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Old 02-04-2011, 10:19 AM
 
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Hi y'all, I was wondering if anyone knows the current conditions in Ajo. I realize it is a small town and I was wondering if it is a small town that is either getting better or getting worse.

By getting better, I mean does it seem like the economy is improving and is the area drawing in new residents? I enjoy small town life and I was wondering if Ajo was a small town on the up or was it suffering as many small town currently are?

Thank you for the replies. God bless.
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Old 02-04-2011, 12:01 PM
 
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My wife's family lives in Ajo, so I visit frequently and honestly, no jest involved, I'd say the town has changed little over the past 5 years. The population really only fluctuates when snowbirds arrive for the winter and leave for the summer.

There also seems to be an constant wheel of Border Patrol agents moving in and out, too.

Otherwise, Ajo has been a small town for quite some time. In fact, of all the people I've encountered (wife's family included) there seem to be three categories of residents: Snowbirds, BP agents, and those who have lived there all their lives (or 10+ years or more).

The town lost a lot of its way when Phelps Dodge picked up and moved, leaving the mines abandoned back in the 80's, I believe it was. Since then, Ajo's really been known as the town people stop in for a quick bite on their way to Rocky Point.

Other than the gorgeous desert, the wide open spaces and the fact that it's 100 miles from the hustle and bustle of Phoenix, I can't see that there is much of a draw to Ajo for most people. Admittedly though, I'd love to own a small 'getaway' home there!
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Old 02-05-2011, 06:20 PM
 
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I think Ajo's a really cute town. There's just not much going on as far economic opportunities. Previous poster said it all: Border Patrol. That's really about it. There are some BIA jobs you could take, maybe BLM, maybe even some state government work, but that's really it.
When I worked for the library in Tucson, there were some weird stories from the Ajo branch. It all sounded very small town though, like stupid, local drama. Not like the outright crazy stuff going on in Arivaca.
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Old 02-06-2011, 09:25 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coatimundi View Post
I think Ajo's a really cute town. There's just not much going on as far economic opportunities. Previous poster said it all: Border Patrol. That's really about it. There are some BIA jobs you could take, maybe BLM, maybe even some state government work, but that's really it.
When I worked for the library in Tucson, there were some weird stories from the Ajo branch. It all sounded very small town though, like stupid, local drama. Not like the outright crazy stuff going on in Arivaca.
My wife and I are both teachers, so if there were some openings that's what we would be doing.

I guess the only drawback to Ajo, for me, is that it is about 2 to 3 hours away from any major metro area.
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Old 02-06-2011, 09:39 AM
 
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Originally Posted by Winter_Sucks View Post
My wife and I are both teachers, so if there were some openings that's what we would be doing.

I guess the only drawback to Ajo, for me, is that it is about 2 to 3 hours away from any major metro area.
According to Google, it's 2 hours to downtown Phoenix, 2.5 hours to downtown Tucson, and 1.75 hours to Casa Grande. That's quite a drive if you plan to do it often, or a reasonable drive if you plan to go every once in a while....
If you want to live near a major city, I'm not sure Ajo would be the right choice. Another thought, if you did work in Ajo, you could live in Gila Bend and be 30 minutes closer to Phoenix and Casa Grande.
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Old 02-07-2011, 05:35 AM
 
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I'm thinking Sierra Vista might be a better fit for my family. It's a small town and closer to Tucson. Plus the summers look to be more comfortable than most of the other southern Arizona cities.
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Old 02-07-2011, 12:42 PM
 
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Depends on your preferences. SV is dominated by Border Patrol and Army, so it's a transient, conservative culture. I've always disliked it because there are nothing but chain restaurants and lots of suburban sprawl, particularly for a town its size. It is very pretty out there though, being at the base of the Huachucas.
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Old 02-07-2011, 01:14 PM
 
13,900 posts, read 9,728,053 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coatimundi View Post
Depends on your preferences. SV is dominated by Border Patrol and Army, so it's a transient, conservative culture. I've always disliked it because there are nothing but chain restaurants and lots of suburban sprawl, particularly for a town its size. It is very pretty out there though, being at the base of the Huachucas.
I think of myself as a liberal thinker mainly when considering the environment and education, but I don't mind conservative culture. There's two kinds of conservative culture, that I see, one is a religious judgmental lifestyle and the other is the work hard and take care of your stuff conservative lifestyle.

I actually enjoy the hard work and take care of your own lifestyle, so I could easily fit into that type of area. I wouldn't enjoy the more religious judgmental conservatism, even though I'm religious myself.

The area simply looks beautiful and stunning. My wife and I are very outdoorsy people. We walk our dog any day the weather lets us and we simply just enjoy working on paperwork outside. We don't need nightlife, bars, clubs. We would just need some schools to work at, a pool, and a place to plant a vegetable garden.
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Old 02-13-2011, 09:34 AM
 
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I visit my friends every year in Why, 10 mi south from Ajo on 85. Ajo is the main shopping. Olsen's groc. is a nice little store with fresh food and good prices. Senior Citizens in Why have the calendar booked with activity all month long including weekdays and the activities are very nice. I am not sure what ajo offers for activity. the renovation of the school and church is remarkable. i am 55 and active. you do have to be organized to live in such a remote place but you cannot compare the beauty and solitude to anything if you like the dessert. i have found everyone to be very friendly. the arts are up and coming in ajo. if you like junking it is abundant in junk shops. all of which i like. i would consider living there but like some, i would really like to be a little closer to major shopping. i am not sure about the medical care in the immediate area. try it, you can always move.
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Old 06-13-2011, 07:27 AM
 
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We are from Nebraska and our winter home is in Ajo. We've been going to Ajo for over 10 years and love it! Over the years retired folks have found Ajo to be the place to go. Although there are in my mind several attributes to be found, if you ask for number one, it is the desert. The area is beautiful. The *real* desert! You can literally walk to the desert in five minutes from any location within the city limits.
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