Is relocating to the Sedona, Az area a good idea? (Phoenix: tornado, budget)

[Belle0202]

I've lived in Vegas for ten years...and well, we've become a hotter, dryer version of Los Angeles....so I'm running away I'd like to relocate to a smaller town, and have fallen in love with Sedona. The town itself is too expensive...but the outer edges of Oak Creek and Verde Valley (between Sedona and Cottonwood) seem reasonably priced....especially when compared to $600k/acre in Vegas. What's life like in Sedona?....is the tourist economy stable, are the schools decent, is there good medical care (I'm taking care of my grandmother), etc. Any information will be much appreciated!

Thx ahead of time!

Belle

[AutumnSD]

Sedona, in my opinion, is WAY too tourist-y. I visited the Sedona area with my mom in June of 2008 and it's extremely bad. We were there on a Saturday afternoon, and the streets were packed with tourists in the uptown shopping area. We had to wait 30 minutes to get a table at a restaurant. Shopping is repetitive (t-shirts, jewelry, souvenirs; t-shirts, jewelry, souvenirs; etc). Sedona caters to tourism and is just getting worse. The majority of the jobs are in hospitality. Don't get me wrong; it is EXTREMELY beautiful, and the red rocks are just gorgeous, but as far as actually living there, probably not the best place. Although, after living in Las Vegas, you may be able to handle that.

We visited Prescott and Flagstaff as well. Prescott was also pretty, in its own right. It reminded me of northern Minnesota, with all of their ponderosa pine trees. Very nice climate, as well.

Flagstaff was also extremely pretty. Driving up to Flag from Sedona was quite the variation in temperature (due to the elevation of Flag--around 6,000 feet) but it felt very nice. Flagstaff does get a lot of snow, though.

I hope this helps you out a little bit; I'm not from that area so I can't help you out as far as schools, etc go.

[j760]

Touristy or not I would not mind living in Sedona at all if I could afford it. It's a beautiful place, I'm definitely not new age at all but just because one lives in Sedona doesn't mean they have to be a tourist or be into new age.

If you can afford it I say go for it, to be surrounded by that beauty 24/7 would be a blessing for anyone.

[tnp]

If I had my choice of any area in Arizona, Sedona would be it. Way out of my budget though.

When I was in Sedona in 2005, many of the people seemed to be very new-age, and really friendly. I was surprised at how many Sedonians struck up conversations with us, even in non-touristy areas.

It seemed to be a dog-friendly area too, which is important to me. My mom and I were traveling with my large dog and people were just so nice to us. We were taking turns going inside stores while the other stayed outside with the dog, and some store owners came out and invited the dog inside. This is a large dog with a very bushy wagging tail, and even an art shop with all kinds of breakables within tail-reach invited him in. Here in the south that is pretty much unheard of. Here in TN I couldn't even find a gas station or anywhere else that would let me in with my dog when a tornado was coming our way, so I sat outside in my car with my dog and took my chances, rather than leave him.

I found more so-called "southern hospitality" in Sedona than I've ever found in the real south.

Anyway, I was totally impressed with the people there, and the beauty. If I could afford it, I'd already be there.

[esselcue]

Sedona is touristy, but most of the folks who live there do not LIVE in the downtown, tourist area. If you can afford it I think you would enjoy the area. Oak Creek is affordable...the Verde Valley is, too, but you lose Sedona's beauty if you go that far south. I live near Prescott, myself, and find this area very pretty...but Sedona is breath-taking!

[Cat_Person]

Sedona is not more touristy than Vegas, I have lived there. But if you're used to big city amenities (like shopping for furniture, etc.) you'll have to drive to Phx 2 hrs south. Stuff like that ("hey...my stereo system is kaput"!) will have you scratching your head as to what to do. There is a "Tarjay" in Flag (45 min to north) and a Wallmart. Hey, online shopping! Sedona has a fair number of jobs in town for a city of approx 50,000. If you're an RN you're good to go. Try to spend some time there. Prepare to move alot slower (leave your Vegas driving habits at home)...everything takes longer in a small town. It ain't Vegas....downshift

[zonababe]

If you moved to Sedona, you'd rarely go uptown. Most of your local shopping would be done in West Sedona, away from the tourist trap.

[ZonyPony]

Lived in Flagstaff (now a traffic-infested burg!) for almost 10 years, and we would go down to Sedona whenever we wanted to get away from the snow or cold, and not have to go to Phoenix!
Tourist trap? Yes.
Pricey? Double yes! Sheesh!
New age - big time (Can't get into all of that fake vortex stuff).
Beautiful red mountain scenery, but you don't have to live there to go over to it and enjoy it.