Would like to Retire in Payson (Phoenix, Scottsdale: gated, work, hospitals)

[qhreggie]

I still have a few more years to work but am looking at places to retire. So far Payson is top on my list - A beautiful place with nice climate that isn't too expensive. Can anyone tell me any reason not to want to retire there? How are the medical facilities, shopping, entertainment, etc.

[az2id]

Well, I live in Payson. I found this site because I want to leave here and was looking elsewhere. Anyway, there are nice things about Payson.....the weather is mild, the beauty, clean air, hundreds of places to hike, look at elk, listen to elk, go to Roosevelt Lake or up to Flagstaff and Sedona.
But, and it's a big BUT, prices are not affordable here. Housing has skyrocketed, unless you have a few hundred thousand or more to spend on a house. The people from CA have moved in with their gated communities and private golf courses. The rest of us just live normal lives. We have to work at all the fast food places and gas stations to keep the tourists moving through to further destinations. Walmart is the only store to shop at besides small boutiques and antique shops. Oh, we finally got a Home Depot and Walgreens.
So, if you are wealthy and like to golf, Welcome to Payson. You won't like the traffic, and maybe not the overpopulation of people from Mexico. Just my opinion.

[qhreggie]

Thanks for the info. Prices are relative. Payson appears to be less expensive than Prescott or Flagstaff and way cheaper than Sedona. I am coming from California so I will have some money to spend though not rich by any means. Is there even a small shopping mall of any kind in Payson?

[az2id]

No, there is not a mall. I did fail to mention the new movie theatre...haven't been there. There is a casino that pretty much took over town. When I want to do something fun (not outdoors fun) I go to Flagstaff. It's only an hour and half away and the drive is just beautiful.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by qhreggie

Thanks for the info. Prices are relative. Payson appears to be less expensive than Prescott or Flagstaff and way cheaper than Sedona. I am coming from California so I will have some money to spend though not rich by any means. Is there even a small shopping mall of any kind in Payson?

Just a little insight on the prices. Homes in Flagstaff and Sedona are the highest in northern AZ area. Sedona because of limited land availability and very custom built homes. Flagstaff is expensive because ???? maybe because it's a college town? Payson and Prescott are pretty comparable when it comes to prices. Prescott/Prescott Valley area is quite a bit larger than Payson. (Prescott is about 35,000; PV is about 28,000; add in outlying areas and you have around 80,000 pop.) We have a nice mall here (at least I like it - not huge, but some nice stores) and then lots of other stores with more being built this year. depending on your viewpoint. Probably more activities over here than Payson. The courthouse square has arts festivals and free concerts almost every weekend from about early May thru October. Anyway, depending on what you're looking for, home prices in Prescott Valley will run from $220k to $375k (1400sf - 3500sf). Prescott prices start at about $300k and up depending on how large, how custom, lot size, views, etc. In talking with some of my CA clients that have been interested in both towns, its usually not about the price between Payson/Prescott, it's more about the "feel" of the towns. Payson is definitely smaller with fewer amenities and some prefer that. Others like having more things to do and more places to shop in Prescott, while still getting that small town feel that the downtown area and "courthouse square" offer. If you come for a visit you'd probably want to check out both communities before you decide.

[qhreggie]

Thank you Gretchen B for the advice on Prescott. Prescott was my second choice but you've caused me to rethink this. We love the outdoors but also enjoy other "city" type activities. The "Opera House" sounds especially nice. I've been hearing the traffic in Prescott is getting bad. Having lived in Southern California I can't imagine anything close to that. Also if I'm retired and living in Prescott I can pick and choose what time of day and what day of the week to be on the roads. How bad does the snow get? One other question - I'd like to know what the medical facilities are like. How many hospitals does Prescott have?

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by qhreggie

Thank you Gretchen B for the advice on Prescott. Prescott was my second choice but you've caused me to rethink this. We love the outdoors but also enjoy other "city" type activities. The "Opera House" sounds especially nice. I've been hearing the traffic in Prescott is getting bad. Having lived in Southern California I can't imagine anything close to that. Also if I'm retired and living in Prescott I can pick and choose what time of day and what day of the week to be on the roads. How bad does the snow get? One other question - I'd like to know what the medical facilities are like. How many hospitals does Prescott have?

Hi ghreggie - I think you've got the idea about our "traffic" problem. Everything is relative. My SoCal friends and clients moved here to get away from the CA traffic. But we all still complain about the traffic (probably because it's about the only thing to complain about around here, and we have to have something to complain about, right? ) Anyway, just to give you an idea: I live about 5 miles on past Prescott Valley, so I've got a 15 miles commute to my office in downtown Prescott. I have to drive the Hwy 69 corridor with mostly 45 mph speed limits through downtown PV, past Costco, the mall, Frontier Village (Home Depot/Target) and into the center of downtown Prescott. It never takes me longer than 1/2 hour from "out-the-door" to "in-the-door". Then once I'm at my office, I'm only 10 minutes to anywhere in Prescott, with the exception of the airport which is about 10 miles out. Of course, I do go shortcuts, etc, and avoid any construction areas. If I happen to be unfortunate enough to leave for home between 4:30 and 5:15, then I can plan on having to wait for a couple of light changes at "the Y" (worst intersection in town - almost all traffic in and out of town to the east has to go through that light). So it probably takes me closer to 35 minutes to get home if I get caught in that. There is a great bypass route (65 mph) but it's a little out of the way for me. Most of the growth is happening in Prescott Valley, so if you live out that way and need to drive into Prescott that's where you're going to see more impact in the traffic.

Hospitals: Yavapai Regional Medical Center - there's one in Prescott, and they just opened a new one in Prescott Valley (which is bigger than the original one in Prescott). Opinions differ as to the quality of care. YRMC just won an award for being one of the top (I think it was in the top 5 in the nation) hospitals in its category in the US. Phx is 90 miles away, too, and there's Mayo's and other good hospitals down there.

You really nailed what I love about Prescott - there are great places to hike practically out your back door. My hubby and I took a back-roads drive when the Aspens were changing in the fall. We left the house at 4 p.m. one Sunday afternoon, made a nice loop through the mountains, past a beautiful little lake, past an old abandoned gold mine, seeing all the changing colors of fall, and were back home by 6 p.m. We met 3 cars, I think, while we were on the back roads. I never feel like I have to go to Phx for anything, unless I'm looking for something really special. And I love the small town feel of the Prescott downtown (I'm from the Midwest and I would have really missed that.) I also like that we're about 1 hr from Sedona and 1-1/2 hrs from Flagstaff.

Payson is in a gorgeous area, too. Edge of the White Mtns. Just not nearly as much in the way of shopping. I'm not sure about their medical facilities, but you would be about the same distance down to Phx if needed.

I think if you visit both towns when you come for a visit, either Payson or Prescott will be "The Town". They're the same in many ways, but quite a bit different to the point where I think you'll know right away which one you like better. Gretchen

[Sean_Harrington]

Payson; Can anybody say METH?

[qhreggie]

Gretchen

I can't tell you grateful I am for taking the time to completely fill me in on Prescott. The reason I was looking at Payson is because I have a friend who retired there and loves it. However, he may not care as much as we do about the shopping, theatre, etc. Another reason I was looking at Payson is it "appears" that they have milder winters than Prescott. Is that a true statement? Does the snow ever become a problem in Prescott?

Other than that both places sound real appealing. We currently live in Lancaster, California where it hits over 100 degrees all summer long. The thought of retiring in a place that only gets into the 80's and on rare occasions lower 90's sounds like heaven - as long as the winters don't get too severe (ruling out Flagstaff)! Also we only have one major hospital for a valley of approx. 350,000 people. The average wait in the emergency room - and I'm not making this up - is 6 to 8 hours, unless you're brought in by ambulance or are in an obvious life-threatening situation. The wait for a bed after being seen in the emergency room is sometimes as long as 24 hours. So if all there is to complain about in Prescott is traffic on some of the highways at peak times I think I can live with that. Like I said before - everything is relative.

Have a nice day.

Reggie

[Ponderosa]

Payson is a little warmer winter and summer than Prescott. It is also easier to get to the Phoenix area from Payson. I-17 is a mess all day almost every day of the week now from Anthem south to the 101 interchange. The road from Payson is now all 4 lane and is a beautiful drive. There is plenty of shopping on the northeast side of Phoenix metro area and it is relatively accessible coming from Payson. Scottsdale is relatively convenient too for the restaurants etc. No question that the Prescott area is more "developed" than Payson though making it less likely you need to go to Phoenix.