We want to retire in Arizona from Calgary AB (Phoenix: crime, houses)

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by adventuregurl

I'm Canadian and love the Verde Valley. I live in Sedona and love it but am considering a move further south as I want warmer winters. Many parts of Northern AZ get snow, altitude is the biggest factor.

Yup. North/South has almost nothing to do with the climatic differences in the various parts of the state. It's ALL about the altitude. Southern Arizona (especially in the SW part of the state) is much warmer than the rest of the state because it's so much lower than the higher altitude sections of the state further north.

Ken

[barryplumber]

These forms are great seems like I get more info scanning these forms then surfing the net I thank you all as i value personal input a great deal more then internet marketing. We will be visiting AZ this spring already have a place to stay and will be doing alot of driving to these areas

[movin'on]

Originally Posted by hollywoodaz

My advice-
Check out a few communities on-line and then make a trip to check them out yourself. DO NOT step foot into a real estate office while visiting the communities for the first time Go to the local chamber of commerce, visit the local shops and restaurants, talk to locals who already live there. Get a feel for what it would be like to live there and THEN, once you've found the town you like, look for a house. I have seen far too many people put the cart before the horse. They go to a community, find the perfect house, only to find out later that the area wasn't a match for them. Once you find the town, you WILL find the house....

Amen! I really hope everyone takes your post to heart.

[sooley]

Originally Posted by barryplumber

Have read many of the blogs here and found them to be very helpful. Still cannot decide on what place to retire to. We are both outdoor people enjoy gardening, camping, wood working, and fishing. Not interested in big cities, would rather smaller towns with friendly people. The heat is not an issue as we have experienced hot temperatures before. as far as cost of living the blogs I have read have answered many of those questions my concern is with taxation of RRSP's and pension. Not wanting condos or places with HOE fees. Just want a nice house with pool and private yard for relaxing. We are both 51 and will retire soon so looking to set things up.

try new river I,m holidaying there in jan15 it,s ok .Ernest Toronto, Canada

[sooley]

Try New River,I,m holidaying there seems nice place to live,

[saffordpastor]

Check out Safford.

[drb85650]

I've lived in Phoenix, Kingman, Flagstaff and Sierra Vista. That pretty much covers 75% of the state geographically and weatherwise. I've traveled the rest of the state as a driver in all times of the year.
IMO...
Kingman....windy year round. Over 100 in the summer and cold in the winter. But the location is good if you like gambling or boating with all the Californians on the river.
Flagstaff....beautiful area. expensive. lack of water makes building on acreage a water hauling proposition. 85 feels like 100 at that altitude and the area is capable of some brutal winter snows.
Phoenix....terrific suburbs, lousy downtown area. The heat goes on and on and on. You will get tired of it, trust me. Unless you can afford a exclusive gated area in north Scottsdale,Cave Creek or CareFree, be prepared to have relatively rough neighborhoods close to you. Lots of crime on the west side especially. But I still miss it.
Sierra Vista....perfect climate, not too hot, winters are mild, maybe one snow per year for a few hours on the ground. All the activities you mentioned are either in the immediate area or within an hours drive. Currently lacks alot of shopping, but breaking ground on more within a couple of months.
One's I've not lived in but am familiar with via driving jobs.
Safford....nice farming community. Remote.
Holbrook/Winslow ....2 areas seldom mentioned. Frankly, buttugly when you drive through on the interstate. Holbrook has alot of history via old rt.66, cheap housing and land. Windy, hot as Phoenix in the summer alot of days, cold winters. Winslow...old railroad town. Lots of old company houses, quaint areas. They keep trying to revive it, maybe someday. Again, lots of rt.66 history, and of course "Take it easy" by the Eagles too....very cold, colder than Flagstaff alot of nights in the winter, over 100 during the days alot in the summer. In a river valley, fog, ice...but wide open spaces and cheap cheap cheap.
New River....everybody, and I mean everybody passes thru here on the way to Flagstaff. Not much cooler except at night.
Sedona....beautiful. expensive.
Cottonwood, verde valley....bedroom community for workers in Sedona. Nice climate, hilly. Close enough to Phoenix for easy daytrips.
Williams....less expensive alternative to Flagstaff. But no water. Buy in the city limits or be prepared to haul water, really no big deal up there. Cold winters, beautiful summers.
Prescott....crowded. Traffic nightmare. Pretty setting. did I mention crowded and traffic?
Prescott Valley....alot like Kingman, not quite as hot. Windy, cold winters. Lots of traffic. did I mention windy?
Wickenberg....nice area. Lots of "hidden" old money people there. Check out Dupont Registry for Wickenberg listings. Unfortunately, it's also the main arterial for everybody from Phoenix going to Vegas or Laughlin.
Snowflake....if you really want to be away from most everything, and don't mind a touch of religion.
Payson/Showlow....read Flagstaff or Williams.
Bisbee....want to relive the 70's? old hippies, artsy fartsy types and lots of liberalistic thought, to the extreme. Throw in some bikers, a few rednecks from surrounding areas, tourist and it redefines the term eclectic.
Nogales/Douglas....for that true on the border feeling. High crime. Nogales is hilly, pretty in a way. Douglas....flat, old, ugly. Douglas gets snow several times a winter and is usually colder than other surrounding areas. did I mention crime?
Tucson....phoenix without the sprawl. some beautiful old areas, but you have to look for them. Don't judge it by the interstate view.
Yuma....Can we say heat? Not even warm there until it's triple digits and none of them are 0's. Again, don't judge by the interstate view. Get off and drive into town, go south....main drag has every restaurant/fast food/shopping you can imagine. And green green green fields of cabbage, lettuce.....all hidden from the interstate. But, it's surrounded by quite ugly desert, sanddunes full of 'zonies and californians. Nice thing is you can be in San Diego by brunch.
Quartzsite.....you really want to be around 75,000 people over 65 driving 25 in a 55, rv's and beige crown victorias? same with suncity. too many hearses.

That's a few choices. And next will be the opposing viewpoint/flamers. Just one guys opinion that's lived in or been thru alot, those areas. Feel free to pm if you want more detail on any of 'em.

[AZ Tracy]

Originally Posted by hollywoodaz

My advice-
Check out a few communities on-line and then make a trip to check them out yourself. DO NOT step foot into a real estate office while visiting the communities for the first time Go to the local chamber of commerce, visit the local shops and restaurants, talk to locals who already live there. Get a feel for what it would be like to live there and THEN, once you've found the town you like, look for a house. I have seen far too many people put the cart before the horse. They go to a community, find the perfect house, only to find out later that the area wasn't a match for them. Once you find the town, you WILL find the house....

I think that's good advice, too.

[Dr. Eldon R. McClure]

We live in Mohave Valley, AZ. It's at the point where Arizona, California and Nevada come together. We are 21 miles from Laughlin, NV and 95 or so miles from Las Vegas. We are 250 miles from Los Angeles and 250 miles from Phoenix. Most importantly, we are only a few miles from the Colorado River. We can put our boat in the water about 5 miles from our house and go down the river to Lake Havasu. We can drive just a few miles north of Laughlin and put our boat in Lake Mohave (that lake runs from Boulder Dam to just north of Laughlin). We can drive to Boulder City, NV, and put our boat in Lake Mead. If you like fishing this is a good area.

The traffic in this area is not heavy. There are about 40,000 people in the valley (about 500 square miles).

The casinos offer great entertainment and, if you like, gambling, as well as very good restaurants and some great deals on food.

We've lived here for seven years and will be sorry to move away, but my health (cancer treatment) means we need to move closer to my oncologist. There are very good medical facilities here, but my HMO is located elsewhere. We have a medium sized house (2300 sq foot) on 1.3 acres with a 30,000 gallon swimming pool.

[LordBalfor]

drb85650 -

What a terrific, all-encompassing post.

Ken