safford, arizona? (Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff: relocating, housing, rent)

[landsharkviki]

looking at relocating to Safford. There is a job opening at the hospital there. I sold my home in CO, and looking for someplace warmer. I am a 43 yr old, single woman, who pretty much sticks to herself. I am a huge cyclist. You know, one of those "lycra clad weirdos" that people try to mow down, and throw stuff at as they are driving by, because we are on their roads

So, all that said, what is the climate for small town feelings towards cyclists here? Does anyone cycle here? I know hunting/ATV's seems to be the great outdoor activity here, but are there enough open minds in this small town for bicycles?

I would like to buy a house and spend the rest of my life in a smaller town....I enjoy entertaining, and just spending time w/people that I have something in common with. I like gardening, cooking and reading.....

I would be low-impact on the town, no kids, no husbands, no animals. I am responsible, and pay my share of taxes......

What is crime like in Safford, just read a posting that Tucson seems to be a little violent these days, are there gangs, drugs? What is going on in this part of the state?

Any info would be appreciated

Thanks,
Viki

[rambrush]

Safford housing could be tough as the mine is going strong.
As for cycling you are going to be in a prime area. Check out greater arizona bicyling association "GABA"
The climb to Mt Grahm is a great ride, down through the salt river canyon to Showlow or over to Morenci and up the state line towards Alpine. That is only a small sample of great rides.
Good Luck

[micrguy]

I used to live in Tucson and did several races around the Safford area, one them was the Mt. Graham Hillclimb. One of the bike magazines had Mt Graham listed as one of the best climbs in the country.

Don't know if this is an issue for you, but Safford is home to a lot of LDS and they have quite a bit of influence.

[INPHX]

I have lived in Safford/Thatcher and now I live in Col. Funny I thought. Safford is very small town. Most people work for the mine or the local stores. Some work for the BLM and the county or the college Eastern Arizona Community formily Joseph Smith Academy. Safford consist of two types of people mainly, White(LDS-Mormon) or Hispanic(Catholic). These two groups dominaint the area. Lots of farms, cowboy type stuff. It's totally laid back, I have barbqued many times on the mountian. I have seen my share of cyclist. The town is not over run by them so most people dont care, Lots of cyclist bike from Safford to Winslow(I think) a small town by the I-10. It's quite a journey or up to the mountain etc. I didnt mind it but most of the small towns in Arizona Safford and up to Showlow where my folks live have a massive problem with Crystal Meth and poverty. Lots of trailers etc. In the same hand, lots of great homes also. Good Luck.

[eddie gein]

Strangly I am a cyclist and have considered moving to Safford for the same reasons. I used to live in Tucson and also Willcox Arizona about 20 years ago. Willcox is the town the previous poster was referring to.

There is a lot of good riding around Safford. As mentioned the Mt Graham hill climb is great (esp if you have a 27 on the back) and the roads are pretty good. I used to ride on the blacktops around Willcox and rarely encountered vehicular traffic. Not too much on the highways if you got far enough out of town.

Safford also sits at a high enough elevation that you can get out at 5 am in the summer and get in a good ride before it gets ridiculously hot. At the same time it is ridable pretty much all Winter because it is not too high to have a lot of bad weather.

I don't know if Safford has a reputable bike shop but Tucson has several and Silver City New Mexico has two or three shops that can work on high end road bikes. Silver City has a lot of riders for a small town and hosts the Tour of the Gila which is a premier bike race.

Tucson has tons of riders but has gotten so sprawled out that you spend a lot of time just getting out of town if you don't live on the edge of town.

Safford seems like a nice enough little place but there won't be much to do besides ride the bike (which may be a good thing)

[dcarek07]

WOW That is the boondocks there I love hot wells in safford its dune country!

[kit amolsch]

If you think that Safford is a nice place be ready to be converted to mormonizm on a daily basis this town is run by them and so is the law. One of the most corrupt towns in Az. sorry but this is true from experiance. Love the land. But be careful who in this town you lay your trust in because they all carry a knife for out of towners backs. if you know what i mean

[saffordpastor]

If you think that Safford is a nice place be ready to be converted to mormonizm on a daily basis this town is run by them and so is the law. One of the most corrupt towns in Az. sorry but this is true from experiance. Love the land. But be careful who in this town you lay your trust in because they all carry a knife for out of towners backs. if you know what i mean

Wrong!!! Safford is a very njce town that over the years has become quite diverse. Yes there are a lot of Mormons (about 30 % of the area) but there are plenty of Methodists, Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, Non denominational, and lots of just plain sinners and heathens....nice people though. I have lived here most of 35 years and absolutely love it. I pastor a church and get along with most every one here. Mormons included. The Bible says that .... "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: " Most of the folks that I have met finding friendly people have a problem being friendly themselves.

[googlyeyes]

Flagstaff and Sedona areas are nicer.

[thegirlinaz]

I actually grew up in Safford! I think it is a nice place. It is small, although growing fast! Safford and Thatcher are two towns that if you didn't know it you would think it is one.

There are lots of new houses and buildings being constructed right now.

It is a great place if you are an outdoorsy person. There are sand dunes, Mt. Graham, several lakes (Riggs lake, Roper lake, Blue Ponds, Dankworth Pond), hot wells, and the Gila River to swim and fish in.

There aren't any places to eat out like Chilis, Applebees, Olive Garden, places like that. However, there are many good mexican food restraunts. Also, there is no Target or malls to shop at... there is only a Super Wal Mart.

I would say most of the population is either Mexicans or Mormons. Yeah there is some violence, but hey, where can you go where there isn't?

It is about 3 hrs away from Phoenix and 2 hrs from Tucson.

A large majority of the town works for Phelps Dodge (although they were bought out and have a different name now, don't know what it changed to).

The weather is nice too. It doesn't get as hot as phoenix and in the winter it snows on mt graham and sometimes (not very often though) in town.

Anyways, that is all I can think of to say for now. Of course, since I grew up there I think it is a great place. (and my sister has worked at the hospital there as an intern last year and she really liked it and wants to get a permanent job there once she is finished with school)