Sedona (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe: fit in, sales, rentals)

[johnbain]

Hello everyone! I saw some pics of Sedona and found it quite pretty. I then took a look at the crime rates and found them quite low. Can anyone that lives there or has lived there recently fill me in on the area? How close is the closest "larger" town, weather, cost to rent houses (I always rent first when I move to a new area), quality of school and what fun stuff is there to do.

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

Johnbain -

Well I will try and give you an overview of Sedona. It's small, probably has a permanent population of about 12,000 people, give or take. It's a big tourist destination and also popular with retirees. Cost of living is high. Jobs pay on the low end of the wage scale. And what jobs you can get are mainly in the service industry; retail, hospitality, etc.

Though there are other towns near Sedona (Village of Oak Creek, Cottonwood, Clarkdale) there populations are not much larger then Sedona's. The largest city in proximity to Sedona is Flagstaff, which is about a 30 minute drive. Prescott is about an hour and a half away and Phoenix is two hours away.

There are are two large supermarkets, one multi-screen movie theater, and a variety of banks and restaurants. The rest are mainly mom and pop type stores. Very few businesses stay open late, with 8 PM being the normal closing time for most. A couple of restaurants may stay open until 10 or 11 PM, but after that, if you want anything you either go shop at the AM/PM or drive to Cottonwood for the Super Walmart.

House rentals will set you back anywhere from $1,200 to well over $2,000 a month. Rents are a bit cheaper if you don't live in Sedona itself, but not by a whole lot.

I can't speak to the school system as I don't have children. I do have contact with people who are of an age that they have recent experience going through the schools. Most have stated that the schools are okay but nothing spectacular, for what that is worth.

Crime rates are indeed low up here. It is mostly petty theft, burglaries, and the like. The one thing that does not get mentioned is that there is a big problem with meth usage here. Alcohol use is quite high as well, with drunk driving arrests being quite prevalent. Because of the lack of meaningful activities for young people, they do get involved with drugs and alcohol at an early age. Through work I know one girl who, at age 17, was arrested for not only driving without a license, but drunk driving to boot.

Weather....Sedona sits at an elevation of roughly 4300 feet. This part of Arizona is considered high desert, which translates into generally dry conditions, mild temperatures, and the occasional snowfall. The rainy season tends to be in the summer months during the monsoon season. The lightning storms are quite spectacular.

Temperatures in the winter months generally are in 50's during the day, 20's and 30's at night. This winter so far has been colder then last year. We have already had two snowfalls, and have had stretches where the daytime temps barely got out of the upper 30's and went down into the teens at night. As an aside, the forecast temperature for tomorrow is for a high of 36 with a low of 18. Summer temperatures can reach into the upper 90's, though the norm is the upper 80's. Nights do cool off though into the 60's.

To sum up, I will repeat what I have said to others who have previously asked about Sedona. It is a beautiful place, of that there is no doubt. But it is isolated and offers very little by way of career opportunities or intellectual stimulation. In my opinion, it is a place best suited to the wealthy, second home buyers, and retirees. If you fit into any of those categories, then by all means, come to Sedona. But if you still need to work for a living or are raising a family, I wouldn't suggest Sedona as the place to do it.

[LordBalfor]

Yeah, Sedona is pretty much a place for the rich and famous as property costs there tend to keep the "riff-raff" (ie most regular folks) out - except to visit.

When you see the place you understand why.
Simply put, Sedona's setting is GORGEOUS - truly one of Mother Natures' masterpieces - so beautiful and unique that it's hard to believe it's even real. In my opinion, this surreal beauty is the reason so many folks attribute mystical characteristics to the place.

I put Sedona up there with Bora Bora and Yosemite Valley as one of the most stunning places I've ever been.

Ken

[altus2006]

Last summer I saw pictures of snakes crawling up the sides of houses and through windows hunting for food. That really turned me off as far as moving to Sedona.

It is a beautiful place though.

aaltus2006

[RetiredAZTeacher]

Yes, Sedona is very beautiful....and costly to live in.
Most of the moderate-to-lower paid people live somewhere else (Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Cornville, etc.) and work in Sedona. Housing prices are much higher than in the other towns I mentioned previously. The main business in Sedona is Tourism.

In my opinion, the grade schools are good.

Sedona is unique as it is split in two by two separate counties...Coconino (which covers the eastern & northern Sedona area) and Yavapai (which covers western Sedona) which can impact schools, property taxes, etc.

Sedona is great for outdoor activites--hiking, camping, etc. The weather definitely has 4 seasons, but nothing too terrible on either end (summer heat or winter cold). There are also several outdoor concerts every year of various types of music that are fun to go to.

For a "larger city" feel, I usually would visit Flagstaff (20-40 miles north depending on where you live in Sedona) or Phoenix (~130 miles south).

I would suggest visiting some website that shows rental or home sales in Sedona, so you can get a feel for the cost of those.

The population count in some areas can be deceiving. In Cottonwood, for example, this site says ~11,600 people; however, the subdivision of Verde Village (which is not in the "city limits" of Cottonwood but is right next to Cottonwood) adds another 11,000 or so, so Cottonwood "feels like" a place of 20-30,000 people. Just fyi.

Good luck.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by altus2006

Last summer I saw pictures of snakes crawling up the sides of houses and through windows hunting for food. That really turned me off as far as moving to Sedona.

It is a beautiful place though.

aaltus2006

Oh puhleeeeze. Cmon now, you dont expect people to really believe that, do you?


To the OP: Sedona is a great place. To retire to. I find it too touristy/gimmicky for my tastes, as well as too outrageously expensive. If you love the red rocks, head to New Mexico or Utah where the red rocks are far more abundant and the towns are far more affordable.

[altus2006]

I watched the story on the news in Scottsdale when I was visiting my parents last year. The snakes were slithering right up the walls and through the windows.

There was a big problem with snakes last year because it had been too dry and their food supply had gone into town to find food.

altus2006

[Steve-o]

Sure snakes will definitely go where food sources are, but they also want nothing to do with people, so therefore a snake climbing into a window sounds ridiculous. From time to time snakes will get into peoples' houses, mainly by accident. They dont seek out homes to raid refridgerators. Also, I cant think of a single snake species in Arizona that can climb vertical surfaces anyways. Youll find some rattlesnakes in palo verdes sometimes, but thats a different story altogether. Ive heard of people finding rattlesnakes sunning themselves on their front porches too, but climbing into windows, on a mass scale (from the sounds of it)?

[Dangerous Dave]

Here's my 2 cents. The best parts of Arizona are along Hwy. 89A. You can't go wrong. Prescoot is decent, so is Cottonwood. They're both close so you can take weekend trips. The scenery is nice. I lived in Yuma, and my favorite thing to do was drive 89A. The rest of the state kinda sucks.

[altus2006]

Here is an article written by the Arizona Herpetological Association in which they describe how snakes will climb walls hunting food.

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If I hadn't seen the news report showing the snakes crawling through windows, I wouldn't have posted about it. It about freaked me out and I decided to never sleep with my windows open. They were hunting mice, not frozen pizza.

altus2006