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ok, I *don't* want to hear about how "Yuma sucks", please. It's a done deal and hubby's headed out there in two weeks to start his new job. I'll be following as soon as we can get all the details sorted out. I've already read some pretty strong negative opinions on this forum about Yuma, but that doesn't help me right now.
What I need to know:
* neighborhoods we should definitely look at for renting [at least] a 3 bedroom house
* high schools? One of my sons is a high school junior, a varsity cross country & track runner; where he's at now he's got solid prospects for college scholarships so we don't want him to compromise that... needless to say, academics are also super important
* things to do with a 4 year old, especially during the Summer months
Feel free to add anything else, but please PLEASE be positive and helpful. I *love* Oregon, and have lived many places before that I didn't love so much. I'm determined to make this move work for us and I sure would appreciate some help in doing so.
From what I've seen, the majority of the posts on this site regarding Yuma are very negative. I'm not sure why. My family and I absolutely love living here. We moved here from northern NM on the CO state line about 15 years ago and have not regretted it one minute. You hear a lot about the extreme summer heat but I honestly look forward to summer every year (we love boating on the river and hanging out in our pool).
We only have one high school district in Yuma so I am not sure if one school would be any better than the others. The newest high school is Gila Ridge High and would include the foothills area east of town. My son is a senior at Yuma High (Go Criminals!) and has done well with his high school career. I don't keep up with the high school track and field programs so someone else would need to provide an opinion if any of the schools stand out in this department. I doubt that there is open enrollment in the high schools now so if you wanted your child to go to a particular school, you would need to find residence within the school boundary.
Best of luck with your move. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.
Best of luck with your move. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.
THANK YOU! I have about a million questions!!!
Is the Costco at El Centro, CA the closest?
are there worthwhile Farmer's Markets in Yuma? or nearby?
is it worth our while to also look at Wellton, Somerton, and/or nearby towns when looking at housing?
any hope of getting a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods soon? We *just* got both in our neighborhood, after living nine years here ... these are the little ironies of my life, LOL.
where does one go to get funky/retro/2nd-hand/good used condition home furnishings and such? I noticed the CraigsList for the area is pretty slim pickins. We're probably going to ditch as much of our stuff as we can before moving, since we're not getting relo
And, if you could ask your HS Senior son to ask around, at school or wherever, what the general scoop is on running programs in your area I'd be most grateful! My oldest will be a senior next year, and his team is poised to do really well... he's tempted to try to stay in OR but of course we want him to come with us. So, I have to find lots of persuasive data that I can use to convince him that this would be a good move for him too
I'm sure I'll think of lots more questions as the ones I've already posted get answered. Also, thank you for that boundary map, that'll be a lot of help!
are there worthwhile Farmer's Markets in Yuma? or nearby?
There a fruit/veg stands here and there around the area. Both swap meets usually have fairly good selections of fresh produce.
Quote:
Originally Posted by micapu
is it worth our while to also look at Wellton, Somerton, and/or nearby towns when looking at housing?
Wellton is about 35 miles from Yuma. The newer homes in Coyote Wash are probably selling for about the same $$ as in town. The older homes in Wellton, from what I've seen, are pretty small. Somerton, I think, is only about 10 miles from town. I haven't been in that area for a while but I guess that there has been quite a bit of new construction and home prices are more reasonable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by micapu
any hope of getting a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods soon?
The last I heard, Trader Joe's has no plans for a Yuma store in the near future. But, ya never know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by micapu
where does one go to get funky/retro/2nd-hand/good used condition home furnishings and such?
Umm. My house? Seriously, I don't know. It seems that there are a few second hand furniture stores in/around Yuma but none that I know of that "specialize" in funky/retro style. There is always Goodwill and Salvation Army where some treasures might pop up. In the cooler months, there are a ton of yard sales.
Quote:
Originally Posted by micapu
And, if you could ask your HS Senior son to ask around, at school or wherever, what the general scoop is on running programs in your area I'd be most grateful!
Will do. One of my college interns ran in HS a couple of years ago. She should have some good input. I'll ask her Tuesday morning for her opinion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by micapu
So, I have to find lots of persuasive data that I can use to convince him that this would be a good move for him too
My kids were pretty young when we moved to Yuma so they did not have much input/choice. It can be tough for a senior to pull up and move to a new town/school. It seems that the older they get, the less adaptable the become. My sons are into the typical teenage stuff: girls, movies, Xbox, skateboarding, girls, swimming, wakeboarding, and girls. I'm sure they wouldn't mind showing your son around town. Maybe some wakeboarding on the river if he is into watersports.
ok, I *don't* want to hear about how "Yuma sucks", please. It's a done deal and hubby's headed out there in two weeks to start his new job. I'll be following as soon as we can get all the details sorted out. I've already read some pretty strong negative opinions on this forum about Yuma, but that doesn't help me right now.
What I need to know:
* neighborhoods we should definitely look at for renting [at least] a 3 bedroom house
* high schools? One of my sons is a high school junior, a varsity cross country & track runner; where he's at now he's got solid prospects for college scholarships so we don't want him to compromise that... needless to say, academics are also super important
* things to do with a 4 year old, especially during the Summer months
Feel free to add anything else, but please PLEASE be positive and helpful. I *love* Oregon, and have lived many places before that I didn't love so much. I'm determined to make this move work for us and I sure would appreciate some help in doing so.
Thanks!
Micapu,
I think a lot of people are negative about Yuma because they come from other places and just really don't know what to expect. But it sounds like you have a really positive attitude and really that could make one happy anywhere.
We lived in the Yuma foothills area. It about 5-6 miles from town or YUMA It's a great area to live in, lots of wonderful familes that live there. And it's pretty neat to see fast military planes zooming above.
I would NOT want to live out in Welton or Somerton..they are pretty far out there in my opinion, but maybe once you move there you can look around and decide for yourself. Anyway, we really liked the foothills area. It's all a bunch of housing communities and they just built a new elementry school (Sunrise) a year or so ago, it's really nice! And they are building a new high school but I don't know if it's completed yet.
To us a pool was an absolute must! Super hot in the summer (obviously) and having a pool it just so worth it.
There are a lot of things you can do with a 4 year old. They have a great mom's club in Yuma and they do so many fun activities for young kids.
Sorry I can't answer a lot of your questions. We have young kids so I know nothing about high schools, but Yuma is a great place to raise a family and the winters in Yuma are WONDERFUL!!!!! No snow to shovel, no ice to chip! Oh how I miss walks in the winter months there. And there is a lot to do in Yuma,the river, the dunes, going to Mexico to shop and lunch! 2 1/2 hrs drive to San Diego. We would do day trips to Sea World, and we also miss driving to Disneyland and staying for a few days. It's about a 5 hr drive, but think of all the air fare you save. We are on the east coast now and it would be about 1300 for tickets to CA alone... We heart Disneyland and miss it
Good luck! You'll love Yuma. Biggest piece of advice is to rent a home with a pool!! You won't regret it.
what's public transportation like in Yuma? I hate driving...
are there really good Mexican bakeries? (I'm thinking a Tres Leches cake for my youngest son's birthday in July would totally rock)
shopping for ceramics/pottery: authentic Native American and/or Mexican, will I be able to find nice pieces easily (not museum quality, of course but something I can enjoy looking at and be proud to own) or is the stuff sold in the area more for the tourist market?
other than new construction, what is the "classic" style of homes in the area? And WHY do people have lawns??? Does anybody do xerascaping in their front yards? Are HOAs strict/picky about this? It seems silly to me to try to maintain a lawn in the desert...
Sorry if this post is somewhat jumbled but I've got so much stuff running through my head.
what's public transportation like in Yuma? I hate driving...
are there really good Mexican bakeries? (I'm thinking a Tres Leches cake for my youngest son's birthday in July would totally rock)
shopping for ceramics/pottery: authentic Native American and/or Mexican, will I be able to find nice pieces easily (not museum quality, of course but something I can enjoy looking at and be proud to own) or is the stuff sold in the area more for the tourist market?
other than new construction, what is the "classic" style of homes in the area? And WHY do people have lawns??? Does anybody do xerascaping in their front yards? Are HOAs strict/picky about this? It seems silly to me to try to maintain a lawn in the desert...
Sorry if this post is somewhat jumbled but I've got so much stuff running through my head.
There really is no public transportation in Yuma. However, driving isn't as bad as in PDX (if you are comparing it to downtown PDX).
You should be able to find what you want as far as pottery in Mexico, Los Algodones being the better bet since the shops are all clustered around the port of entry.
As far as actually buying a home, if that is what you are going to do eventually, stay away from any of the Hall neighborhoods. If you can afford it, I would go with Development Group, Kamman, or Lee. I heard the market is softening, so it may be a good time to buy here in the near future.
If by "classic" homes you mean older houses like Victorian or Craftsman era, forget it. There aren't many and they're in bad neighborhoods. I'm also a fan of old houses (I live in Albany/Corvallis now) but in Yuma it's a no go unless you want bums and gang members walking around in front of your house. I have a buddy that lived in an old house that he invested a lot of money in, and walked outside to have a beer on his porch and became witness to a shooting.
I was actually looking into buying a lot in the historic district and building an old-looking house, but when I took the wife to show her we had a whino start yelling at us from what would have been our front yard.
The best high school is Cibola, and the district is in the western part of town.
If I were to live somewhere outside the city proper, I would check out the Mesa Del Sol area. However, if you really hate driving, you're stuck at home and MDS is a few miles out of town. Wellton sucks, and so does Somerton proper. Some of the areas on the mesa near Cocopah casino will get you out of town, and are Somerton addresses.
Feel free to IM me, I'm now in Oregon (for another week) and I spent nearly 11 years in Yuma.
I certainly STAY AWAY FROM WELLTON AND SOMERTON!!!!! As a teacher, I have worked in both school districts. The high school in Wellton is pretty good but the elementary school is terrible. Wellton is basically in the middle of nowhere and smells really bad because there is a huge cattle farm there. Somerton is horrible. If you don't speak Spanish in Somerton you need to walk around with an interpreter. When I was a teacher in Somerton, there was a 3rd grade student who pointed what they thought was a gun at our school. Many of the kids in Somerton are being raised without parents so it is common to see kids as young as 3rd grade drawing gang symbols on school property.
The best high school is Cibola, and the district is in the western part of town.
If I were to live somewhere outside the city proper, I would check out the Mesa Del Sol area. However, if you really hate driving, you're stuck at home and MDS is a few miles out of town.
why is Cibola the best, in your opinion? Please elaborate. And, is the "Mesa del Sol area" you mention on the golf course by the same name? I love that they have cool street names, I wouldn't mind having an address in Spanish! And by "classic" homes I just mean non-cookie-cutter houses; some areas are full of colonial-style houses (thinking parts of MD and VA for example), others are seemingly all ranch-style... so I just wanted to know. I noticed some new developments have "Santa Fe-style" homes and of all things, those are more expensive!!! Seems ludicrous to me, since that should be the norm in the area, not the exception. Basically, I'm obsessing, so I guess I'm just wanting to know what the norm is so I don't get it in my head that I want something unrealistic for the area and our budget. I doubt we'll be buying a house, my husband thinks we might be moving again in a few years so it wouldn't make sense to us to buy.
I pretty much hate driving anywhere, lol. Except in really desolate places where no one else is driving... I guess it's more about OTHER people driving, not really me. I drove a work vehicle for a few years and after that I just got really paranoid about driving. I've gotten spoiled taking buses and light rail here in the PDX metro.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebelt1234
I certainly STAY AWAY FROM WELLTON AND SOMERTON!!!!! As a teacher, I have worked in both school districts. The high school in Wellton is pretty good but the elementary school is terrible. Wellton is basically in the middle of nowhere and smells really bad because there is a huge cattle farm there. Somerton is horrible. If you don't speak Spanish in Somerton you need to walk around with an interpreter. When I was a teacher in Somerton, there was a 3rd grade student who pointed what they thought was a gun at our school. Many of the kids in Somerton are being raised without parents so it is common to see kids as young as 3rd grade drawing gang symbols on school property.
I actually speak Spanish, it's my first language. So that wouldn't be a problem. Are the parents not home because they're farm laborers?
We'll stay away from Wellton then. Large cattle areas DO smell horrible, and IMO it's pretty bad here in Hillsboro when the farmers are fertilizing their fields and everywhere you go there's a pungent smell of steer manure...
oh... and what is an "Arizona room"??? I've seen that on a few real estate listings and can't figure out what it is
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ok, I *don't* want to hear about how "Yuma sucks", please. It's a done deal and hubby's headed out there in two weeks to start his new job. I'll be following as soon as we can get all the details sorted out. I've already read some pretty strong negative opinions on this forum about Yuma, but that doesn't help me right now. 
... these are the little ironies of my life, LOL.
It's a great area to live in, lots of wonderful familes that live there. And it's pretty neat to see fast military planes zooming above.
I drove a work vehicle for a few years and after that I just got really paranoid about driving. I've gotten spoiled taking buses and light rail here in the PDX metro.
