South NJ to South AZ. Questions about AZ and its differences from NJ!! (Tucson: live in, land)
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I worked about ten months in New Jersey a few years ago in NNJ. I have been to South NJ a couple of times and preferred that area much much more than NNJ. Reminded me of a farm area in California I lived in.
If you are moving to central Phoenix, very unlikely you will find snakes. Outer suburbs of Phoenix probably have snakes. I've seen a snake (not a rattlesnake) in Tucson in an apartment complex. Tucson has much more pockets of "greenbelts" and more likely wildlife where you don't expect to see them.
From question number 2, it seems you are thinking of moving to a rural area. If I were you, I'd be used to cool temperatures but want to be where it's dry. Northern Arizona near Flagstaff is cool, gets a lot of snow, but the dry kind. Summers are not humid and in the 70s or low 80s for max.
Southeast Arizona near Sierra Vista is kind of nice. Hotter than Flagstaff, but much cooler than Tucson. You go up higher in elevation the further you drive southeast of Tucson. It's beautiful over there. I like Patagonia.
There are websites about crime stats. MelissaData.com has crime stats by state.
Some of them are not rural. I would stay away from Colorado City even though it's one of the lowest crime areas. It's W-I-E-R-D! Polygamist mormons there. You would be an outsider and looked upon all the time with suspicion if you move there.
I don't know about your other questions, but note property tax varies by area in Arizona. some places are 2% and some are half a percent of your properaty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by threeps
My family is moving to AZ in the next 6 months from South Jersey. It is going to be a huge lifestyle change for us and I would like some insight from AZ residents and natives. I have never been to AZ, or to the West side of the US for that matter. I've been to WY but I don't think that is a good comparison. If no one minds, I'd like to ask a few questions about the state in general so that we can make this as smooth of a transition as possible.
1) Rattlesnakes, what area, and how concerned do I need to be for my children?
2) If we get a large piece of land (15+ acres), that is far enough away from the Mexican border, how is crime as far as robbery, break-ins and violent crimes?
3)What are the bad towns that I should know about so I know to stay away from them and to not buy land there?
4)What is the average cost to have electricity ran to your property if you buy "off the grid"?
5) How many days a week do the children attend school and for how many months a year?
6) Are there school buses?
7) Is there anything else that is different in AZ compared to NJ as far as schools, taxes and things of that nature that I should know about?
Well I think that is enough for now. If I think of anything else that is of importance to my family, I will post again. Thank you for all of your help in advance.
One thing I didn't like in SE AZ (I only visited once a year ago) was the constant police helicopters flying overhead at night looking for illegal alien trafficking and coyotes (the human variety)...this was in Benson and was a little unsettling for me and made it hard to sleep.
Quote:
Originally Posted by threeps
I think that would be extremely unsettling for me (anxiety!!) if helecopters were flying around all night shining spot lights looking for illegals. This is the kind of information I was talking about. Thank you very much. So.....is this a huge problem? I have heard from others that the illegal problem isn't a big deal but if you ask me, helicopters at night is a problem. Anyone live south of Tucson who can say what it is like to live close to the border and what problems it causes?
I lived for a year and a half south of Sierra Vista, about six miles north of the border. We were in a small neighborhood and two houses down from a major human smuggling pick-up. The first summer we had Border Patrol (BP) flying helicopters every night from around 10-11 p.m. They used the airspace above our house to circle around. They were always very good about turning off the spotlight while over the houses. I always joked that when I saw the spotlight in the backyard I would battan down the hatches, so to speak. It did happen last Spring! Must have had some illegals in the wash behind our fence.
It bothered me, but just because I wondered what was going on. The first couple weeks, it would wake up my young son, but after that he slept through it. I never felt threatened during the day, but in general, you don't go for walks at night (or late dusk). However, one mother at the bus stop had a two-story house that jutted into the rangeland and the spotlight would shine in their bedroom all the time.
We would constantly see BP arrests--people sitting on the side of the road in a row with their hands behind their heads.
So the border issue is an issue. However, these are people passing through for the most part. The Sierra Vista area is a large pickup point for the people or drugs to get trucked out. I would think that it would be a little better in the Benson area. I was never threatened, nor has anyone I know of. One friend once had a woman come to the door to ask for water. The Sierra Vista area is also crawling with law enforcement, so that helps (you name the agency and it is there...it felt like every friend I had was connected in some way to a federal intellegence agency).
As for the checkpoints alluded to earlier, I have been through the one north of Huachuca City numerous times without any problem. They just look at me and glance at the passengers and let me through. Once I went through at 4 a.m. on the way to the airport and they asked me to pop the trunk. I have been through other, less-permament ones and didn't have any trouble either.
So, in summary, my Northern perspective on my short-experience of the border is that it is interesting. Very interesting. But not overall horrible. Little things I had to change (like locking my doors, not walking at night). And remember, this was really close the border. My son's school was two miles from the border. The first week, he comes home all excited because he saw the "hospital helicopter" circling around by the school. Umm, it wasn't...the hospital one is blue and white, but so is the Homeland Security one... They also practice a lock-down once a year at the school. But again, this is in prime smuggling area.
As for drug runners, my very good friend has it from a high-up BP official that the runners are prohibited (by the drug lords) from causing harm or death to any American, with a penalty of death on return to Mexico. This is because the lords know that an American death will bring in the National Guard, which would effectively shut down the smuggling.
Sorry for the long post on the border issue, but you asked for it!
A wash is a dry creek bed that fills up during the monsoons or other rainy times. Monsoons are from July through August, into September a little.
The largest difference for me from Michigan to Sierra Vista was the lack of trees. I really, really missed trees. And I really, really dislike rangeland, especially desert broom, which is a scruffy shrub that grows everywhere, especially in over-grazed areas. The brown was a bit hard to take, but after a year, we got use to it. I love the Ocotillo cacti that grow everywhere!
I lived for a year and a half south of Sierra Vista, about six miles north of the border. We were in a small neighborhood and two houses down from a major human smuggling pick-up. The first summer we had Border Patrol (BP) flying helicopters every night from around 10-11 p.m. They used the airspace above our house to circle around. They were always very good about turning off the spotlight while over the houses. I always joked that when I saw the spotlight in the backyard I would battan down the hatches, so to speak. It did happen last Spring! Must have had some illegals in the wash behind our fence.
It bothered me, but just because I wondered what was going on. The first couple weeks, it would wake up my young son, but after that he slept through it. I never felt threatened during the day, but in general, you don't go for walks at night (or late dusk). However, one mother at the bus stop had a two-story house that jutted into the rangeland and the spotlight would shine in their bedroom all the time.
We would constantly see BP arrests--people sitting on the side of the road in a row with their hands behind their heads.
So the border issue is an issue. However, these are people passing through for the most part. The Sierra Vista area is a large pickup point for the people or drugs to get trucked out. I would think that it would be a little better in the Benson area. I was never threatened, nor has anyone I know of. One friend once had a woman come to the door to ask for water. The Sierra Vista area is also crawling with law enforcement, so that helps (you name the agency and it is there...it felt like every friend I had was connected in some way to a federal intellegence agency).
As for the checkpoints alluded to earlier, I have been through the one north of Huachuca City numerous times without any problem. They just look at me and glance at the passengers and let me through. Once I went through at 4 a.m. on the way to the airport and they asked me to pop the trunk. I have been through other, less-permament ones and didn't have any trouble either.
So, in summary, my Northern perspective on my short-experience of the border is that it is interesting. Very interesting. But not overall horrible. Little things I had to change (like locking my doors, not walking at night). And remember, this was really close the border. My son's school was two miles from the border. The first week, he comes home all excited because he saw the "hospital helicopter" circling around by the school. Umm, it wasn't...the hospital one is blue and white, but so is the Homeland Security one... They also practice a lock-down once a year at the school. But again, this is in prime smuggling area.
As for drug runners, my very good friend has it from a high-up BP official that the runners are prohibited (by the drug lords) from causing harm or death to any American, with a penalty of death on return to Mexico. This is because the lords know that an American death will bring in the National Guard, which would effectively shut down the smuggling.
Sorry for the long post on the border issue, but you asked for it!
No as 'long' of a post compared to some..........trust me. Your post was easy to follow
Back on topic: the idea of my not taking a walk in the evening would irk and bum me out.............
"Can someone please explain to me what it is when ppl say they live in J6"
I think it's the J-Six Ranch between Benson and Tucson, just south of the I-10. That wouldn't be a bad choice for you. It will be slightly warmer in the summer than Sierra Vista.
J-6 is an area named after an old ranch that used to be in the area. From what I understand, in it's later years it served as a dude ranch and in a book on Benson that I bought online I learned that in his college days JFK spent a summer there. Nowdays the ranch is long gone, but the name for the area remains. It's the area about 10 minutes west of Benson along the Pima County & Cochise County line and on the south side of I-10 (on the north side is Mescal - which is a bit dumpy (J-6 is a bit nicer though). I'm attaching a map. The term J-6 doesn't show up on this map but if you look along the south side of I-10 at the J-6/Mescal exit (indicated by the dot on the freeday) you can see the various streets. Those streets on the north side of I-10 are known as Mescal - which mostly has 1/4 acre lots and single wides - while those on the south side of I-10 is known as J-6 (minimum 1 acre lots with some manufactured homes and some site built homes).
There are in truth TWO J-6 developments. The older, less upscale one (where we own our lot) is actually called J-6 Ranchettes and is comprised of generally 1-acre lots with a mixture of manufactured homes and site-built houses. Some are very nice, some are not that nice, and some of the lots are still undeveloped.
There is also the newer development called J-6 Ranch (also known as Red Hawk) which is more upscale with larger lots (I think 5 acre minimum) and site-build homes only. This was starting to ramp up right as housing collapsed so it never really took off in a big way. This newer area is slightly to the east of J-6 Ranchettes (essentially the development east of the freeway exit - as compared with J-6 Ranchettes which is west of the freeway exit).
Due to the nature of the terrain, the J-6 area is slightly cooler than Benson (about 3 degrees on average) for daytime highs - and oddly enough a few degrees warmer at night. As you head east on I-10 from Tucson, the land gradually rises. It's a very slow gradient so you don't really notice it, but whereas Tucson sits at about 2,400 feet, by the time you get to the Mescal/J-6 exit (#297) you've climbed to about 4,200 feet (virtually the same as Sierra Vista - hence the near identical climate to Sierra Vista). Almost immediate as you pass this exit, I-10 begins to drop. It's a long gradual drop but IS noticable and by the time you get to the Whetstone exit (junction with highway 90) you are beginning to get pretty darned nice views looking down across the San Pedro Valley and towards the distant Dragoon Mountains on the opposite side. As you continue downslope to Benson the views pretty spectacular.
Regarding helicoptors in the Benson J-6 area - while I've spent only limited nighttime hours there, I've not noticed helicoptors ever. Mostly what I noticed was ALL the STARS.
One of the things we most like about the J-6 Ranchettes area is the fact that it backs up to state land - land which stretches roughly 15 miles all the way back along I-10 to the Highway 83 Junction. The result is that all of that area is undeveloped and will likely remain that way so we are unlikely to ever be hemmed in by urban sprawl. This the reason that urban development spreading out from Tucson ended at Vail (just west of the Highway 83 Junction) and that new develpment had to leap all the way out to J-6 Ranch (Red Hawk) and the new developments going in at the Whetstone area just west of Benson proper).
Note that along with the map I'm also attaching a few photos of the J-6 Ranchettes area. These were all taken in late July & early August during the height of the monsoon season - hence the reason everything is so lush and green. Other times of the year - not so much.
Ken
PS - Note that the photos are expandable (mulitple time over) so you can make them REALLY LARGE to see the details.
Last edited by LordBalfor; 01-31-2010 at 02:23 PM..
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