Arizona City by City (Phoenix, Mesa: apartments, foreclosed, rent)

[esselcue]

For many people who can't afford Prescott, or who want a bit more room than Prescott Valley can offer, Chino Valley is a great little town. It's about 10 miles north of Prescott to the Chino Valley town limits but much of the area is unincorporated yet. I have lived there for about 21 years now and have watched it grow from itty-bitty wide spot in the road to a small, but self-sustained community. It is an area of amazing views of the mountains all around and even the San Francisco peaks in Flagstaff from some points in town.

Housing is mainly on acreage but there are some developments coming in now with larger homes on smaller lots. There are a lot of horses and other livestock kept in Chino and also a lot of State Land to ride on, and a couple of feed & grain businesses to offer supplies. It is definitely a rural-feeling town. Homes are more affordable than most areas around Prescott.

Chino has a big Safeway, a Walgreens, an Alco, popular fast food places and a few unique restaurants where locals gather for a steak or a "watering hole". I have grandkids in the high school and also the elementary schools and they all seem to do well. There is also a big, clean and new community pool at the park and community center for hot summer days.

Chino Valley is mainly young families now, and this is very good for any economy.

[scourt]

How about info on Goodyear??

[Barbie4747]

Originally Posted by hg_emily

I would love info on Mesa, it doesn't look like anyone has done that one, yet. Thank you everyone for your posts! Very informative!

I would also like more information on Mesa!

[troymom]

I just looked thru all the messages on this thread and could find nothing about Sierra Vista. We will be visiting SV at the end of March and might find a job offer waiting for my husband...BUT, after experiencing August in Phoenix two years ago (horribly HOT!) I want to know first hand about the summer temperatures in Sierra Vista. It would be a major life change for us, but we're willing if the money is right and the area is decent. Any info from SV (not from their website...) would be appreciated!

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by troymom

I just looked thru all the messages on this thread and could find nothing about Sierra Vista. We will be visiting SV at the end of March and might find a job offer waiting for my husband...BUT, after experiencing August in Phoenix two years ago (horribly HOT!) I want to know first hand about the summer temperatures in Sierra Vista. It would be a major life change for us, but we're willing if the money is right and the area is decent. Any info from SV (not from their website...) would be appreciated!

I can't tell you a whole lot about SV (only there briefly) but I can tell you the climate is pretty perfect as far as I'm concerned. Though it IS warm, it is far cooler than Phoenix (or even Tucson) because it is at a higher elevation. In fact SE Arizona in general has a pretty delightful climate - best in the continental US as far as I'm concerned (outside of the coastal areas of Southern California) - that's why we decided to retire there (still a ways off unfortunately). Summer time highs are usually in the lower 90's and upper 80's (rather than the 100's like in Phoenix). Winter highs near 60. It's certainly a warm climate, but not nearly the furnace Phoenix is.

We bought retirement property near Benson in an area with an elevation virtually identical to SV and as it happens there is an online weather station (with hourly readings going back nearly 4 years) a couple hundred yards from our land and I was able to download that data and examine it. Over the last 4 years (nearly) we have averaged just 3 days/year where the temp is over 100 (highest was 101.5). Though I've not studied Sierra Vista weather with the same scrutiny, when I have looked at the weather there, SV is usually within a couple of degrees of the weather station near our land so I suspect they have a similar number of 100+ days - perhaps a few more, but certainly not has many as either Phoenix or Tucson.

Here's the average climate info:

Average Weather for Sierra Vista, AZ - Temperature and Precipitation

Compare it Phoenix and you'll see it averages a good 10 degrees or more cooler than Phoenix.

Note that the area around SV is also a bit greener than that around Phoenix, with some of the area being semi-arid grassland rather than pure desert.

Ken

PS - Here is a personal weather station site for SV:

Weather Station History : Weather Underground

Take a look at historical weather by clicking the "Custom" link and puting in your date range.

[silvermountain]

Far East Mesa for me. Beauty of Cave Creek and North Scottsdale for less cash. Also, more family friendly with fewer lawyer neighbors. Only drawback is it is an extra half hour drive when we go to Flag, Prescott, Grand Canyon, Havasu, Vegas and California. But it is closer when we take our boat to the lakes (Apache, Roosevelt, Canyon, etc.) or when we go to the White Mountains.

[Balco9]

LOrdbalfor, you miss Seattle and regret AZ....
Good luck on your move.
Better you than me...
Why AZ, soooooooo many problems...

[mesha73]

What does bedroom community mean?

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by mesha73

What does bedroom community mean?

A residential suburb.

Ken

[AtomicBetty]

Any information? Thinking of buying land.