too isolated from all the conveniences of modern day life, yet you're just far away from all of it. If that makes any sense?
You can go to Google maps and check out some of the neighborhoods of these places using the street views feature. Where you can drag that little man onto the highlighted streets and it's as if you're driving on them.
As far as I know occasional drug busts during traffic stops and property crimes are just above the national average. I don't think that there's too many street crimes such as muggings or armed robberies? Other than situational awareness, I never really worry too much about my own personal safety when I go about my daily business. It's not like the boogeyman is lurking around every corner of every street if that's what you mean? I was a hell of a lot more concerned about it when I lived in New York. But then again the small city where I lived had an above average crime rate much greater than here in Prescott. Of course there's both good and bad area's just about everywhere throughout the United States. If you hang out in the bad area's chances are you could become a crime victim.
In Prescott I'd stay out of Granite Creek Park at night. But still in the 9 years we've lived here we listen to our local radio station KYCA 103.5 FM and have subscribed to the Daily Courier for at least 3 years before we moved. We rarely hear of any major or violent crimes. As compared to all other places throughout the United States, Prescott is about average with regards to crime. Of course it varies from year to year as it does everywhere else.
Arizona is a very 2nd Amendment friendly state a lot of people pack heat including yours truly. In my opinion you'd have be out of your mind to mug or rob someone for fear of getting shot by your intended victim. I've taken defensive handgun courses both in New York and Arizona. I would definitely recommend that for anyone who chooses to arm themselves. My wife and I were once both victims of a violent street crime in New York. From that point on I swore to God that that will never happen again. I'm physically fit but there was no way in hell that I could fight off at least half a dozen punks looking for trouble. Without getting into the exact details, I'll just leave it at that.
Quote:
Prescott, AZ Crime Rates & Crime Map
Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
Violent crime statistics in Prescott, AZ are 1.39 times less than the Arizona average and 1.05 times less than the national average. Regarding crimes committed against personal property, Prescott, AZ has a daily crime rate that is 1.39 times less than the Arizona average and 1.12 times less than the daily national average.
Prescott, AZ Crime and Crime Rate - USA.comâ„¢
Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
The Prescott crime rate is lower than the Arizona average crime rate and is lower than the national average crime rate. Crime Index, #35
Az does have an interesting, if stark, beauty to it.
I lived in the Catalina Foothills of Tucson for 2 years.
Would live a home over there if it weren't for other aspects of the general area I'd like to avoid.
Places with landfills adjacent to the airport are fails for me. It means everything flown in and out goes through the cloud of crud around the landfill... that's people, mail, your Amazon.com shipment, etc.
Granted, it's common for civil engineers to put the noise and the smell together.
That said, David-Monthan in the area also makes Tucson a military target I'd guess.
In any event, did love the geography of the foothills and the truly Southwest Desert look of it.
But for the infrastructure problems I'd like to avoid, would definitely go back, since I have life long friends in the area.
Landfill next to the airport? Is that the case in Tucson? I see your point, but most food is shipped by truck between states. That's what I would worry about as far as contamination from a landfill.
Was that the only reason you left the Catalina Foothills? I'm asking, since I'm considering Tucson for retirement.
You're welcome! I love your enthusiasm about coming to this great wonderful state. Before we moved we spent as much time as we could learning about all things Arizona. It was almost as if we'd lived here before we ever set foot on Arizona soil. Utah and New Mexico were our 2nd and 3rd choices. But Arizona was always #1. We've been all over the state numerous times since moving and are still captivated by it's natural beauty. Although we've never been to Tucson and only around Phoenix on the 101 loop to get to the Superstition Mountains and the Apache Trail. The Apache Trail is a must when you come out here. It's almost like driving through the Grand Canyon only you're in the Sonoran Desert.** It's a dirt road, and you don't need a 4X4 to navigate it. The speed limit is 15 mph, any faster and you may go off a cliff. Not that you'd want to go any faster. You'll be too busy oohing and ahing. We did it in a rental car on one of our trips and later on took our neighbors there. Needless to say they weren't disappointed.
Since you love the outdoors I'm sure your body will remain in good shape for years to come. Arizona is ideal for mountain biking and hiking. The humidity is no where near as bad as the east coast, you can sit outside at night and not get eaten alive by mosquito's. The night sky is nothing short of spectacular in this particular area. Arizona has adopted light pollution ordinances.*
Arizona's major cities don't interest me that much. I've had enough of them back east. I prefer the quiet solitude of the more rural areas. Prescott is a small city of 40,000 and covers about 40 square miles. Where we used to live there were 22,000 people in 4 square miles. So the population density of Prescott is just about right and we still have all the conveniences that we had back east. We live just outside of city limits in an even more rural atmosphere but are still close enough to everything. I guess you could call it the Goldilocks zone?
Prescott Valley is mostly newer cookie cutter homes, most are in HOA's, it's also flatter. Highway 69 which runs through it, is like a giant strip mall. A little too congested for me for our everyday needs. The views of the surrounding mountains are pretty cool. All of those wide open spaces.
Chino Valley is the most rural of the tri-city area. There's not too many trees, and you can see pretty much everything that's in your neighbor's back yard's from all around. The views of Granite Mountain from Outer Loop Road and of the surrounding area are spectacular. Although not as nice as Prescott, I do like Chino Valley, my wife not so much. It's not as built up and has kind of an old western atmosphere as if time had stopped in the 1950's may be about the best way to describe it. A lot of homes are on large lots, you'll see a lot of old vehicles and what not lying about the properties. An eyesore to some, but a treasure trove for antique lovers. It has it's own kinda' charm. Yeah, I could live there.
There are some real nice places along Williamson Valley Road between Prescott and Chino Valley that have some awesome views and are convenient to everything. There's some real nice places north of Chino Valley in the Mint Wash area, right before Williamson Valley Road turns to dirt. However they are a bit more isolated and somewhat inconvenient for your everyday needs. But it's absolutely beautiful out there.
Overall I'd have to say that the tri-city area (Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Chino Valley) and places in between are the best places to live in Arizona. As you're not too isolated from all the conveniences of modern day life, yet you're just far away from all of it. If that makes any sense?
You can go to Google maps and check out some of the neighborhoods of these places using the street views feature. Where you can drag that little man onto the highlighted streets and it's as if you're driving on them.
Enjoyed your post. The enthusiasms of one growing to love Central AZ. Left that area after many years for congested area in the South (yech) for family reasons, and really dislike the traffic, humidity, mold, roaches and so on. The past three weeks the temperatures here have been a good bit hotter than Central AZ. Like I said, never cared much for the South, and I've lived in four southern states. Others can have 'em. I found SW and Central AZ in particular a nice place to live, especially for baby boomers. The areas you mention I'm aware of. Had rental in Prescott area near Thumb Butte with excellent wilderness cabin living that I loved, and could be down at courthouse square in downtown Prescott in short drive. Downtown Prescott, and Prescott Courthouse square in particular is really nice spot to walk the dogs, chat with people, take-in the various community activities on the Square. Spent most of my AZ years though in Cottonwood and Sedona. The latter got too hectic for me. Sedona changed too far from how quiet and laid back it used to be. It use to have a small hometown vibe. Those days are history. Makes me sad. Places get overly popular and developers and investors get too greedy. Last five years in Cottonwood I knew more than a few ex-Prescott Valley/Chino Valley/Mayer area people who upped and moved to Cottonwood. Prescott Valley is growing too fast. I knew an excellent Realtor at #1 realtor in Verde Valley (Coldwell Banker in Cottonwood) who moved with her family from Prescott Valley to Cottonwood. Her name is Connie in case you know anyone looking for an excellent resource. I like much about Prescott area (loved getting my care at the Prescott VA hospital). The drive to/from Prescott/Prescott Valley to Cottonwood over Mingus Mountain is really nice and takes you through Jerome. The latter is a tourist place, but it's pleasant enough. I've traveled throughout AZ, and prefer Cottonwood/Prescott as place for older people who can embrace the dry climate and terrain of Central AZ.
Last edited by trouillot; 09-30-2019 at 01:26 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
