Heading to prescott ! (Phoenix, Chino Valley, Williams: motels, houses, employment)

[VBeachRon]

Thanks Ken gettin more stoked by the day

You would'nt by chance have a motel you like better than another ? one with cool scenery

We booked the flight but not the room yet

Thanks Ron

[keninaz]

I sent you a PM.

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by VBeachRon

Thanks so much for the imput Williamson valley seems to be the best candidate so far but we'll have to put boots on the ground to be sure.

It looks like Williamson is mostly a long road as apposed to a town ?

The area is known as Williamson Valley but it is mostly unincorporated Yavapai County. There is a WV road but the area is generally known as WV.

[Eaviebug]

We spent 4 days in Prescott in early December on one of these "scouting trips" and I have mixed feelings about the place. The town of Prescott is nice yet the layout is awkward, the downtown area around the courthouse is beautiful but seems to be lacking that old downtown feel. I guess I’m just use to a downtown being more than one block. The housing market in Prescott Valley is a lot cheaper but it’s that cookie cutter style which we are trying to avoid. The Dells, Watson Lake, and Lynx Lake are a must see on your visit. If you’ve never been to AZ before then I would suggest seeing Jerome, Cottonwood Sedona, Flagstaff (downtown area, loved it!) Make sure you grab a map from one of the tourist shops around the courthouse, it came in very useful for us.

[keninaz]

I would also recommend you take a look at Mount Vernon (old Senator HWY) up into the Forest and around Groom Creek and beyond in the pines.

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by Eaviebug

We spent 4 days in Prescott
in early December on one of these "scouting trips" and I have mixed feelings about the place. The town of Prescott is nice yet the layout is awkward, the downtown area around the courthouse is beautiful but seems to be lacking that old downtown feel. I guess I’m just use to a downtown being more than one block. The housing market in Prescott Valley is a lot cheaper but it’s that cookie cutter style which we are trying to avoid.

Let me tell you this. The downtown square gets old and "played out" within the 1st month of living here. One can only walk the block and see the same shops for only so long. Most of the people I know that have lived here for years eventually stop going to the square. It is seen as a "tourist trap" by most.

I agree with you, the layout is awkward and it does lack the old feel. They did a poor job in redesigning the downtown square.

Most residents get bored with it and drive the 100 miles to Phoenix at least once a month, some every weekend, to visit the Phoenix area to experience real night life and real restaurants and real shops.

[Esenjay]

Originally Posted by DellNec

Most residents get bored with it and drive the 100 miles to Phoenix at least once a month, some every weekend, to visit the Phoenix are to experience real night life and real restaurants and real shops.

Really? I've been to Phoenix once in 2 years. Sorry, make that twice, had to drop my nephew off at the airport.

I guess you do know all the residents, though, and are qualified to speak for them.

[keninaz]

Really? I think your "most" as in have to go to the big city at least once a month or every weekend is a stretch by any means.
But that may be true for someone who did not research the area and moved here without knowing what was here or considering their desires and habits in life.
I agree that the courthouse and the surrounding shops is a tourist area. And? Many communities have that and like it as they like the revenue from the people from the heat of the valley that love to come here to cool off. It's been that way for years and years and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Yes the tourists add to the traffic and I am not fond of that.
But I will exchange that for the great views and peace and quiet that many enjoy walking themselves and their dogs in the park area. Many towns today have nothing like that anymore.
Everyone has their own ideas of what they what for sure. But the courthouse area attracts so many people to the events they have during the Spring and Summers that I cannot believe that all of the people that go there are tourists.
I am going to assume that anyone that needs a "real night life" did little to no research about this area before they moved here. And, having lived in many communities of AZ I can tell you for a fact that compared to others I have lived in that this general area has lots of choices for eating and the good news is that many are not corporate packaged meals as we do have a number of private restaurants here that do well.
I guess my message is that before you relocate an spend the time and effort and $ to do that, spend some time in an area and get a feel for it.
I think the layout is great here and very reflective of an older town that had grown over time. I really like the fact that we are not laid out with streets east to west and the like.
If you have to have the multi million people and the things that go with that small town anywhere is most likely not going to be where you want to be.
Contary to what a few think of this area, it still remains one of the top choices for living in the country. Don't let a few embittered people that made a mistake coming here without doing their homewrok scare you away. But likewise do your research before you move anywhere.

[Esenjay]

Nice post, well said Ken.

[VBeachRon]

Sounds even more desireable to me now

Keep-um coming