Need information about Arizona

[cynthiajoy]

Oh, yes, the Phoenix airport is about 2 hr from Sedona on a divided highway all the way. 75 mph most of the way. It is an easy drive. cynthiajoy

[drb85650]

Sierra Vista is probably too far from Tucson for you...70 miles, about 1 1/2 hour drive at the most. And the local hospital here (SVRHC.org)well, frankly, alot of people who live here tell their relatives to drag their corpse to Tucson before they take 'em to the hospital here.
Tucson would be a good choice, especially the east or northeast parts.
Flagstaff on less than 200k is doable, but you won't be rich. I lived there in 2000/01, they were building "low income" housing for people who made less than 89,000 per year....sniff sniff. And winter are cold, snow, and yes, crime.
Yuma, coming from Chicago? geez, nothing like coming from the Great Lakes to the middle of the sonoran desert. Polar opposites. Hot, like 115plus for alot of the summer, which btw ranges from oh, say early April thru at least the end of September.
Other choices? Wickenberg, work in the far northwest valley, like Sun City West.
Anthem. But your commute to central Phoenix like St. Joesephs or something will be a *****.
Central Phoenix, somewhere in Arcadia, maybe north Central Avenue, above Bethany Home road.
Cave Creek
Carefree
either of the above will make you middle class on less than 200k.
Have fun!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by cynthiajoy

Oh, yes, the Phoenix airport is about 2 hr from Sedona on a divided highway all the way. 75 mph most of the way. It is an easy drive. cynthiajoy

Except when it is bumper to bumper for about 25 miles on I-17 from Anthem. Pretty bad drive much of the time. 10 miles or so of construction with lane closures now and then. There are frequent weekend accidents coming down the hill into Black Canyon City. These close the freeway for hours at a time. Two hours would be exceptional. Add another half hour or so getting your car parked and getting to the airport. Only a realtor would tell you Sedona is convenient to Sky Harbor. It'd be OK once in a while but if you are frequent sky commuter, well it would drive (no pun) me nuts.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Except when it is bumper to bumper for about 25 miles on I-17 from Anthem. Pretty bad drive much of the time. 10 miles or so of construction with lane closures now and then. There are frequent weekend accidents coming down the hill into Black Canyon City. These close the freeway for hours at a time. Two hours would be exceptional. Add another half hour or so getting your car parked and getting to the airport. Only a realtor would tell you Sedona is convenient to Sky Harbor. It'd be OK once in a while but if you are frequent sky commuter, well it would drive (no pun) me nuts.

I agree that Sedona to the airport in 2 hrs would be the exception rather than the rule. Not only is it awful from Anthem/Carefree hwy on in, but there's also a ton of road construction on hwy 179 through Sedona. Unless you lived in the Village of Oak Creek, then just getting through Sedona could take 1/2 hr or so.

Prescott might be an option - mild weather, etc. If you stayed out east/southeast in Prescott Valley or Dewey, the airport is easily doable in 1-1/2 hrs. If you go on into Prescott, though, add an additional 1/2 hr+

Somebody mentioned Cave Creek and Wickenburg. Those are nice options that are closer. They're just quite a bit warmer than Sedona and Prescott.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

I agree that Sedona to the airport in 2 hrs would be the exception rather than the rule. Not only is it awful from Anthem/Carefree hwy on in, but there's also a ton of road construction on hwy 179 through Sedona. Unless you lived in the Village of Oak Creek, then just getting through Sedona could take 1/2 hr or so.

Prescott might be an option - mild weather, etc. If you stayed out east/southeast in Prescott Valley or Dewey, the airport is easily doable in 1-1/2 hrs. If you go on into Prescott, though, add an additional 1/2 hr+

Somebody mentioned Cave Creek and Wickenburg. Those are nice options that are closer. They're just quite a bit warmer than Sedona and Prescott.

I take back the snide remark about realtors. This is an honest assessment of the situation - from a realtor.

[homesweetazhome]

Your choice of towns will pretty much depend on which hospital you work at. Many of the hospitals are in the Phoenix metro area (which is huge) You can work in Phoenix and live in North Scottsdale and feel like you are away from the crowds. Or you can look south to Ahwatukee or Ocotillo (Chandler). There are gorgeous homes available at amazing prices all over the valley right now. These areas are close to freeways and the Sky Harbor Airport. The summer heat here is the reverse of the winter in Chicago. You do lots of indoor activities in the summer and are comfortable outside in the winter. Just a trade off. Good Luck!

[poolgirl51]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Except when it is bumper to bumper for about 25 miles on I-17 from Anthem. Pretty bad drive much of the time. 10 miles or so of construction with lane closures now and then. There are frequent weekend accidents coming down the hill into Black Canyon City. These close the freeway for hours at a time. Two hours would be exceptional. Add another half hour or so getting your car parked and getting to the airport. Only a realtor would tell you Sedona is convenient to Sky Harbor. It'd be OK once in a while but if you are frequent sky commuter, well it would drive (no pun) me nuts.

I agree, we live in Sedona and when we fly out we go down the night before and stay in a hotel near the airport. The next morning we leave the car and take the hotel shuttle to the Airport. This cuts down on the stress of the I17drive and wondering if we are actually going to make it. We love Sedona and just consider this one of the trade offs but it is certainly not for everyone. Good luck