Sedona-like Qualities Without the High Prices (Phoenix, Flagstaff: 2015, condos, how much)

[BamaDave]

I'm still 10+ years from retirement and may never move to the Southwest, but it's on my radar screen of fantasies. I love Northern Arizona and would love to live there or be close enough to take advantage of the Grand Canyon, Sedona region, etc. I think Sedona would have an almost perfect climate for us, but I think the prices are too high, the traffic would be annoying, not sure about access to healthcare facilities, etc.

What are some other options to look at in Arizona? Flagstaff would be too cold for us during the winter. I've been eyeballing Anthem on the far northern side of the Phoenix metro. It looks much less expensive than Sedona and is still an easy drive to Northern Arizona and its outdoor attractions. I guess the main negative could be the very hot summers, but are they a little more tolerable than in the core of Phoenix where the elevation is lower? We're used to low to mid-90's all summer with very high humidity, so I'm not sure summers would be much more miserable there.

I'm aware of Prescott, but I think the winters may be a little too cold there. We don't even like the winters in Alabama. LOL.

[observer53]

Anthem will be a little cooler than Phoenix, but it's still going to be the 100 pluses that are seen in the Valley. It probably cools off a bit better at night.


Camp Verde/Cottonwood might work, but you are getting further away from health care facilities if that's a priority.

[johnp292]

I live in Anthem. It's a great place to live, but as Observer points out its only a couple of degrees cooler than the Phoenix metro. In fact, the West side of Anthem is actually part of the city.

I'm not sure I'd characterize the drive to Northern AZ as "easy." It's certainly doable, we do it regularly (in fact we've gone up to the Grand Canyon twice in the past 2 weeks), but it's about 90 minutes to Sedona and a good 3 hours to the Canyon without traffic.

[adventuregurl]

Cottonwood is probably your place, or maybe the Verde Sante Fe development which is officially in Cornville I believe, they're only 20-25 minutes from Sedona so you can enjoy it there when you want.


Prescott Valley, Prescott and the Phoenix Valley (including Anthem) are places for more activities and bigger shopping trips etc.


What kind of housing are you looking for?

[treedroppings]

Try Show low. Or pine top.

Not as many stores, though.

[sloguy1496]

I would recommend Prescott Valley as it is lower and warmer than Prescott but you still have easy access to the conveniences in Prescott and Phoenix while being very close to Sedona and Flagstaff.

Another option would be the Village of Oak Creek, which is about 15 minutes south of Sedona, although I don't know how much of a price difference there is between the two.

A third option would be the Verde Valley area (Camp Verde, Cottonwood, Cornville, Mcquireville areas). These places have a high desert environment and are more comparable to a places clsoer to Phoenix like Anthem/New River/Black Canyon City climate wise while being much closer to the high country (maybe 30-35 minutes south of Flagstaff) but you may not have the healthcare and amenities that cities like Sedona, Phx, or Prescott may have, but you would be located very close to the 17.

[BamaDave]

Thank you for all of the suggestions! This is still just fantasy for now for the most part. As far as housing... Ideally a modest sized one level home, 2-3 bedrooms. We might consider condos or townhomes as well, but I would prefer outdoor space for hanging out and doing some desert landscaping as well. When my wife and I visited Sedona around Labor Day of 2015, we really enjoyed sitting outside on the deck of the hotel, eating breakfast, and enjoying the sun and dry desert warmth. That would be almost unthinkable at that time of the year where we live now because of the humidity. A great way to start the day before heading out to hike.

[chaparrito]

Prescott is higher than Sedona in elevation and gets more snow, but isn't really any colder. Verde Santa Fe is technically within the Cornville zip code of 86325, but is culturally VERY NOT Cornville. We just laugh at them when they claim they live in Cornville.

[BamaDave]

I was just surfing around Prescott on Google Maps, and it really does look beautiful. Average highs during the winter are similar to what we have here in Northern Alabama. The lows at night are colder, but I know the drier cold is less annoying than the more humid cold.

I also like that Prescott has a college, since I may be able to pick up some part-time teaching there as a retiree.

[sloguy1496]

Prescott is indeed a beautiful city. One of my favorite things about the area is that if you want forest and want to live a more mountain oriented lifestyle - Prescott has it. If you want desert and want to live a more traditional southwestern lifestyle - Prescott has it. It has a lot going for it. I have several friends attending Embry-Riddle there in Prescott and I never hesitate to visit. Best of luck!