What's outside Tucson? (Phoenix, Flagstaff, Oro Valley: rentals, credit card, homes)

[Bettsnow]

I am not really interested in living in Tucson, but since I have family there, I would not want to be that far away. How far away up into the mountains would I have to go to find trees and such? And are their towns there?

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by Bettsnow

I am not really interested in living in Tucson, but since I have family there, I would not want to be that far away. How far away up into the mountains would I have to go to find trees and such? And are their towns there?

Perhaps you can consider Summerhaven:

http://www.azcentral.com/travel/ariz...haven0804.html

Mt. Lemmon, Summerhaven, Arizona, Vacation Rentals, Lodging, Accommodations, and Cabins

[GreerAZ]

You might not think of Arizona when it comes to scenic mountain views, but northern Arizona has some of the best mountain wilderness in the country, particularly the rest town of <a href="http://www.GreerLodgeAz.com/">Visit Greer</a>. Home to some of the most luxurious mountain lodges in Arizona, Greer boasts all four seasons, a myriad of outdoor activities, and even skiing during the winter! As of right now, the Summer High Temps are in the 70's with some light showers. Enjoy rustic elegance and a relaxing atmosphere in the best kept secret town of Greer, Arizona!

[nitram]

Not going to be a secret anymore....great photos.

[KathyH360]

About 23 miles south of Tucson (or about 80 miles from Mexico) there is a GREAT (GREEN) town called Green Valley that is an "Over 55" community. You can pay a fee of about $250 per year and have access to 10 0r 12 golf courses and 6 or 8 community centers (pools, activities, crafts) for free. So many golf courses (GRASS) that are maintained for you and cut down on the dust. And beautiful, staggering mountain views all around. Google the town and go from there. Have stayed there and loved it.

[esselcue]

Tucson is desert country and there are no small, forested or green towns in close proximity. There are some very pretty desert areas nearby but not mountains...not with a 20 minute drive anyway. You have to go quite a ways to find a mountain community.

[xwideopenskyx]

Originally Posted by Bettsnow

I am not really interested in living in Tucson, but since I have family there, I would not want to be that far away. How far away up into the mountains would I have to go to find trees and such? And are their towns there?

Summerhaven on top of Mt. Lemmon as mentioned in another post. Also, the towns of San Manuel and Oracle, the Foothills and Tanque Verde areas of Tucson.

[ZonyPony]

Indeed! At Summerhaven, about 26 miles and 8000' up in the Catalina Mountains (Mt Lemmon), you'll find refuge from the summer heat.

Complete with a ski lodge for the times when snows are available! Its a great place to ride the ski lift up the mountain. You can then walk the trails and see ladybugs and hummingbirds, and then come back down and enjoy an excellent salad or more at the restaurant. Yum.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by GreerAZ

You might not think of Arizona when it comes to scenic mountain views, but northern Arizona has some of the best mountain wilderness in the country, particularly the rest town of <a href="http://www.GreerLodgeAz.com/">Visit Greer</a>. Home to some of the most luxurious mountain lodges in Arizona, Greer boasts all four seasons, a myriad of outdoor activities, and even skiing during the winter! As of right now, the Summer High Temps are in the 70's with some light showers. Enjoy rustic elegance and a relaxing atmosphere in the best kept secret town of Greer, Arizona!

Sorry, GreerAZ, as much as I love Greer, it is a loooong ways from Tucson. Nice advertising photos, though.

[New West 2020]

Greer's no secret, about $500K for a small home. Tubac is pretty cool and just 30-40 minutes south of Tucson and 20 minutes from Mexico (where you can't go right now until the drug lords finish their war). Even Green Valley isn't too bad- very close to Tucson but mostly an older than 60 crowd. Benson- well Baxter Black loves it, but its pretty podunk. Now Bisbee, while it is a raging hippie ville, is a really cool place about 2 hours away. Fun and interesting but not too cheap either. All of these places have "trees" and are "cooler" than Tucson, but not that cool below 6,000 feet .


If you go north of Tucson, you could check our Oro Valley or Catalina (on the northern fringes of Tucson) or maybe Pinal County, which is simply the burbs between Tucson and Phoenix. Mt. Lemmon is very nice, but small and isolated 45 minutes up the hill from Tucson and subject to blizzard closures.

West of Tucson - ahhh- kind of hot and rocky and lots of very independent folks and trailervilles, but this side of town also has some great homes and values too. Check out Kinney Road.

Mostly, if you like a "country" or "out in the desert" feel, and you are OK with small trees and about a 5-10 degree cooler temperature, then anything above 3500 feet within an hour or two of Tucson will be interesting. Villages like Tubac and Bisbee are my picks. If you need pines- Mt. lemmon or Flagstaff, but get out your credit card.