Why Move From San Diego to Kingman (Lake Havasu City, Golden Valley: mortgage, relocating)

[sedonaaz]

well, I did it. had a place with an ocean view, right on the border of Carlsbad and Encinitas. Loved being right by the beach. Perfect climate at least 10 months of the year. But...

I visited Sedona. and that did it. I love the 4 seasons here. most moderate climate in AZ. its great having a real winter, some snow, not too extreme. As beautiful as n. county san diego is, to be honest, it gets a bit boring. 72 degrees and sunny every day. perfect weather and it actually gets old.

Then the other part. With 15 million people always driving back and forth between LA and San Diego, it too bad, being surrounded by people and traffic all the time. As pristine as parts of san diego are, its too bad.

I thought I would miss looking out the window at the ocean. But looking out the window and seeing majestic red rock mountains everyday, unbelievably, I haven't missed the ocean view. Sedona is more beautiful, day in day out.
Snow, storms, mountains, hiking trails, and oak creek canyon. All this, and
in 4 minutes I can be in places with more coyotes than people. Add to that, that I can walk to 70 shops and restaurants, within 2 blocks,

and Sedona wins. Property is expensive here relative to other parts of Arizona. But what you get here for a million bucks, you couldn't buy in California for 5 million. You can't get peace and quiet. Pristine surroundings with no people. No crime. No smog. No traffic (except big tourist holidays).
not sure I could move back now.

[Trump]

Coincidently, the reason I began to have second thoughts about leaving San Diego is because of a friend that moved to Sedona from San Diego and now wants to move back. I suppose it's ultimately up to each person's individual taste.

[sedonaaz]

well it is a big change. it worked for us. but it is very different living in a town of 20,000 versus millions. you don't have shopping malls. you can't hop in the car for dinner in La Jolla. and you don't have the ocean. plus it probably also depends on what friends you make or don't. I guess if it were an easy decision, sedona would have a lot more than 20,000 by now

[Trump]

Originally Posted by sedonaaz

well it is a big change. it worked for us. but it is very different living in a town of 20,000 versus millions. you don't have shopping malls. you can't hop in the car for dinner in La Jolla. and you don't have the ocean. plus it probably also depends on what friends you make or don't. I guess if it were an easy decision, sedona would have a lot more than 20,000 by now

Well put. BTW, what is the quality and availability of medical care there?

[sedonaaz]

in Sedona, fortunately there is.
at least 20 minutes away in Cottonwood, there is a new hospital facility, and its pretty good. and its growing. they are adding on right now, although its a pretty big size already. Sedona seems to allow very little commercial infrastructure, except for resorts, so it all goes into Cottonwood. Thats where you will find more medical going in, and shops like Home Depot, and Walmart etc. I keep hearing a target is going in there soon. cottonwood seems to serve the commercial needs for several small towns nearby, like sedona, camp verde, clarkdale, village of oak creek, etc.

there is also a lot more health care in Flagstaff, 24 miles away.
otherwise 2 hours to phoenix.

One of the pleasant differences of services in the verde valley is,
less overcrowding. if say, I needed a new license at the DMV in LA, I better expect to spend an afternoon. in Cottonwood, I waited 5 minutes, and in 20 minutes walked out with new license, plates, etc. in hand. amazing.

going for lab work at the hospital, you just show up. no appt. needed.

[Trump]

Hmmm ... maybe it will be worth a trip out to Sedona to check it out. Where would you recommend looking for property with minimums of a couple of acres?

[sedonaaz]

Cornville. Most lots are about 2 acres. 20 minutes from Sedona. I like Cornville a lot. Big open spaces, very small town, some great views of Mingus mountain, and the distant red rocks of Sedona. Close to services in Cottonwood. My sister rented a house on 2 acres there, and it was like a retreat.

Unless you have an unlimited budget and can pay 750k for an acre or two near sedona.

[Trump]

senonaaz - Cornville won't do it. Much too far from medical facilities. Sedona still looks good though.

[Trisher]

My husband and I are looking for a new start, and we've sort of settled on Kingman. This is new and we won't actually move for a couple of years. We aren't rich, so we've got to save up to be ready for this life change. Leaving our jobs and all is a big deal. I have asthma and some other mild health problems for which a milder climate will be of great assistance. I have been watching different posts and Kingman just sounds like our kind of place we're searching for. I've already sent to the Chamber of Commerce for info, and we like what we see. The critters (scorpians, snakes, etc.) give me pause, but dont' scare me off at all. I've not been able to find out much about other atmospheric type living conditions tho - can anyone help? Is the area prone to flooding, earthquakes, tornados....whatever you can think of. I'm guessing not since I've not found a single thing about those subjects.

We live in WV, cold and hot - not much in between. Cost of living didn't use to be so awful, but they tax us to death. State is in huge financial trouble, and with both my husband and I employed by the State, it isn't helping our income any. Doc says my asthma will be much better, and the nearby attractions of nature greatly interest us. If anyone has any good advice on how best to prepare, we'd appreciate the tips. As I said, we've a goal of 2 years from now and are working hard to put away money to that end.

Thanks for any tips!
Trisher

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by Trump

We've been considering moving from San Diego to Kingman for some time motivated in part by friends that plan to make the same move. Now that we're closer to seeing this come to fruition I'm beginning to get cold feet. The weather and things to do in San Diego are tough to beat. Besides a more rural atmosphere and less congestion what does Kingman have to offer to offset the advantages of San Diego?

Your cold feet could be your gut/intuition speaking, or it could be just a simple thing such as leaving your comfort zone (San Diego) - as any of us might feel after living somewhere for a time. I am a bit wary of being motivated by friends that are planning the same move; that seems to be a bit of a red flag. Everywhere desirable is going to be congested; it's like this everywhere in the world, not just the U.S. I wish you the best in your decision.