Ashfork, Arizona - Water Situation? (Phoenix, Flagstaff: real estate, house, travel)

[CALIFGuy]

Can someone give me a little history about Ashfork and tell me what the water situation is there? Bought land but, need water.

I heard that there's going to be a big building boom there within the...

[LBear]

The are MANY reasons why Ash Fork will NEVER "explode" in growth. Here are the MAIN ONES:

1 - WATER! If you live in Ash Fork, you MUST HAUL YOUR OWN WATER! Wells are IMPOSSIBLE due to the fact that the water table is over 1,500+ feet deep! That is equivalent to the size of the Sears Tower. That fact ALONE will be the reason why Ash Fork will never grow. Who wants to have a water tank stored outside their home and then have to haul their own water or have a company fill it up once a week? That is a property value killer.

2 - INFASTRUCTURE - Ash Fork has NO police department & a limited FD. Call 911, and wait for DPS or a sheriff unit to arrive, about 20-30 minutes ETA. That is why almost EVERYONE out there has a handgun. You are on your own. The town has NO hospital, NO stores, NO goods, etc. The town is a couple of blocks long and it looks like Beriut after an attack.

I can go on & on about all the negatives of the town. All one has to do is DRIVE THRU THE TOWN and see for themselves. As one person here stated, "it was a waste of my time" when he drove out to check-out Ash Fork and Seligman. There are REASONS why property & homes are cheap in Ash Fork & Seligman.

[exlexisnexis]

Here are some positive aspects
1. weather (mild 4 seasons)
2.growth coming from 3 directions Williams,Chino Valley, and Kingman
3. close proximity to the new Theme Park
4. millions of new residents of Arizona will want 2nd homes in Northern Arizona over the next 10-20 years as the state population doubles and Williams and Prescott are almost built out and will be to expensive for most people but the Ashfork and Seilgman areas are relatively affordable.
5. no natural disasters and reduced risk of terrorism in this area
I have watched areas like Maricopa, Buckeye and Queencreek turn from dust to gold and they had none of the beauty of Ashfork why is it so hard for you to see the potential of this beautiful area? I did not say it woyuld happen overnight but I am 100% convinced it will happen.

[exlexisnexis]

Hi there, Petrix and I went back and forth on this on a previous posting labeled land in Az,here is a cut and past from that discussion.
Petrixx does not like Ash Fork but I think it is a great area to invest,Williams which is a few minutes away has worse water problems and is booming.

Location and water Ashfork has both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

50 miles west of Flagstaff 2 hours from Sedona

50 miles north of Prescott 1.5 hours from Grand Canyon

18 miles west of Williams 2.5 hours from Laughlin

3 hours from Phoenix 3.5 hours from Las Vegas



It offers a perfect location for a quiet retirement home or weekend getaway or retirement base
for travel.


A WORD ABOUT WATER

Most of Northern Arizona communities are "water haul" areas unless they are directly in town. This includes Williams, Flagstaff, Seligman and many other towns. Unlike many of these other towns however, Ash Fork is located atop a plentiful aquifer which is very deep for individual drilling.

Our water is cheap too! You can haul it yourself or there are several companies that will deliver it to your door. Everyone has storage tanks on their property which you monitor like your vehicles gas tank. No big deal.

In closing, the Ash Fork area has a small population of folks who appreciate the beauty of Northern Arizona. They consist of a varied cross section from original pioneer families to people from all over the globe. Artists, authors, retirees, new families, hikers, and horsemen, everyone's here....come join us!


Most of Northern Arizona communities are "water haul" areas unless they are directly in town. This includes Williams, Flagstaff, Seligman and many other towns. Unlike many of these other towns however, Ash Fork is located atop a plentiful aquifer which is very deep for individual drilling.

In closing, the Ash Fork area has a small population of folks who appreciate the beauty of Northern Arizona. They consist of a varied cross section from original pioneer families to people from all over the globe. Artists, authors, retirees, new families, hikers, and horsemen, everyone's here....come join us!

Moderator cut: realtor sales link
I am not a realtor but do search the internet for news and relavint information on certain areas that catch my eye.

[LBear]

Yep, we just had to agree to disagree about Ash Fork.

Unfortunately, as of now, vacant land is NOT selling in Prescott or the surrounding areas. There are SO MANY real estate signs that it is becoming an eye sore. There are sometimes 6-10 signs next to each other and it looks really bad.

I've seen people drop the price $100K on beautiful pieces of vacant land in the very desirable areas of Prescott. Land that would have been bought in a heartbeat a year ago, can't even sell for $100K under what it was valued 1 year ago.

[exlexisnexis]

Wow, what a bummer about falling prices itmay take a few years before things get back to normal.The one good thing is that people are moving here like crazy from california and buying homes because they have given up on ever being able to afford anything in Ca.

[TN Gal in AZ]

Originally Posted by Pettrix

Yep, we just had to agree to disagree about Ash Fork.

Unfortunately, as of now, vacant land is NOT selling in Prescott or the surrounding areas. There are SO MANY real estate signs that it is becoming an eye sore. There are sometimes 6-10 signs next to each other and it looks really bad.

I've seen people drop the price $100K on beautiful pieces of vacant land in the very desirable areas of Prescott. Land that would have been bought in a heartbeat a year ago, can't even sell for $100K under what it was valued 1 year ago.

Where in Prescott have you seen prices for land under $100K? Acreage or tiny subdivision lots? I live in Prescott Valley and have been looking for land or home and land.

[LordBalfor]

... Ash Fork to fix a flat tire. Have to say that in all honesty the town struck me as bit of a dump -with nothing there to recommend it except that there is a great stone business there with an enormous choice of stone to choose from if you ever build a house in the area and want to put in a stone patio etc. Not enough reason to live there though in my opinion.

All in all, not impressed.

Ken

[exlexisnexis]

The reality is Ash Fork is crap now but is poised for tremendous growth in the future because of its location

50 miles west of Flagstaff
2 hours from Sedona

50 miles north of Prescott
1.5 hours from Grand Canyon

18 miles west of Williams
2.5 hours from Laughlin

3 hours from Phoenix
3.5 hours from Las Vegas

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by exlexisnexis

Here are some positive aspects
1. weather (mild 4 seasons)
2.growth coming from 3 directions Williams,Chino Valley, and Kingman
3. close proximity to the new Theme Park
4. millions of new residents of Arizona will want 2nd homes in Northern Arizona over the next 10-20 years as the state population doubles and Williams and Prescott are almost built out and will be to expensive for most people but the Ashfork and Seilgman areas are relatively affordable.
5. no natural disasters and reduced risk of terrorism in this area
I have watched areas like Maricopa, Buckeye and Queencreek turn from dust to gold and they had none of the beauty of Ashfork why is it so hard for you to see the potential of this beautiful area? I did not say it woyuld happen overnight but I am 100% convinced it will happen.

Well, I gotta tell you the theme park COULD bring hope to Ash Fork - providing it actually gets built in a timely manner. Without that theme park however, I just don't seem much chance of Ash Fork developing all that much in the next 5-10 years. In 10-20 years? Yeah probably - even without the theme park, but not within 10 years. The fact is, it's just not all that close to anything. The distances you mention are just too great, with too much vacand land in between. "Nearby" Williams is just not that big of a town and any growth that occurs there (which I'm sure will happen) is likely to occur along I-40 between there and Flagstaff (which is empty) before it moves west towards Ash Fork. Prescott is too far away so it's going to take a long time for growth to reach Ash Fork from there. Likewise the distance between Ash Fork and Kingman is vast - and almost completely empty (why build in Ash Fork when you can build on the 100+ miles that are closer to Kingman?).

I applaud your championship of this rather destitiute-looking little town, but in all honesty I think you're going to have a longgggggggg uphill climb to make Ash Fork into a place most people will want to live. For those who want to live "off the grid" yet still be close to the Freeway system - yeah, Ash Fork will fit the bill - but for your average retiree or family looking for a homesite close to medical facilities, shopping options and dining and entertainment choices. It's a really poor choice.

Now if the theme park gets built soon - well maybe all that will change. But ONLY if the park is built, and ONLY if it gets built soon, and on the scale advertised.

I'm no expert on Arizona or Ash Fork, but for what it's worth, that's my take on it.

Ken