Thinking about moving to AZ (Phoenix, Tucson: crime rate, mobile home, good schools)

[Mya1764]

I have heard about Valley Fever and I have already talked to the vet about our dog and if she will be able to adapt to the climate. She is a black lab mix.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Mya1764

I have heard about Valley Fever and I have already talked to the vet about our dog and if she will be able to adapt to the climate. She is a black lab mix.

My dog is a black lab mix (spaniel) and does fine in the heat. We do have a couple things to make his life easier. First, we have a pool and he will go in that on occasion. Just sits on the top step. Also, I bought an evaporative cooler and set it up on the patio. He sometimes will lie in the cool air blowing out of it, but for the most part he just finds a shady spot in the yard and sleeps. We have a little bit of grass out back and he will go lie on that after the sprinklers go off even in full sun. If I am home, I let him stay in the house on the hotter afternoons. He prefers to be outside for the most part though. Actually, he is more of a pest about coming in on winter nights than summer afternoons. I've been in AZ desert nearly 35 years and had several dogs. None ever got valley fever. My dogs always seemed to tolerate the heat better than I do.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Mya1764

I would love to be able to split my time and do a winter home and summer home, but unfortunately I also have 2 school age children as well. So I must choose only once place to call home. I do appreciate any input you can give me.

We have a home in the mountains about 2 hours outside Phoenix. We go up there quite a bit in summer. It's in the 70s-80s there when its 110 here. We do have to come back in August (ugh!) cuz that when school starts up here and I have one in school still.

[aj661]

Sounds like we have something in common...one of our dogs is a black lab mix also! My wife had a poodle mix when we met. He had valley fever and although it was expensive, our vet got him through it and he lived 16 years. I've been in AZ for most of the last 42+ years and always had dogs and cats; with that one exception, none had any adverse effects living here.

One other area in AZ you might want to consider is Globe. It's a copper mining town so some of the scenery is a little depressing, but it's above 3000' so it's cooler in the summer. You will have to put up with some snow in the winter, but it's got to be better than DE. I did one year in '75/'76 in DC while I was in the Army. The humidity was murder. Wearing Dress Blues during the day on Sundays and Class A's Mon-Sat didn't help. I was real happy to get back to the DRY heat.
If you come out of Phoenix, you'll have to drive through the towns of Superior, Claypool and Miami on the way to Globe. Don't look!

Ponderosa, anything you can add about Globe?

[tonysgrlaz]

I noticed you mentioned Arizona City and Casa Grande as a few places you've already been to. I lived in both, didn't care for Arizona City, nothing at all to do there, and we now live in Casa Grande. Totally different, lots of stores and things to do compared to Arizona City. Casa Grande is an up and coming town. The prices of homes here are way less expensive then up in the valley. Although we're starting to creep up there in price. You can find a resale, about 2,000- 2,300 square feet for about $250,000. I bought my home here five years ago and it cost $101,000 back then, now we can sell it for $215,000.
I'm originally from New Jersey so in the beginning the shock of not seeing buildings and not being stuck in traffic is going to blow your mind. All I see from my home are mountains.
As far as allergies go, I never had allergy problems when I lived back East...as soon as I came out here I started having a lot of sore throats and sinus problems. From the dust and dirt that constantly blows around. Also my Doctor says I have allergies from the palo verde tree. Which is probably nine out of ten trees you'll find out here.
It's a beautiful place, and if can take 110 plus degrees for two to three months out of the year you'll be fine. It's a dry heat!!!!
Back there my worst job paid $10 per hour, out here that's a really good paying job. The pay stinks but the cost of living is cheaper.

[movingfromaz]

YES i agree, allergies are terrible here in AZ! I've always had allergies when i lived on the east coast but nothing compared to here! I wake up almost every morning weezing and my eyes are always itching and i'm sneezing non stop! Also i NEVER use to get sick and i have been hospitalized twice in 3 years for a week each time and about every 4-5 months i get real bad sore throats and sometimes it's so bad it lands me into the ER, and my throat starts to close up.
I can't say for sure it's Arizona but since i've moved here i'm ALWAYS getting sick!

[Ladywithafan]

...thinking I would get away from the drugs and mold in Florida, if I moved to AZ? Maybe not?

I've been out for vacation a few years back, through Sedona, GC, Jerome, all the sights....my children are allergic to mold & already in Tucson...I was thinking Phoenix or Flagstaff, Prescott...

BF and I are so tired of FLORIDA!!! Been here since 1991...You're all scaring me to death of making a move now...

[aj661]

Don't be afraid of moving here!!! The humidity is so much lower here. I'm not a doctor, but I know some people who have sinus problems, sore throats etc, because it's so dry here. We use a couple humidifiers in the house during the winter because my wife is a native upstate NY'er. It helped her tremendously. I've never lived in FL, but I had to put in a few months in Alabama during the summer and visit her folks in NY. I would NEVER survive in living full time in any state whose Official State Bird is the Mosquito.

[DeafRanger]

I am looking to move to Southern AZ - I prefer. But we, my wife and I are limited in finances and in bbody. She has allergies, I have a bad back and we both have bad legs from someone running into us while we were on a motorcycle.

We are looking to find a place to live that doesn't have snow (or very very little), with very mild winters, We are also looking for a place to live that does not have a high cost of living. We would sell our small home here in PA and move. We have to find the right place for us. I have worked with Deaf since 1994 as a pastor and ministry leader with the Deaf, myself being Hard of Hearing (Latened) but sign ASL. We want to continue contact with the Deaf - perhaps in a church setting, but not exclusively with the Deaf. I need less stress from full time ministry. We would like to go to a decently large size church with good worship and teaching - it is time for receiving in our lives. We have been thinking of out side Tucson - some have said not South Tucson nor west Tucson..We are clueless...

We definately want to stay involved in SASS (Single Action Shooters Society) of which there are 6 in the Tucson area.

Ok, does anyone have any suggestions? I heard there is a Deaf School in Tucson, so I am kinda looking in that direction. We would also like to be about to travel to Mexico a bit - so seems Tucson area fits...but costs??? I dunno. We would appreciate any advice, input, feedback we can get. Our hearts long for AZ. We love the cowboy scene, too.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[Gretchen B]

Please allow me to put in my 2 cents worth for Prescott. I moved here from the midwest several years ago, and I love it! I still get my four seasons (our trees are just past the fall peak for color), a little snow in the winter, and summer temps under 100 (usually in the 80's or low 90's). It is alot drier here than the midwest - our humidity is usually less than 30%. Alot of people move up here from the Phoenix metro area because their allergies are so bad down there due to the dust and pollution. I guess it would depend on the source of your children's allergies. I do have friends who are allergic to the junipers up here. So that could be a problem if their allergies are caused by certain trees. Other than that, we've got some of the cleanest air in the state, and a great school system, too.