Looking for a nice, small town to live in. (hospital, stores)

[Amberyl]

Thank you all for you input! I will be looking into those cities mentioned.

A couple of criteria that i put all cities in consideration up against, is how close they are to bigger cities. I am looking for no more than 20 miles from a bigger city. That way if i can't find a job in town, i can commute with no more than an hour lost each day.

The first thing i rank the city to is schools. And then weather. In all the cities suggested, it does snow a good 6 in, right?

Well, i will keep everyone updated on which cities make the cut, for further investigation!

Thanks again for all your help.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

PS to my last post: Oops! I left Payson off of my earlier post. Payson is quite a bit smaller than Prescott, Prescott Valley - I think it's about 15,000 pop. I would consider Payson to be a charming town.

Just to address the three items Ponderosa mentioned in his post:

Jobs - Obviously a small town is not going to have a ton of jobs. Check things out carefully before you consider a move. Employment in a small town is always a challenge.

You can do a check on schoolreports.com if you need school info and ratings. While some of the schools in really small towns lag behind academically, many of them are among the best in the state academically and have a much lower incidence of violence than the larger city schools. As far as Prescott area schools and Sedona schools, I think you'll see they rank very high. I'm not sure about some of the other small towns you might be considering, but I would imagine they rate pretty well.

And of course you can check out the crime rates on City-Data or official "City of ____" websites.

I think there are some wonderful small towns in Arizona and my personal opinion is only a handful would fall into the "trashy, weirdo-filled, poorly educated, den of theives and undesirables" places that a couple of other posters (who obviously don't live in a small town) have made them out to be.

You know, I have spent countless hours and many trips trying to find a nice small town in this state. I have lived in Phoenix/Tucson for 35 years and now am at the end of my working days and able to get away. I would like to stay in this state for many reasons. Unfortunately, I have found that there are very few places here that equate with the myriad small towns of the midwest in terms of livability along with affordability. There are no Mayberrys here. The sad reality, for my circumstances at least, is that Phoenix - bad as it is - is still a much better option than any other location in AZ.

[Gretchen B]

You're right, Ponderosa - there are very few towns in AZ with a midwestern "Main Street" vibe and affordability. Unfortunately, a lot of those small midwestern towns have changed tremendously, and many are becoming ghost towns or places a person wouldn't want to live in anymore. It's just tough to have a viable local economy in a town with a population of 20k or less.

Here in AZ, with the exception of a couple of towns over in the White Mountains (Springerville & Eagar come to mind), the economies of most desirable small towns are generally sparked by tourism and retirees, which generally means lots of low paying jobs in service and retail, and high cost of living due to the desirability of these areas for retirees (growing population with cash in hand and no need for a job). And desirable towns with growing economies means a growing population, which in turn means they no longer qualify as "small towns". That leaves very few desirable small towns in AZ (or anywhere in the U.S. for that matter) with good jobs, great economy and a low cost of living. (Actually if there was such a great combination, I'm sure it too would see the same kind of growth that Prescott has.)

That's why it's so important for folks to check out the job situation before moving to one of these smaller towns. It may mean having to downsize from your home in a metro area where you had a well-paying job. Some folks are willing to make the sacrifice for a slower pace of life. The really fortunate ones land a great job (or don't need to work) and can afford their dream home, too.

[Great Joy]

I agree with a lot of what has been said here. If I were you Amberyl, I would focus on Flagstaff, Wickenburg, Prescott, Phoenix, and Tucson as they are the closest that meet your criteria (all are better in terms of jobs, some meet the season criteria, and some meet the school criteria). I know there are quite a few (not all) schools in Phoenix and Tucson that are good. I don't know about schools in the other citiies. An important thing to keep in mind is that it is not necessarily cooler as you go north in AZ; elevation is the reason for temperature differences here. For example, Tucson is cooler than Phoenix.

[esselcue]

Phoenix meets absolutely NONE of the OP's wishes. Way more than 10,000 population, no seasons to speak of, certainly nothing quaint about it! Yikes!. Prescott, Wickenburg, Payson....maybe

[mddd]

Payson,AZ
Hood River OR
Prineville OR
La Pine OR
Flagstaff (little larger than you wanted)
some small communities outside Spokane WA

[ScoutAZ]

Bend, Oregon

[drwnorth]

Bisbee

[BryanK]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

PS to my last post: Oops! I left Payson off of my earlier post. Payson is quite a bit smaller than Prescott, Prescott Valley - I think it's about 15,000 pop. I would consider Payson to be a charming town.






And of course you can check out the crime rates on City-Data or official "City of ____" websites.

I think there are some wonderful small towns in Arizona and my personal opinion is only a handful would fall into the "trashy, weirdo-filled, poorly educated, den of theives and undesirables" places that a couple of other posters (who obviously don't live in a small town) have made them out to


be.

Yes, Payson can be a charming town, if you don't mind toothless lizard faced people, rude retired transplants and seemingly every fool from the valley up there every weekend in their monster trucks. I won't even bring up it's neighbors, Meth and Strawberry.

(I obviously DID live in THAT small town)

[drwnorth]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

You know, I have spent countless hours and many trips trying to find a nice small town in this state. Unfortunately, I have found that there are very few places here that equate with the myriad small towns of the midwest in terms of livability along with affordability. There are no Mayberrys here.

Similar situation here, countless hours research & traveling having a look at options. Likewise now resolving myself to the fact that finding a nice small city or town in the West which exists still with the qualities in life criteria so many appear to be seeking & and has remained affordable, will be tough to find unless you don't need a local job! If non reliant on local work there are options, it appears to me that's about it!