Payson Arizona vs Carson City Nevada for retirement? (Phoenix, Tucson: real estate market, low crime)

[PierPressure53]

Will be retiring in a couple years, and have narrowed where we would like to retire to Payson Arizona and Carson City Nevada. We are from the Las Vegas area and for sure do not want to retire where 115 degree heat or above during the summer is the norm. We are looking for mild summers and mild winters, with cheaper housing and low crime, in a smallish town environment. Not too much to ask...right? LOL.

Would like feedback from those already living in Payson and Carson City, and what life is like there for the retired folk, and if they recommend it. We are looking for a quiet life with an outdoor life of hiking, fishing and site seeing.

[AZDesertBrat]

Originally Posted by PierPressure53

Will be retiring in a couple years, and have narrowed where we would like to retire to Payson Arizona and Carson City Nevada. We are from the Las Vegas area and for sure do not want to retire where 115 degree heat or above during the summer is the norm. We are looking for mild summers and mild winters, with cheaper housing and low crime, in a smallish town environment. Not too much to ask...right? LOL.

Would like feedback from those already living in Payson and Carson City, and what life is like there for the retired folk, and if they recommend it. We are looking for a quiet life with an outdoor life of hiking, fishing and site seeing.

Actually, your 'wants' fit Payson like a glove. Having never lived in Carson City...only been through there on road trips...I can't really comment but I lived in Payson for about 14 years and loved it. Summers are cooler at 5,000 ft., winters are pretty mild with 'some' snow that doesn't last more than a day or so. Tons and tons of outdoor activities available and things to see. Being, pretty much, in the middle of the state it's easy to do day trips around the state, etc.. Or do weekend trips further out. I was born and raised here but there are still places in AZ I've never been to. And I've lived all over the state from Tucson to Grand Canyon but never run out of new places to visit.

Payson has it's share of crime. You might want to check out their online newspaper...The Payson Roundup. Most of it seems to be domestic violence, drugs, personal issues of people who know one another, etc..

I think Payson is great for the retiree. There are many activities, clubs and organizations for people to participate in. If you don't have to worry about a job I think Payson is just next to perfect. I will probably end up there again, one of these days.

[Doctacity]

Payson is your ideal location, a little chilly in winter but you're only an hour and a half away from Phoenix if you want to briefly escape it. It's absolutely GORGEOUS up there, Ponderosa Pine trees as far as the eye can see. The air, while thinner, is very fresh.

[unit731]

Payson is a beautiful area of Arizona.
Been driving through Payson for decades.
Used to be a sleepy crossroads.
Presently it has some modern shopping areas.
Very beautiful though.
I would not hesitate to live there.

[Walk In Beauty]

Originally Posted by PierPressure53

Will be retiring in a couple years, and have narrowed where we would like to retire to Payson Arizona and Carson City Nevada. We are from the Las Vegas area and for sure do not want to retire where 115 degree heat or above during the summer is the norm. We are looking for mild summers and mild winters, with cheaper housing and low crime, in a smallish town environment. Not too much to ask...right? LOL.

Would like feedback from those already living in Payson and Carson City, and what life is like there for the retired folk, and if they recommend it. We are looking for a quiet life with an outdoor life of hiking, fishing and site seeing.

Move to Carson City - you'll be treated with more dignity.

I just moved to Payson, AZ the end of January this year and wished I would have decided to retire somewhere else - Carson City would have been a much better choice. Why? Because they DON'T CHARGE A TAX ON GROCERIES, ON YOU'RE RIGHT TO SURVIVE!, IN CARSON CITY LIKE THEY DO IN PAYSON AND SEVERAL OTHER TOWNS/CITIES IN ARIZONA.

I'm closing in on 60 years of age and have NEVER paid a tax on groceries in my life - never even knew there was such a thing going on in the good ol' "FREE" U.S. of A. until I moved to Payson, Arizona.

You hear about the gun laws in AZ, and they sound good, but what you don't hear about is that those gun-toters don't have a bone in their spine as they let others treat them as slaves and must pay them off before they are 'allowed' to feed themselves to survive.

The Town Council is deaf, arrogant, and self-serving. They give no-bid contracts to (their cohorts) salaried positions at 3 TIMES the median income of non-government wages. The town attorney has 'dissemination of public information' confused with 'legal advice'. They have big plans to bring in a community college that will destroy the small-town atmosphere. This place will be a zoo in a few years time. Greed and selfishness is blinding most people here who think they're going to make a killing in the real estate market when the college goes thru. Prices may go up, but so will the cost of water (and everything else) 'cause the town has to pay for all the infrastructure to bring in the pipeline to accommodate the larger population the college will bring in.

The townspeople here are completely apathetic to the corruption they support. They whine about it, and not too many people here 'like' the tax on groceries, in fact, most say they "hate" it. Yet they won't do a damn thing to get rid of it. And bein' as this is a relatively small town, you'd think it'd be a piece of cake for the people to get together, storm the town council, and DEMAND they remove the tax on groceries so they can live and hold their heads up high as 'free' men. But NOOOOOOO. Whenever I mention people getting together, they shake their heads and cower away like brainwashed, emasculated shadows of human beings.

The surrounding national forests are pretty much off-limits during the summer - the Forest Service completely closes off huge sections to human access due to dry conditions, fire hazards.

And if you want to be out of harm's way in a disaster, economic collapse, or martial law, it's close proximity to Phoenix makes it the place of choice for bandits to raid after they're done with Phoenix.

Several counties in Northern CA are getting together to consider forming a new state. Sounds like my kinda people. Due to a contract, I'm stuck here until the end of January. As soon as that's up, I'm selling and moving on - Northern CA, Oregon, Washington, or Idaho. More water, and greater access to smarter people who actually stand up for themselves against blatant, in-your-face government selfishness and corruption.

Carson City has easy access to the beautiful Sierra Nevadas and Lake Tahoe. The mountains there are much more pleasant to be in because they carry much more water, more rivers, streams, etc. Plus, Nevada has no income tax, no grocery tax. You can actually make money and feed yourself without a government thug forcing you to pay them off.

Did I give you enough real information for you to choose the better place?

[AlohaFriday]

^^ Wow. Those are the guys that vote down every school board override so the kids can't get a decent education and support the future of the town.

I am well below retirement age but lived in Payson for about two years a few years ago. First, there is already a community college, and many retirees like it because it offers classes like quilting and other fun things for older people to do while meeting and mingling.

Yes, they are thinking about building a four-year college there. But trust me, younger people are not flocking to Payson to attend school. I lived there as a 20something and the town had pretty much nothing for something of my age. But for the older, retired person, it's perfect. The climate is wonderful, and you're very close to the big-city amenities of Phoenix.

The pipeline the gentleman is referring to is related to the Blue Ridge reservoir, which is a separate issue from the college. The town's leadership very wisely negotiated a great number of water rights to ensure the town has enough water to support future growth —*in all ages and demographics. There is so much Indian reservation surrounding the area that the population will never be huge; there simply isn't enough land. They just want to make sure they have enough water to support current and future growth projections. The pipeline MAY (I'm not sure about this) have made the college possible, but its sole purpose was not for the college.

Directly north of Payson, on the way to Pine and Strawberry, the trees get much more lush and thick. Yes, there are forest restrictions in some sections for much of the summer, but it's no assault to anyone's freedom. It's because the forest is very dry and stupid people set it on fire, which could lead to the whole town burning down. That said, they're very proactive with fire fighting up there and the local county supervisor, Tommie Martin, has made forest health her biggest issue. She has done a lot of work to keep that area safe from fire, and the insulation of Payson from disaster is largely due to her efforts, in my opinion. Her efforts have won national awards and served as pilots for other fire-sensitive areas.

If you really want the small town feel, I would recommend living in Pine. It's a a lot prettier than Payson, has a cute little main drag and offers ample nearby hiking opportunities. It's about 10 min. north of Payson.

As you can probably tell, the vibe up there is a little different sometimes, so best to check it out yourself.