Looking for the right small town in AZ (Phoenix, Tucson: Home Depot, school)

[avn]

Hello all,

I'm an artist/graphic designer and my wife's a nurse (LPN), and we have two small children in grade school. We love Az (we currently live in Phoenix) but we'd like to relocate to a smaller town here that would be a better place to raise our kids than the big city. My clients are all out of state, so all I need is an internet connection, and my wife can usually find work just about anywhere as a nurse.

I know it's probably asking for the moon, but we're looking for an ecologically sustainable (self-sufficient) Az town that's not plagued with drought, with local farming... a nice college town, perhaps? Any suggestions are appreciated; thank you.

[Havasu]

Plenty of water in Lake Havasu, we have a college and a hospital and the people are pretty nice. Check out Lake Havasu

My Home

[matiy]

Florence, small town, Main street with small shops.
Hospital coming in. Safest town in Arizona, because
it's a prison town. Anthem east, great development.

[w1ngzer0]

check out the Pinetop,AZ area.

It's a nice slow town. It has super walmart, restaurants, bars, fast food, ect. There is even a home depot and lowes up there. The people are polite and hold the door for each other. Use words like thank you and excuse me.

It looks like the hospital is hiring for nurses right now. Here is there website. They have 2 helicopters for air lifts to Phoenix.
Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center - Show Low, AZ

[drb85650]

Ecologically sustainable...read up on the San Pedro River Valley in southeastern Arizona. Willcox, Bensen, Sierra Vista...supposed to be one of the few totally renewable areas still left in the country according to National Geo.
Farming....good climate in all areas, farming around some of them. Water is available, not like Williams or Flag.
Sierra Vista is the most "urban" of the towns listed above. You would fall in love with Patagonia. It's like driving into a small New England town, so green and lush, valley setting, small. Drive east on I-10 past Tucson, take the exit for Sonoita and Patagonia, beautiful drive. Turn right at Sonoita(yeah, those are vineyards everywhere)and go a few miles to Patagonia. Watch your speed, they have a speed trap just before town.
For more info check the Sierra Vista post on Arizona towns, top of forum page.
good luck.
And don't listen to kdog...kingman is full of characters....

[saffordpastor]

Check out Safford....you will be pleasantly surprised.

[adventuregurl]

Is Pattagonia a town? Couldn't find it on the list for AZ.
Thanks

Originally Posted by drb85650

Ecologically sustainable...read up on the San Pedro River Valley in southeastern Arizona. Willcox, Bensen, Sierra Vista...supposed to be one of the few totally renewable areas still left in the country according to National Geo.
Farming....good climate in all areas, farming around some of them. Water is available, not like Williams or Flag.
Sierra Vista is the most "urban" of the towns listed above. You would fall in love with Patagonia. It's like driving into a small New England town, so green and lush, valley setting, small. Drive east on I-10 past Tucson, take the exit for Sonoita and Patagonia, beautiful drive. Turn right at Sonoita(yeah, those are vineyards everywhere)and go a few miles to Patagonia. Watch your speed, they have a speed trap just before town.
For more info check the Sierra Vista post on Arizona towns, top of forum page.
good luck.
And don't listen to kdog...kingman is full of characters....

[gabygirl]

I lived near Patagonia, there's nothing there I would NOT recommend it. I'd recommend either Sierra Vista or Safford. I myself love Flagstaff but I understand it's too expensive to live there. Payson might be another good one. Maybe you could use the process of elimination, I could really help you there: definitely don't pick Yuma, Nogales, or Douglas! Or anywhere near the border. Sierra Vista is close to the border but not at the border. Havasu is nice but it gets way too hot there. Hope some of this helps!

[drb85650]

Yes, Patagonia is a town and yes, there isn't much there, just the basics ie;gas, convenience store, school and restaurant or 2. But the setting is not like any I've seen in any part of Arizona. It is within commute distance of communities for the wife to work if needed. A bit of a commute, yes, but doable for such a lifestyle. Sierra Vista, Sonoita, Nogales, and Tucson.
And to locate on the map, Google Maps
You'd take I 10 east bound from Tucson, the hiway 83 exit south to hiway 82 and turn right. Beautiful drive all the way from I-10.
Again, if you can work from home, it'd be a great place.

[avn]

Thank you all for such great answers, I look forward to any more info you guys have to share! I'm going to be researching these places, and probably visiting a few of them to get a feel for the areas. I'm new to this forum but I find that everyone here is very kind and helpful. Thank you.