What areas in Arizona should I scout out ? (Tucson, Flagstaff: house, employment)

[Coast 2 Coast]

My family and I currently live in Durham, NC. After 10 years of living together in Los Angeles and the birth of our daughter, we made the move to Durham so my wife could be closer to her family. In theory at least. Her parents live outside of Lexington KY, so I wouldn't exactly call that close, although they do visit fairly often. I think she was under the impression they would move to the triangle area, but after 5 years of living here, it's become pretty clear that they aren't moving anytime soon. In fact, I'd say never.

I was reluctant to move here to begin with, but I didn't want to be selfish, as we moved around the LA area quite a bit when we rented there. It was her turn to choose and after much resistance, I finally gave in. Here we are 5 years later and I think I hate this place even more. The weather is unbearable in the summer and the culture here just isn't my thing. My wife is more indifferent towards Durham, so she's finally agreed to move. For the past 5 years I have travelled back and forth to LA for work, and have slowly built my career to the point where I can work remotely. Ideally I would relocate us back to the west coast, but SOCal is completely off the table at this point. We got priced out and are now trying to figure out a place to relocate to. This time however, my wife's parents want to come along for the ride. She is expecting our second child in the spring and spending more time with family is only growing in importance.

Sorry for the long winded backstory, but after spending time researching on these boards, I've come to realize it helps people answer more effectively.

So far on our list : AZ, CO, ID, UT, OR

There are a lot of things we need to consider in choosing a new place to live. My wife's top priority is to be near her mother. My mother in law's top priority seems to be a place she can enjoy the four seasons, have a hobby garden, and have space and scenic beauty. This one is tough and seems to be at odds with my preferences. Although I think there's going to be some wiggle room here. I'm considering Colorado as well and while it seems great as a "4 seasons" place, I'm not sure that will be the reality. She and my wife better like snow ! How "green" or un-desert like the place is to satisfy their preferences seems to be something I can't get a handle on.

At odds with the above is my list : I like dry climates. I like open spaces. Access to trails is important. I HATE mosquitoes. I'm an outdoor kind of guy and I can tell you that I have never spent so much time indoors in my entire life as I have here in NC. Muggy and buggy is not my thing. Being able to sit in my backyard without being eaten alive would be heaven. I'd love to look at Tucson, but I don't think that appeals to my wife and MIL. Too bad. I like the desert.

Wondering if there is some compromise somewhere.

So, the question is what areas should we check out ? Flagstaff is the first that comes to mind. I have only passed through, so don't know much about it other than some research I've done.

Prescott could be on my list, but seems more of a retirement destination ? That would be relatively ok with me, but I've got a little one and another is on the way. Not sure how family friendly it is or isn't. As far as geography, it seems fairly similar to parts of Colorado to me. I'm wondering if my MIL's aversion to AZ in preference to CO is based strictly on perception.

On to some more needs/priorities ...

Housing budget : 5-600k

We don't want to be downtown but we don't want to be 3 hours from some amenities either (decent restaurants, stores )

Good schools : I know, I know ... Who doesn't want good schools for their kids ? But, well there it is.

It's a tough list to be sure.



Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks !

[wase4711]

first thing to consider before moving out here is where do you work/what do you do for a living?
job/proximity to place of employment is the first thing most people consider when moving out here..

sounds like your wife's more concerned about making her mother happy than making a life for you and her kids..could be trouble, for sure..

[Coast 2 Coast]

Originally Posted by wase4711

first thing to consider before moving out here is where do you work/what do you do for a living?
job/proximity to place of employment is the first thing most people consider when moving out here..

sounds like your wife's more concerned about making her mother happy than making a life for you and her kids..could be trouble, for sure..

Haha ! Could be, but anyway ...

I work from home.

[Travelin Mann]

The only city having four seasons in Arizona that I know of is Flagstaff. Prescott has three (lacks a real winter anymore) and most of the rest have two (summer and not-summer).



As for comparing AZ to CO, it depends which areas you mean. The built up areas and desert areas of both states will compare with AZ having the edge in heat. The high altitude areas of Colorado have real winters and few metro areas the size of Prescott to choose from. Durango is the only one that springs to mind. Colorado is probably more expensive. Lots of sun and hiking trails in both states. Gardening is tough at higher altitudes due to frosts and short growing season.



Prescott is both family-friendly AND a retirement haven. There is a growing California and franchise store presence and more traffic lights but it is still "Everybody's Hometown" and "Arizona's Christmas City." That said, Prescott is not the most job-rich environment, there doesn't seem to be tons of stuff for teens to do, and for a "semi-arid" area there just ain't a lot of rain. Some say we are in a 30-year drought here.


Hope that helps.

[Hschlick84]

Originally Posted by Travelin Mann

The only city having four seasons in Arizona that I know of is Flagstaff. Prescott has three (lacks a real winter anymore) and most of the rest have two (summer and not-summer).



As for comparing AZ to CO, it depends which areas you mean. The built up areas and desert areas of both states will compare with AZ having the edge in heat. The high altitude areas of Colorado have real winters and few metro areas the size of Prescott to choose from. Durango is the only one that springs to mind. Colorado is probably more expensive. Lots of sun and hiking trails in both states. Gardening is tough at higher altitudes due to frosts and short growing season.



Prescott is both family-friendly AND a retirement haven. There is a growing California and franchise store presence and more traffic lights but it is still "Everybody's Hometown" and "Arizona's Christmas City." That said, Prescott is not the most job-rich environment, there doesn't seem to be tons of stuff for teens to do, and for a "semi-arid" area there just ain't a lot of rain. Some say we are in a 30-year drought here.


Hope that helps.

Grand Junction is a comparable small city to Prescott and Prescott Valley in population.

[Granite60]

I would suggest you visit the places you are interested in.

[Coast 2 Coast]

Originally Posted by Granite60

I would suggest you visit the places you are interested in.

Thanks. That's exactly the point of this thread. Where to visit.

[Coast 2 Coast]

Originally Posted by Travelin Mann

The only city having four seasons in Arizona that I know of is Flagstaff. Prescott has three (lacks a real winter anymore) and most of the rest have two (summer and not-summer).



As for comparing AZ to CO, it depends which areas you mean. The built up areas and desert areas of both states will compare with AZ having the edge in heat. The high altitude areas of Colorado have real winters and few metro areas the size of Prescott to choose from. Durango is the only one that springs to mind. Colorado is probably more expensive. Lots of sun and hiking trails in both states. Gardening is tough at higher altitudes due to frosts and short growing season.



Prescott is both family-friendly AND a retirement haven. There is a growing California and franchise store presence and more traffic lights but it is still "Everybody's Hometown" and "Arizona's Christmas City." That said, Prescott is not the most job-rich environment, there doesn't seem to be tons of stuff for teens to do, and for a "semi-arid" area there just ain't a lot of rain. Some say we are in a 30-year drought here.


Hope that helps.

Thanks Travelin Mann. Appreciate your feedback.

My search seems to have evolved/devolved? into my interests/preferences vs. hobby gardening. Lol

[bigdogmom13]

Durango or Colorado Springs or maybe the western/southern suburbs of Denver come to mind (Jeffco schools are very good; I'd also check into the towns of Parker or Castle Rock in Douglas county). Winters here are really not horrible and we get a lot less snow than Flagstaff! Gardening, while a little challenging, is not impossible. Grand Junction has cold winters and hot summers but size-wise is nice. The scenery is a more desert than the other areas mentioned and there's not much in the way of mountain trails close by.

Your price range should get you a decent house in any of those areas.

[Coast 2 Coast]

Originally Posted by bigdogmom13

Durango or Colorado Springs or maybe the western/southern suburbs of Denver come to mind (Jeffco schools are very good; I'd also check into the towns of Parker or Castle Rock in Douglas county). Winters here are really not horrible and we get a lot less snow than Flagstaff! Gardening, while a little challenging, is not impossible. Grand Junction has cold winters and hot summers but size-wise is nice. The scenery is a more desert than the other areas mentioned and there's not much in the way of mountain trails close by.

Your price range should get you a decent house in any of those areas.

Thanks bigdogmom13.

So Durango winters are similar to the aforementioned front range places ?