LostinFL moving to AZ, but what city??? (Phoenix, Tucson: real estate, insurance)

[LostinFL]

I am a 30-something, single teacher, who has lived in St. Petersburg Florida for 18 years. While I like it here, I don't love Florida enough to stay here. My parents sold their house here and semi-retired to the Sedona Area, while the extended family lives in the north Phoenix area. I too, am ready to make the move in Summer 2007.

I want to be close to family, but don't want to move from one hot place to another. I like the idea of change in seasons (if there is such thing in AZ), but would like a school district that favors a small town feel, along with the town. But being from the Tampa Bay area, I like the perks of what the city has to offer, wine tastings, malls, Target, Gold's Gym and outdoor activities for young professionals and families. (Here in St. Pete we have The Rib Fest, The Taste of Pinellas and outdoor markets on Saturday a.m.'s.) Do I want too much?

Any advice would be helpful in what to steer clear of and school districts that are good. The cost of living is another factor. After all, I am on a 'teacher's salary".

Thank you,
LostinFL

[Boatdrinks]

You'll get the change of seasons in Flagstaff. Flag is a beautiful area. Though I haven't lived there, I know a few people who have and they all loved it. I think you'd get the small town feel you're looking for, but you'll still have things to do. I hear the nightlife is pretty good. A few friends in their early 30's who went to school there go back occasionally for weekends and they have a blast.

It's definitely not a big city though, so you'll have to forgo many of the amenties that come with big cities. It just depends on what's more important to you - small town feel and seasons, or malls and entertainment with no seasons and massive congestion (Phoenix area).

There's also Payson and Prescott. All 3 would put you fairly close to your family.

[sablebaby]

Flagstaff does offer most of what you want, so would Prescott (which is a lot closer to PHX) and also Payson. However, Flagstaff is a college town with a huge university. And also it's a very touristy town, so with the two Flag has a LOT of traffic. Even with school being out in the summer the roads are packed. I thought Flagstaff would be my answer but I seriously did not like it when I visited a few times. I also found customer service was horrible everywhere I went, which surprised me as well.

Prescott is a beautiful town, but has grown a LOT from out of state people. I would have loved it a few years back. There is plently of shopping and the weather is beautiful. I love the cool breeziness of it.

Oh, I almost forgot the affordability of both...which is there isn't for either, especially on a teachers salary. Both are expensive, but there could be a way. Maybe renting instead of owning, or living in a mobile. Usually something that offers four seasons and all that you want won't be too affordable, but check it out anyway. Good luck!

[LostinFL]

Thank you to both sablebaby and Boatdrinks for such a quick and helpful response to my plea. I really appreciate your time and words of wisdom on the area.
Many folks would probably ask why I am moving from Sunny Florida... In addition to the reasons I listed in my original thread, I have lived in the south most of my life and can no longer stand the humidity! I would rather 118 heat over the frizzy hair from March to October and nights that are 82.
As for the "affordability factor", perhaps I should consider renting. It can't be any worse than what is happening in the Florida's Real Estate market right now.... When purchasing a home, finding a home owners insurance policy that doesn't charge more than $4000 year is difficult. The taxes can double that figure! It pays to rent here! Pretty sad when the American dream is to own a home and live comfortable.
Oh well, glad I am moving nevertheless!
Thank you again )

[Steve-o]

Id also recommend Prescott, its a decent town as is Flagstaff. I dont know if you know or not, but Flagstaff is generally the coldest city in the lower 48 states, and gets quite a bit of snow too. I enjoyed Flagstaff and its natural beauty, but there really isnt nearly as much to do as in Phoenix and its satellites.

And for the hair thing, I agree. Humidity gives you the frizzy hair, but AZ dries it out and cracks it. My wife loves AZ, but cant You better get used to LOTS of conditioner and LOTS of lotion for your skin as well.

[tucsondesertdweller]

Hi. Sedona is way too expensive, lucky for your parents they can afford to live there.
Why not come out and visit some of the area's that posters have suggested before making the big move.
Flagstaff would be too cold for me in the winter but it is not the coldest city in the country!
We were thinking about checking into Prescott, but seems the prices have priced houses that we would like out of our reach.

I live in one of the Tucson "burbs" and if you like hot hot summers, lots of sun, beautiful mountain scenery, desert and cactus, you may like it here.
Jobs do not pay well here, You could work and rent here during the school year and then do extended visits up north and with your parents in the summer.
Right now we are in the 60's and low 70's during the day, am is cool , well cold for us and afternoons warm up, nights are cool to cold.
Only complaint about the weather here is the summer, but no place is perfect!
If t was, we could not afford to live there!!!!

[Ponderosa]

I have a "cabin" in the Flagstaff area. Flagstaff is far from the "coldest" city in the lower 48. It rarely falls below zero and always warms up about 50 degrees or more from the low. Flagstaff IS one of the snowiest places in the US in non-drought times - if those ever return. Flag is at 7000 feet and the snow melts off in a few days at that elevation. Prescott is about as nice a weather as you can find, Sedona is hot in summer. Other nice weather places and decent places to live would be Sierra Vista (SE), Show Low (not as cold/snowy as Flagstaff but still has a real winter), Payson (about the same as Prescott), Pine/Strawberry (little touristy mountain villages with less snow than Flagstaff). As for leaving "sunny Florida" you get more sunshine a year in AZ than in FL, but more seasonal temperature variation too (i.e. it can get cold here in winter). You may have some adjusting in that area.

Teaching is a good profession to have in that it is very portable and in much demand in popular destinations because of growth. There are likely to be teaching jobs available just about anywhere you want to live in AZ.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by tucsondesertdweller

Hi. Sedona is way too expensive, lucky for your parents they can afford to live there.
Why not come out and visit some of the area's that posters have suggested before making the big move.
Flagstaff would be too cold for me in the winter but it is not the coldest city in the country!
We were thinking about checking into Prescott, but seems the prices have priced houses that we would like out of our reach.

I live in one of the Tucson "burbs" and if you like hot hot summers, lots of sun, beautiful mountain scenery, desert and cactus, you may like it here.
Jobs do not pay well here, You could work and rent here during the school year and then do extended visits up north and with your parents in the summer.
Right now we are in the 60's and low 70's during the day, am is cool , well cold for us and afternoons warm up, nights are cool to cold.
Only complaint about the weather here is the summer, but no place is perfect!
If t was, we could not afford to live there!!!!

I'll be coming from almost next to LostinFL.....and they pay better in AZ than they do in FL for us! I make $27.5K here, boyfriend makes just over $20K and we can barely afford Florida.....

[MotleyCrew]

I know that the payscale for teachers is not that great. My daughter just graduated, wanted to teach but ended up working for a large builder instead.

We love living in Peoria and you might want to look around some of the areas.
N. Peoria is a bit more expensive and I am not sure I would recommend s. Peoria. If you are at all willing to live in a townhome, there are some options and some great townhomes around. We live in Vistancia and Trend is building some new townhomes here starting at $219,000. Surprise is a nice town, growing fast and the prices for single family homes are really attractive. We looked at a new build for our daughter this weekend, Richmond American Homes, that started at $228,000 and included a pool. There are new townhomes coming to Surprise soon and I think Trend is curently there and start around $190,000. You can google www.realtor.com and see what the different areas are offering as far as resales go. Hope you make it over here, it is an awesome state, especially for young people.

[Gretchen B]

Lost in Florida - definitely look north of Phx. Prescott, Payson, Flagstaff are all good choices. Four season weather in all three, but Prescott and Payson won't be as cold in the winter as Flagstaff. I live in Prescott and love it here. While home prices aren't cheap, Prescott is less expensive than Flag. You can buy a great 3-bdrm home in Prescott Valley for under $250k, and taxes on that will run you $1000 or less per year. Great school system here, too. Livinig in Prescott puts you 1 hr from Sedona and 1-1/2 hrs from Phx. We moved to Prescott from the Midwest and it was definitely "sticker shock" when it came to home prices, but we bit the bullet and we're glad we did. Hope this info helps in your search.