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For those referring to the original question, which was, any downsides to Prescott, and the ensuing criticisms of it, I offer another perspective. I have not lived there yet, but my family is in the process of moving there. I have lived in San Diego, the Bay Area of San Francisco, Los Angeles County, Salt Lake City and surrounding area, Denver metro, Virginia, and for the last 5 years, very-small-town Western Nebraska. Living in this part of Nebraska has given me a fresh perspective on such things as access to health care and "nothing to do."
I can tell you what I have noticed so far in my visits to Prescott/PV and house hunting there. Homes are more expensive than Phoenix, but less expensive or equal to other metro areas. Definitely less than LA and San Diego. If you are looking for a family neighborhood with kids for your kids to make friends with, that is going to be harder than other places. There is a rather large percentage of retired people.
I take exception to the racism comments here. I can tell you first hand that racism and drug abuse is EVERYWHERE I have ever lived. Is there racial persecution in Prescott? I find that pretty unlikely. If you want to imagine that people are looking at you funny because your skin is darker, okay, but that's not the same thing as being careful to not wander into the wrong neighborhood at night for fear of being shot (Richmond, Virginia). Here we live near a large reservation. You want to talk about drug abuse? Homeless? Have you ever visited San Diego? The homeless are lining many street corners there. I didn't see that at all in Prescott.
For a newcomer, be prepared to pay exorbitant sales tax of more than 9%. If you are home shopping, carefully research HOA fees and property taxes, as they vary a lot from place to place. It was also very hard for us to find a house in Prescott that wasn't built on a ridiculously steep lot or wasn't past its prime--which is why we ended up buying in PV. More house and land for the money.
Sure you have to drive to Phoenix for a major airport, but unless you're a frequent flyer that shouldn't be a big deal. Prescott has an inexpensive shuttle to PHX. Health care? I agree with another poster about HMO's in SoCal etc. Sometimes "health care" in the big city is much harder to access. And where I live now, our hospital pretty much does triage and sends you on a helicopter elsewhere if you are in bad shape. Nightlife and restaurants? For a married couple with teens we don't need bars and nightclubs. We ate in two VERY good restaurants one weekend and there are enough events going on, plus movie theatres, and school activities, to keep us busy. If an active nightlife is important to you, then it doesn't look like Prescott has that.
Prescott and PV seem to have a lot of the "necessities" and "niceties" (nice libraries, dog park, hospital, restaurants, stores) without having all the conveniences of, say, Denver. But neither does it have the traffic headaches of Denver. I also really love the fact that it has four moderate seasons. I love the changing seasons, but not harsh weather in either direction. As a side note, there is some controversy about water supply in the area that you may want to look into.
I take exception to the racism comments here. I can tell you first hand that racism and drug abuse is EVERYWHERE I have ever lived. Is there racial persecution in Prescott? I find that pretty unlikely. If you want to imagine that people are looking at you funny because your skin is darker, okay, but that's not the same thing as being careful to not wander into the wrong neighborhood at night for fear of being shot (Richmond, Virginia). Here we live near a large reservation. You want to talk about drug abuse? Homeless? Have you ever visited San Diego? The homeless are lining many street corners there. I didn't see that at all in Prescott.
Visiting the area for a a couple of days will not give one a true understanding of what is going on up in Prescott. Take a look at the Prescott and PV city council members, tell me what you see. Not one person is a minority. What about the Prescott Council Member Steve Blair while commenting about a mural that had a minority person painted on it at a Prescott school, Blair stated, "To depict the biggest picture on the building as a black person, I would have to ask the question: Why?"
The principal of that school ordered the artists that the black person on the mural to have their skin lightened. While the artists were painting the mural, Prescott residents would drive by and yell at them and make racial slurs. It was on a constant basis that Prescott residents would drive by and yell out the "N" word and "S" word a them.
"We consistently, for two months, had people shouting racial slander from their cars," Wall said. "We had children painting with us, and here come these yells of (epithet for Blacks) and (epithet for Hispanics)."
Even after all of this. Steve Blair remains as the Prescott Council Member and that principal remains. Nothing happened to them.
If you are African American and enter into a store or restaurant in Prescott, they will stare at you and give you dirty looks.
I've been to many cities in the USA and Prescott is by-far one of the most racist and bigoted there is. Like I said before, they are stuck in the 1800's and anyone of color is looked down upon.
I just read this thread over and people keep saying its not diverse?. Sure its over 90% white but guess what? Its safe. If you want diversity move to California, and you will realize that diversity can also be a major negative.
Take a look at the Prescott and PV city council members, tell me what you see. Not one person is a minority.
What percentage of the voting population in Prescott is nonwhite?
Like it or not, all races tend to vote for their own race.
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If you are African American and enter into a store or restaurant in Prescott, they will stare at you and give you dirty looks.
I haven't observed that. The only glaring I see is at the people on food stamps and the breeders who hold up the checkout line at Fry's with those involved and complicated coupons. In fact, I glare at them myself, as I watch my ice cream melt.
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I've been to many cities in the USA and Prescott is by-far one of the most racist and bigoted there is.
"The most racist and bigoted there is? Ever been in rural towns in the South? Or any town where English is not the most common language?
My experience has been a little different. In quite a number of cities due to both military service and employment. Prescott is no prize in that area, but I have seen worse racism from all races in a number of communities.
Having said that, Prescott has some of the redneck thought patterns we often see in the heartland.
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Like I said before, they are stuck in the 1800's and anyone of color is looked down upon.
The sad truth is, anyone of a different race is not treated well by the majority race in a lot of places. It seems to be human nature. At least we are spared religious intolerance. Much of the world, even some of the US is not.
I think you are being a little too hard on Prescott for failings that are, sadly, part of human nature, and are present almost everywhere.
Visited for years and now a resident for some period. I was more interested initially in the 'well' discussion but cannot let the idea that "Prescott is more bigoted"... so forth, pass.
First, Prescott is polite. Having lived in several major metropolitan cities I have so say that, while much smaller, the people of Prescott (and surrounding tri-city areas) act very politely (is it because AZ is gun friendly? Don't know). I have visited few places where folks are so "willing to let you go first" with a wave and smile as we've found in Prescott. Doors are still held for ladies, I've seen men tip their hats and 'please, thank you, yes ma'am, no sir' are very common.
Racism is a very active "two way" street now in big cities. For "whatever" reason minorities seem to feel that "this is their time" and that in and of itself isolates or separates. Cities with large representations of minorities actually have 'elected officials' that say just such things and will speak disparagingly of "white" voters and say "You took it from us, we're taking it back" and the like. History isn't taught today and so many think "we did take it"... we won't go there but that isn't true. I think the issue of legal vs illegal presence also adds to issues surrounding the potential for racism against Hispanics, again a two way street.
Relative to the 'N' word, racial slurs, etc... first and foremost, if you visited any city where African-Americans inhabited any single region and you sat on any street corner just listening you would hear that word directed at themselves so often that after a while you would be immune to it. It's "Hey n****, how ya doin'... "Yo, n*****, what's up.." , "You my main n******" and so forth. I AM NOT saying this to use the 'n' word but just to point out that there is a very large disconnect with that 'word', who uses it and then the double STANDARD applied to the races who do use it.
Second and significant... sadly the 'freedoms' hard won by MLK and the movement that "rightfully" sprung up over "real" racism and racially motivated violence have been "misused" by many of that minority group. Not just accidentally but full on criminal endeavors to apply 'racial' issues for the realization of monetary and positional advancements that have been, ultimately, declared illegal. Day in and day out we see both those 'white collar' type crimes "and" blue collar crimes based on the ideas that "there is a right" because we have been oppressed (name any single group that hasn't been at one time or another, Irish, Italians, Poles and on and on even to serfdom). Our prisons have a large disproportionate number of minority inhabitants with much of those crimes directed at their own minority group citizens and neighborhoods... black on black crime is terrible and the 85% of minority citizens trying to advance, make a living, educate themselves are held hostage not only to those crimes from within their community but the stigma such actions casts on all of the group.
Ignorance and the loss of a taught Judeo-Christian moral compass account for a lot of these problems but basic common sense also indicates that "we have met the enemy... and he is us"! I doubt we'll stop criminal behavior or hate based behavior but we should not 'paint' any one area with the behavior patterns of a few fools. Prescott is a fine community and, as even in those minority enclaves in large cities, the majority are trying to do what is right and honorable.[FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]
First, Prescott is polite. Having lived in several major metropolitan cities I have so say that, while much smaller, the people of Prescott (and surrounding tri-city areas) act very politely (is it because AZ is gun friendly? Don't know). I have visited few places where folks are so "willing to let you go first" with a wave and smile as we've found in Prescott.
I will second that, and add that retail employees here tend to be more helpful than in other places I have been. People here seem to be glad to have a job, not resentful that they have to work. Or perhaps there is just a stronger work ethic here.
I do not live in Prescott, but my family (wife and 4 kids) and I are planning to move there from Augusta, GA in November of this year.
But I wanted to chime in on the racism thing.
I have lived in many places. Bay Area, CA, Orange County CA, San Diego, Central Valley CA, Monterey/Carmel CA, Reno NV, San Angelo TX, and now Augusta, GA.
I reiterate above comments that racism is everywhere. Are you black and feel like white people are staring at you as you enter a store in Prescott? I'm pretty pasty (very white) and I can tell you that servicing clients in the darkest corners of Oakland CA is no treat either. It's everywhere. Ive read that the demographics of Prescott is 90% older white people. You're upset that the city council is all-white? Well Ive actually been to city counsel meetings in Atlanta and they are all black, but that didn't bother me.
If you're looking for something, chances are you're going to see it. From all my research on the area, I have yet to see any evidence that Prescott (minus its faults) is by all means a friendly peaceful town. Something I am very much looking forward to living in. I've spent most of my life in diverse environments, and color doesn't mean a thing to me. I care about how safe my kids are and the quality of life, above all else.
Ive read that the demographics of Prescott is 90% older white people.
That seems high. Although, to engage in Clintonian parsing, it would depend on one's definition of "older"
The 2000 census states that half the population is under 43, and the estimate for 2010 is minutely younger. I would expect Prescott to become a younger city as the elderly die off and fewer retirees can afford to move here. You know, declining investment income, diminishing value of present housing, retirement benefits cut or eliminated, etc.
I was only combining generalizations of the area's demographics with the seemingly common perception of the area's demographics. Wasn't necessarily being specific
But yeah, I'm hoping to see other families like ours out there. Would love for the kids to have plenty of other like-aged kids to play with.
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From Water Wells to Bigotry...
