Arizona City by City (Phoenix, Mesa: crime rate, home, neighborhoods)

[chipnyuma]

YUMA

Weather: Two season climate, hot summers and very nice winters. The months of June, July, August and September tend to run near 110 degrees for highs, especially July and August. The monsoon season brings humidity which drives down the high temps, but makes things less comfortable. But by October things tend to cool down to less than 100 degrees for highs and the evenings are very pleasant. Winter is very nice with warm days and very little cold weather. By late March temperatures start to go back up and we generally hit 100 degrees some time in late April or early May. The summers are tollerable if you have AC in your car and don't have to work outside.

Schools: The schools in Yuma struggle with the immigrant population and tend to score low on with the state requirements. There are several private schools that do better. Yuma also has two separate elementary school districts and a separate high school district. Crane district (elementary) has a better reputation, but that seems to be based more on self promotion than on fact. Some schools tend to be better than others though, so picking the neighborhood seems would be important. There is a 2 year community college, Arizona Western College, that is affordable and it is linked to Northern Arizona University to offer bachelor degrees in education and business.

Commute: Depends on where you live in respect to where you work. If you work at Yuma Proving Ground, the commute is 35 to 50 minutes and can be a little un-nerving. A commute in town may take 15 to 20 minutes, except during the winter months when it can take longer because of the conjestion caused by all the winter visitors.

Food: There is a nice selection of chain resturants and fast food places. As for the local establishments, most people tend to have a favorite or two, it just depends on your tastes. There really aren't very many "exceptional" resturants here, but plenty of pretty good places. There are lots of Mexican food places, but once again it depends on your tastes.

Shopping: We have three Wal-Marts and a Target, as well as Penneys, Sears, Dillards, Ross, Kohls, Burlington Coat Factory, Sam's Club, Circuit City, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, PetsMart, Lane Bryant, shoe stores, smaller clothing chain stores, etc. There is a mall, but with the opening of the Regional Shopping Center, the mall has all but closed. For food shopping we have Wal-Mart, Frys, Food City, and several mercado's, no specialty or upscale food stores.

Air Quality: Generally pretty good, but when the wind blows hard, or the farmers are burning fields, then the air quality goes down. Little or no smog.

Economy: High unemployment during the summer. Wages are generally low. The area is growing and there is work to be had in construction, farming, service industries, medical, and government (Border Patrol and Customs, Proving Ground, Marine Base). But the cost of living is lower than many places and the service industries and medical fields can never find enough employees in the winter.

Crime: For a smaller town, there is more crime than would be expected, but most of the serious crime is related to gang activity fueled by the proximity of the Mexico border. There are parts of town to avoid living in, but most of town seems pretty safe. No place is immune from grafitti though, we just get rid of it as quickly as possible and than tends to discourage further tagging.

Housing Prices: Probably some of the lowest in the state. Depending on the neighborhood, three bedroom homes are availble starting around $150K, but for the nicer neighborhoods, the prices start closer to $250K. The town is a bit mixed when it comes to homes and neighborhoods. There are often very nice homes in some of the less desireable neighborhoods and most neighborhoods will have homes that are not very well maintained. It seems to be popular to come from California to buy investment property here, so there are many homes owned by people who don't live in the area or even the state.

Good Neighborhoods: Most of the nicer neighborhoods tend to be outside of the core area of town, like down in the valley (off the mesa), out by the college, Mesa del Sol, or south of 32nd Street (out in the county). There are some nice neighborhoods in town, but you would need to explore the neighborhood to find the boundaries of the nice areas.

Culture: Mexico provides a very strong influence on Yuma, some is good like the food and diversity, some is not so good like the poverty. So Yuma struggles to offer cultural events, although the college and high schools provide some performances and there are some groups in town who do drama or dance performances. Most of the community activities are scheduled during the winter like the rodeo, parades, car shows, balloon fest, air show, and the county fair.

Recreation: Yuma has two rivers and several lakes that are close enough to enjoy easily. There is camping, hiking, and boating, some can even be enjoyed year round if you are hearty enough. Another favorite diversion offered here is lots of fishing. If the heat is a problem, about 2 hours west into California is camping and hiking at higher elevations that can be very pleasant when it is hot in Yuma. 2.5 to 3 hours will put you in San Diego and all that it has to offer. East, Phoenix is about 3 hours away and Tucson is about 4.5 hours from Yuma. 30 minutes south is a major border crossing into Mexico, a gateway to the Gulf of Mexico and all of it's bordering towns. We never seem to have any trouble finding something to do.

[lisdol]

Originally Posted by chipnyuma

YUMA

Commute: Depends on where you live in respect to where you work. If you work at Yuma Proving Ground, the commute is 35 to 50 minutes and can be a little un-nerving.

What is un-nerving? We are considering an assignment to YPG but I know I will want to drive into town 2-4 times per month to shop,etc....

[Debbie SE MI]

Hi all
I have been a member on this site for almost 2 years, I just went thru the city information and did not find any complete data on Rimrock. I know we have folks that live their please give me as much information as you can. I'm finally relocating to VV and have found a house I really like in Rimrock. But since I have to have a job first it has not been finalized so I'm still open to areas. I will be renting a house with fenced in yard in CV, and he is letting me keep my dogs with me. That was a big relieve, 2-3 months of boarding them would of been very pricey and not good for them due to their advanced ages.
Thanks in advance
Debbie SE MI

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by Debbie SE MI

Hi all
I have been a member on this site for almost 2 years, I just went thru the city information and did not find any complete data on Rimrock. I know we have folks that live their please give me as much information as you can. I'm finally relocating to VV and have found a house I really like in Rimrock. But since I have to have a job first it has not been finalized so I'm still open to areas. I will be renting a house with fenced in yard in CV, and he is letting me keep my dogs with me. That was a big relieve, 2-3 months of boarding them would of been very pricey and not good for them due to their advanced ages.
Thanks in advance
Debbie SE MI

This is just "here say" but I have been told there is a lot of meth in Rimrock...so if I was you I'd check it out further, maybe phone the police etc. and maybe there is meth in many of the other areas too.

[thninkingaz]

Hi I am thinking of moving to Arizonia and would like information on Lake Havasau

[drb85650]

Sierra Vista
did a search, found short comments but no review, lived here 4 years so...
Location
70 miles southeast of Tucson, about 15 miles from the border with Mexico. 20 miles from Bisbee, 45 miles from Douglas or Nogales. We sit alongside the Huachuca Mountains and beautiful Thunder Mountain itself, over 7,000'. We are approx. 4500' elevation.
Weather
Much cooler than Phoenix, summers are shorter. 100' days about 2-5 per year. Highs in the summer around 85-95, cools down to low 70's high 60's at night. Monsoon starts around July 4th, actually get rain about every day. Winters will see 1 snowfall on average, gone by next day, snow in the mountains along edge of town, down to 5000' level is common. Highs in the 50's, lows in the 30's. Windy in the springtime.
Schools
Only grandkids in school. Public schools seem to have a good rep. Several charter schools available, church schools. 1 high school in SV proper. U of A extension, Cochise Community College campus.
Commute
Everything here revolves around Fort Huachuca, the only "commute" is traffic entering/exit the fort itself. Sitting at a redlight thru more than 1 cycle is a "major backup".
Food
Restaurants are jammed almost every night. Chilis, El Paso bbq, Texas Roadhouse, Applebees, Dennys, Fast food as usual, soon to come...Red Lobster and Olive Garden.
Shopping
Wal Mart, K mart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot, Marshalls, Ross. Breaking ground on Wal Mart Super Center and Sams Club next month. Grocery stores are always packed, Frys, Safeway,Food City, one of each.
Air Quality
No smog. Allergies from the abundance of open land, rainfall. Clear skies, a billion stars at night.
Economy
Everything depends on Fort Huachuca. New housing has died because of the economy. Significant amount of military retirees settle here.
Crime
Very little, but it is increasing. Many people still leave keys in cars, door unlocked. Not a smart thing anywhere, but it is not uncommon here.
Housing Prices
New homes start around 170,000. Double wides and a acre of land for 85-175,000.
Nice homes in established neighborhoods vary from 100,000 to 225,000 in town.
Outlying suburbs near the mountains can push 300,000-775,000. Local areas such as Whetstone, Huachuca City, Palominas and Hereford range from 75,000-275,000.
Good Neighborhoods
Anywhere but Frytown, anything around Busby street. Some outlying areas can be junky, yet have new homes built in with old mobiles. It's part of "rural" living.
Culture
The military presence here is of a higher caliber than most bases. Personnel attached here are security clearanced, educated and have specialties. They are respectful, disciplined, refined. On the other hand we have a true "redneck" attitude with many residents, lots of genuine cowboys and girls, not just linedancers. Those who choose outlying areas and privacy can be a tad distant, opinionated and wary of strangers. Amazingly, we have no problems with illegals. You are more likely to hear Japanese, German, and many other languages at the store than you are Spanish.
Recreation
2 golf courses, several others within 1/2 hour drive. Patagonia lake and of course the Huachucas themselves. Hiking trails, 4wheel trails, Coronado National Monument, Tombstone, Kartchner Caverns...all this within 1 hour or less of downtown. To just watch a monsoon move over Thunder Mountain, beautiful!

[drb85650]

Sierra Vista
did a search, found short comments but no review, lived here 4 years so...
Weather
Much cooler than Phoenix, summers are shorter. 100' days about 2-5 per year. Highs in the summer around 85-95, cools down to low 70's high 60's at night. Monsoon starts around July 4th, actually get rain about every day. Winters will see 1 snowfall on average, gone by next day, snow in the mountains along edge of town, down to 5000' level is common. Highs in the 50's, lows in the 30's. Windy in the springtime.
Schools
Only grandkids in school. Public schools seem to have a good rep. Several charter schools available, church schools. 1 high school in SV proper. U of A extension, Cochise Community College campus.
Commute
Everything here revolves around Fort Huachuca, the only "commute" is traffic entering/exit the fort itself. Sitting at a redlight thru more than 1 cycle is a "major backup".
Food
Restaurants are jammed almost every night. Chilis, El Paso bbq, Texas Roadhouse, Applebees, Dennys, Fast food as usual, soon to come...Red Lobster and Olive Garden.
Shopping
Wal Mart, K mart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot, Marshalls, Ross. Breaking ground on Wal Mart Super Center and Sams Club next month. Grocery stores are always packed, Frys, Safeway,Food City, one of each.
Air Quality
No smog. Allergies from the abundance of open land, rainfall. Clear skies, a billion stars at night.
Economy
Everything depends on Fort Huachuca. New housing has died because of the economy. Significant amount of military retirees settle here.
Crime
Very little, but it is increasing. Many people still leave keys in cars, door unlocked. Not a smart thing anywhere, but it is not uncommon here.
Housing Prices
New homes start around 170,000. Double wides and a acre of land for 85-175,000.
Nice homes in established neighborhoods vary from 100,000 to 225,000 in town.
Outlying suburbs near the mountains can push 300,000-775,000. Local areas such as Whetstone, Huachuca City, Palominas and Hereford range from 75,000-275,000.
Good Neighborhoods
Anywhere but Frytown, anything around Busby street. Some outlying areas can be junky, yet have new homes built in with old mobiles. It's part of "rural" living.
Culture
The military presence here is of a higher caliber than most bases. Personnel attached here are security clearanced, educated and have specialties. They are respectful, disciplined, refined. On the other hand we have a true "redneck" attitude with many residents, lots of genuine cowboys and girls, not just linedancers. Those who choose outlying areas and privacy can be a tad distant, opinionated and wary of strangers. Amazingly, we have no problems with illegals. You are more likely to hear Japanese, German, and many other languages at the store than you are Spanish.
Recreation
2 golf courses, several others within 1/2 hour drive. Patagonia lake and of course the Huachucas themselves. Hiking trails, 4wheel trails, Coronado National Monument, Tombstone, Kartchner Caverns...all this within 1 hour or less of downtown. To just watch a monsoon move over Thunder Mountain, beautiful!

[Middle TN Vegan]

I'm interested in learning more about Sedona and Lake Havasu City.

[pattij62]

Originally Posted by Middle TN Vegan

I'm interested in learning more about Sedona and Lake Havasu City.

sedona is beautiful but very expensive...absolute perfect weather, lots of red rocks

LHC is a HOT & HUMID party town...

[ExNooYawk]

More details about Sedona?