want to move from NH to Arizona..some help???? (Phoenix: real estate, rental market)

[stuckinNH]

I have lived in NH 33 years and absolutly HATE it! I hate the winters and the summers are TOO RAINY! My husband and I want to move to AZ next year and wanted to know if anyone could tell me how the jobs are out there and towns to "stay away from". Being from NH we are used to a NO crime town. We can do what we want be it 3am or 3pm. And not have to worry about anything. We can leave our cars unlocked and not worrry about someone breaking into it. We want to move to an "ok" town.i know there is crime there, i am just asking about a alright town to start out in. we were thinking prescott? I am in healthcare and would like to find a job at a hospital out there. we are looking to get away from the cold and the snow..any suggestions?

[ji603]

Good stuff. We moved from portsmouth years ago to Phoenix itself. Prescott is nice - northern enough to get some snow and a chill, but nothing like the north east, obviously.

The further north you go (and the further from the mess that is phoenix) the less crime. And I work in phx. Phoenix inner city and prescott valley could be in two different states, it's that different.

It's like Berlin vs Nashua or Manchester...

Anyhow - the job market has been hurt, but like anywhere, it depends on your skills and your field. In healthcare, I'd imagine the demand is strong. Construction, conversly ... very poor market right now.

Come to AZ! Very low property taxes, nice rural areas of the state still left, and no ma$$holes. We call 'em Californians here.

[stuckinNH]

I hate m*******s! Berlin to manchvegas huh? quite a difference..well thats good. I am pretty sure were miving come april...How about the housing market? I would like to rent until we get to know the area and where we want to settle down...we have two dogs and a cat..and we are worried that having the animals is gonna hurt us in the renting field and force us to buy before we know where we want to settle in. Any suggestions on that part of it? Oh and do you you know how the prcing is for renting...like are there houses you can rent for a fair price verses an apt.? THANKS SO MUCH! it helps from someone who has lived in NH and knows the big diff from here to AZ..

[kdog]

I grew up in Mass, and lived on the NH border in Tyngsboro for 5 years while working in Nashua, NH. Is that close enough? I also lived in CA for 20 years, but now I'm dating myself.

Kingman has a ton of health care opportunities and a second hospital in town is due to open in a few months. We're a small city, 28,000 people in town, and probably that many more in the surrounding communities. Clean air, low crime, friendly folks and NO traffic. Good rental market and reasonably priced homes and real estate. Low, low property taxes. We're in NW Arizona about 100 miles south of Las Vegas (or about an hours drive ).

[Searcher521]

I don't understand how you could live in a place you hate for 33 years.

Arizona is hard hit by the ongoing economic debacle. The economy was too heavily weighted towards construction and the service industry.

It is hard to image there would be a lack of opportunity for you in the healthcare field especially if you were interested in underserved areas. I have heard some school districts have compromised and eliminated school nurse positions to be replaced by health aides and a roaming RN.

We arrived here in Phoenix in April a couple of decades ago and sometime that June the temperature at the airport hit a record 122F. They had to ground flights because the did not know whether there was enough runway to take off for a given weight. The performance charts to go that high. It has been much cooler since then but a person might reconsider the wisdom of the move and grow wistful for crisp fall days and a white Christmas. Time has not faded my memory and dislike for those dark dreary months of winter that follow the holidays but you would do well to do your research.

Since you are coming with pets you should know we have a thriving coyote population that do quite well even in Phoenix. They are a treat to watch but will carry off your cat and pose a threat to very small dogs. They are not a threat to people and if you keep your dog on a leash there will be no problem. They are perfectly acclimated to the desert and can exhaust a dog chasing them which might not turn out well if you are nowhere around when they turn the tables.

The Chamber of Commerce would never mention it but there is an orphan disease common to the low desert here called valley fever. It is fungal infection. It is in the soil and spores get blown around by the wind. If you are susceptible to it there can be very serious problems. No one in my family has suffered from it, that I know of unless it was so mild as to be mistaken for flu, but I know people who have had lung tissue removed and others with dogs that have suffered debilitating effects. There should be plenty of articles on this that you can find.

Lastly, should you move to Arizona please respect the fact that you have moved to a desert climate. It is a rare day when you can't go out to a beautiful sunny day. Too many people allow themselves to get dehydrated or worse over exert themselves in the heat of the day. It is heart breaking to read about a visiting or newly arrived people hiking even in our South Mountain city park and being overcome and subsequently dying.

OK, enough of that cautionary stuff. There is also a lot of beauty in this state and things to appreciate. I came here for employment and have never regretted it.

[stuckinNH]

I grew up in Mass, and lived on the NH border in Tyngsboro for 5 years while working in Nashua, NH. Is that close enough? I also lived in CA for 20 years, but now I'm dating myself.

yes that counts. Thank you and I will look into Kingman. Small city is what i am looking for. I come from a town of about 4 or 5,000 if that many. So I am used to having nothing to do and not being surronded by a hudge population.
My question is...does it stay nice and warm all year round? i can handle the winters being like 40 or 50..

[stuckinNH]

Oh and I haven't Hated NH dfor 33 years.. I like NH it's a great state. I am sick of having NO summer(well it rains 95% of it anyway) and I have begun to hate the cold and snow. i figure If I need snow that bad I'll drive north in AZ. Or come home to visit.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by stuckinNH

IThank you and I will look into Kingman. ...
My question is...does it stay nice and warm all year round? i can handle the winters being like 40 or 50..

Yup, 40's to 50's during the day in the winter, but at night it will often get down into the 20's and 30's. Climate in AZ is driven by elevation. We're at 3500'. So we're definitely cooler than say Phoenix by 10 or 15 degrees on average. That makes all the difference in the world during the summer month where a dry 100F is quite tolerable, but 115F is oppressive.

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by stuckinNH

I have lived in NH 33 years and absolutly HATE it! I hate the winters and the summers are TOO RAINY! My husband and I want to move to AZ next year and wanted to know if anyone could tell me how the jobs are out there and towns to "stay away from". Being from NH we are used to a NO crime town. We can do what we want be it 3am or 3pm. And not have to worry about anything. We can leave our cars unlocked and not worrry about someone breaking into it. We want to move to an "ok" town.i know there is crime there, i am just asking about a alright town to start out in. we were thinking prescott? I am in healthcare and would like to find a job at a hospital out there. we are looking to get away from the cold and the snow..any suggestions?

There is a VA Hospital in Prescott, you could start there. But don't forget Tucson and the Sierra Vista Area.

[stuckinNH]

oh boy..there are too many places!